Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Georgia
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Georgia college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Georgia scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,800 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Georgia's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
HOPE Scholarship
A merit scholarship for Georgia residents. It takes a 3.0 HOPE GPA and four rigor courses. At a public college it is applied toward standard tuition, up to 15 hours a semester.
Source: Georgia Student Finance Commission
“Graduate with a minimum 3.0 calculated HOPE GPA. Earn a minimum of four full rigor credits from the Academic Rigor Course List.”
“receive a HOPE Scholarship award amount, to be applied toward standard undergraduate tuition, up to a maximum of 15 hours”
“HOPE Scholarship recipients must maintain a 3.00 HOPE GPA.”
Zell Miller Scholarship
A higher merit scholarship for Georgia residents. It takes a 3.7 HOPE GPA and a 1200 SAT or 25 ACT, and pays the standard tuition rate. A student keeps it with a 3.30.
Source: Georgia Student Finance Commission
“Graduate with a minimum 3.7 calculated HOPE GPA. Earn a minimum of four full rigor credits from the Academic Rigor Course List.”
“A minimum score of 1200 is required for the SAT, or b) The equivalent ACT composite score (as of the most recent concordance guide published by the College Board and ACT each January 1). The ACT score requirement can change each year. The equivalent is posted by January 15 each year for the upcoming/award school year. The current equivalent ACT score of a 1200 SAT is a 25 composite score for students who graduate after December 31, 2023.”
“The Zell Miller Scholarship pays the standard undergraduate tuition rate.”
“Zell Miller Scholarship Recipients must maintain a 3.30 Zell Miller Scholarship GPA.”
Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant
A grant for Georgia residents at private colleges in Georgia, whatever their need. It pays $550 a semester, for up to three semesters a year.
Source: Georgia Student Finance Commission
“The Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant Program (GTEG) encourages Georgia residents to attend eligible private colleges in Georgia by providing assistance towards educational costs.”
“The GTEG program is non-need based funding.”
“Recipients receive an award of $367 per quarter or $550 per semester and can receive payment for up to four quarters or three semesters per year.”
REACH Georgia Scholarship
A need-based mentoring and scholarship program that starts in middle school. A student who finishes it gets up to $10,000, at most $2,500 a year, at a HOPE-eligible Georgia college.
Source: Georgia Student Finance Commission
“REACH Georgia is a needs-based mentoring and scholarship program providing promising students the support to graduate from high school and achieve postsecondary success.”
“Students who complete the program requirements will receive a scholarship of up to $10,000 ($2,500 per academic year maximum) to be used towards the cost of attendance at a HOPE-eligible postsecondary institution in the state of Georgia.”
Georgia's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into Georgia's Path2College 529 plan comes off your Georgia income, up to $4,000 a year for each child, or $8,000 for joint filers. Take money out for anything other than school costs and Georgia taxes the earnings.
Source: Path2College 529, Frequently Asked Questions
“Georgia taxpayers may be eligible for a Georgia income tax deduction on contributions made to a Path2College 529 Plan up to $8,000 per year, per beneficiary for joint filers or $4,000 for individual filers per year.”
“The earnings portion of a non-qualified withdrawal is subject to federal and state income taxation, plus an additional 10% federal tax.”
Georgia College Completion Grant
Help for students close to finishing who still owe their college: in a four-year program, a student who has completed at least 70% of the required credit hours. Each college awards it from its share of the money, at public and private nonprofit colleges in Georgia.
Source: Georgia Student Finance Commission
“The Georgia College Completion Grant (GCCG) assists eligible students enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution that is experiencing a financial aid gap with their cost of education.”
“Eligible students enrolled in a four-year program must have completed a minimum of 70% of required credit hours.”
“Eligible students must owe their institution for an outstanding balance of direct costs for the current term of enrollment.”
“Grant awards are based on program requirements and available allocated funds at the eligible institutions - University System of Georgia (USG), Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) or eligible Private non-profit postsecondary institutions in Georgia.”
Georgia also has grants for technical colleges, dual enrollment, and programs for foster youth, military families and the families of fallen public servants. See the Student Finance Commission's list.
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College public | None published | — | $17,163 |
| Albany State University public | None published | — | $23,148 |
| Augusta University public | None published | — | $23,800 |
| Berry College private | None published | — | $63,009 |
| Brenau University private |
| — | $52,274 |
| Clayton State University public | None published | — | $20,885 |
| Columbus State University public | None published | — | $21,964 |
| Dalton State College public | None published | — | $16,864 |
| Emmanuel University private | None published | — | $42,457 |
| Emory University private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay; Emory Advantage Plus — tuition free under $200,000, from fall 2026 | $98,231 |
| Fort Valley State University public | None published | — | $20,608 |
| Georgia College & State University public | None published | — | $25,205 |
| Georgia Gwinnett College public | None published | — | $23,783 |
| Georgia Southern University public |
| — | $22,129 |
| Georgia Southwestern State University public | None published | — | $19,371 |
| Georgia State University public |
| — | $27,571 |
| Georgia Tech public | None published | — | $28,195 |
| Gordon State College public | None published | — | $17,660 |
| Kennesaw State University public | None published | — | $23,382 |
| Mercer University private | None published | — | $64,891 |
| Middle Georgia State University public | None published | — | $19,153 |
| Morehouse College private | None published | — | $53,687 |
| Oglethorpe University private | None published | — | $72,415 |
| Piedmont University private | None published | — | $50,027 |
| Point University private | None published | — | $37,887 |
| Reinhardt University private | None published | — | $48,995 |
| Savannah College of Art and Design private | None published | — | $67,236 |
| Savannah State University public | None published | — | $22,126 |
| Spelman College private | None published | — | $56,720 |
| University of Georgia public |
| — | $25,856 |
| University of North Georgia public | None published | — | $22,913 |
| University of West Georgia public | None published | — | $21,229 |
| Valdosta State University public | None published | — | $19,159 |
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
2 more Georgia colleges have no page here. For 1 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Shorter University
- Clark Atlanta University
Across state lines
The Academic Common Market, run by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Coming to Georgia from another southern state
Students from the other states in the market pay in-state tuition at a public college that takes part, but only for a degree their own state's public colleges don't offer.
These 13 colleges in Georgia take part:
- Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
- Augusta University
- Clayton State University
- Georgia College & State University
- Georgia Highlands College
- Georgia Southern University
- Georgia Southwestern State University
- Kennesaw State University
- Middle Georgia State University
- Savannah State University
- University of Georgia (from the junior year)
- University of North Georgia
- Valdosta State University
Going from Georgia to another southern state
A Georgia student admitted to such a program in another of these states applies to Georgia to be certified as a resident. The program search shows which programs are open to Georgia students.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, Academic Common Market
“is a tuition-savings program for college students in 15 SREB states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by public institutions in their home state.”
“Students can enroll in out-of-state institutions and pay the institution’s in-state tuition rates for more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.”
“Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.”
“Once admitted to the institution, contact your state ACM coordinator and complete the ACM application process in your home state to be certified as a state resident.”
Guides to Georgia's public universities
Each guide follows families at different incomes through one system, campus by campus.
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,800 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Georgia scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Georgia at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Georgia's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Georgia.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.