11 GA Colleges, Universities Ranked On New National Survey

ATLANTA, GA — The Peach State's best university is the Georgia Institute of Technology, according to a WalletHub ranking released Monday.

The private-finance company revealed its 2026 list of Best Colleges and Universities, marking Pennsylvania's Swarthmore College and New Jersey's Princeton University at first respectively.

Georgia Tech was 13th on the combined list of post-secondary institutions, landing the public research university in the 98th percentile.

With an overall score of 76.34, Georgia Tech measured 51st for student selectivity, 306th for cost and financing and 679th for career outcomes among nearly 800 colleges and universities.

Emory University made the top 50 on the national list, peaking at No. 44 with an overall score of 72.33. Emory landed in the 94th percentile.

Other Georgia colleges and universities that made the combined list were:

• University of Georgia, 77th
• Mercer University, 239th
• Berry College, 255th
• Agnes Scott College, 275th
• Covenant College, 321st
• University of West Georgia, 343rd
• Oglethorpe University, 374th
• Georgia College and State University, 428th
• Georgia State University, 489th

“In general, universities tend to rank higher than colleges due to their inclusion of graduate-level programs, greater on-campus opportunities and higher earnings for students post-graduation," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report.

"In fact, the top 10 places for higher education in the U.S. are all universities. There are still tons of high-ranking colleges, though, which offer their own advantages like smaller class sizes, more personalized learning and often safer campuses.”

Georgia Tech is primarily known for its engineer and computing programs, but the Atlanta-based university also champions business, design, liberal arts sciences offerings.

More than 50,000 students attend Georgia Tech's Atlanta campus, instructional classes are also provided online or at off-campus sites, including in France.

"With $1.37 billion annually in research awards across all seven Colleges and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), Georgia Tech is among the nation’s most research-intensive universities. It is an engine of economic development for the state of Georgia, the Southeast and the nation," read its biography.

The Yellowjackets football team has annually brought national attention to Georgia Tech; and this year, the Yellowjackets will take on rivals Georgia Bulldogs in a matchup at 3:30 p.m., Nov. 28, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

See the full list of WalletHub's 2026 Best Colleges and Universities.