2025 College Rankings

The University of Georgia is the oldest state-chartered public university in the U.S. and brands itself as the birthplace of the American system of higher education. Today, the school has more strengths than weaknesses.

UGA’s curriculum fares well on our metrics. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives it an A in its What Will They Learn? ratings, which assign letter grades based on how many of seven core subjects are required in the core curriculum or general education program. UGA mandates that students take a history or government course to graduate and does not require any courses centered on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

UGA delivers strong economic outcomes for its graduates. Its graduation and retention rates exceed expectations, based on SAT scores and Pell Grant recipient data: the university boasts a 94 percent retention rate and an 87 percent six-year graduation rate. For UGA students, the predicted median income ten years after enrollment is exceeded by over $2,600. The Princeton Review ranks its alumni network eighth among public universities nationwide.

The student body at UGA is fairly open-minded. Political identification is relatively balanced, with roughly 1.4 liberal students for every conservative. The same is true of student political organizations, where liberal and conservative groups exist in near-parity. This balance has helped foster a campus atmosphere more welcoming to free inquiry than at many peer institutions.

Between 2019 and 2024, there was only one attempt to de-platform a campus speaker—a notable exception on an otherwise tolerant campus. UGA students report to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) that they generally reject illiberal efforts to disrupt speech. Sixty-two percent say that it is rarely or never acceptable to shout down a speaker; 81 percent oppose blocking access to a campus event; and 88 percent say that violence is rarely or never justified in response to controversial speech.

UGA’s administration was tested in spring 2024, when anti-Israel student activists blocked access to classrooms with an encampment. Administrators responded promptly, informing the protesters that they were demonstrating without a permit. When they refused to move, the university ordered the encampment removed. The administration later issued a statement rejecting calls for the school to join the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Still, UGA receives only middling marks for its overall campus climate for Jewish students.

The administration has not indulged in the level of activism common at peer institutions. The university recently embraced institutional neutrality, and it does not issue land acknowledgments or make environmental pledges unrelated to its core mission. It also wisely stayed out of the affirmative action battle prompted by the Students for Fair Admissions Supreme Court case. Much of this restraint can be attributed to the active role that the state government plays in overseeing its universities.

One area where UGA has lagged is its approach to DEI. It announced a “shift” away from DEI only after the 2024 election. Prior to this, UGA had a small DEI office and received a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award, suggesting an institutional commitment to the cause. That said, no UGA faculty positions require DEI statements, a rarity in public higher education. UGA continues to require SAT or ACT scores in admissions, another sign that it prioritizes merit over diversity considerations.