A college town · College Scorecard

Athens is home to 2 colleges

About 43,619 students study on campus here. The largest is University of Georgia, and 26% of Athens’s residents are enrolled in college. 2 more colleges are within 30 miles.

University of Georgia Athens Technical College

Colleges in town

degree-granting · 1 career school

Students on campus

43,619

1 for every 3 residents

Residents in college

26%

Above GA (6%)

Most selective

38%

admitted · University of Georgia

Lowest net price

$7k

a year · Athens Technical College

Earnings, 10 yrs

$69k

University of Georgia · median

What stands out about college in Athens

Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.

Degrees that payUniversity of Georgia students earn a median $68,726 ten years after starting, more than at 92% of U.S. colleges.A true college town26% of Athens’s residents are enrolled in college, against 6% statewide.A big universityAbout 40,273 students on campus at University of Georgia.A community college startAthens Technical College is Athens’s community college: about $6,949 a year after aid.

★ What stands out · Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting. Athens’s are named; gray dots are colleges nearby.

University of Georgia90% graduate$69k earnings$19k typical debt

Athens Technical College51% graduate$36k earnings— typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, students on federal aid. A college that’s part of a larger system reports earnings for the whole system.

Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Athens

How much the college shapes the town, and the pages a student or a new neighbor needs.

26 of every 100 Athens residents are in college (GA: 6).

43,619students on campus · 129,609 residents

29.6median age · GA 37.6

59%of homes rented · GA 34%

$1,219median rent · 12% below the state

Housing$340K typical home SafetySafety Grade C−HealthCare nearby Climate33° January low · 90° July high HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

Every college

All 2 colleges in Athens

Tap a college for who gets in, what families pay, majors and outcomes.

University or collegeCommunity collegeBigger dot = more students

University of GeorgiaUniversity or college · Public · 40,273 on campus 38%admitted$14knet price90%graduate$69kearnings Athens Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · 3,346 on campus Openadmitted$7knet price51%graduate$36kearnings

Also in Athens: Georgia Institute of Cosmetology (career schools, online-only programs or campuses too small for their own page).

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for families on federal aid. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Athens’s median household income ($54K) falls.

Athens Technical CollegeIn Athens · sticker $15,783 $8,345a year

University of GeorgiaIn Athens · sticker $27,993 $13,096a year

Emmanuel University26.1 mi · Franklin Springs · sticker $37,604 $19,817a year

Federal figures: your own price depends on your aid package. Every college has a net price calculator on its website. “—” = not reported for that income.

Majors

What students study in Athens

Share of degrees by field, across Athens’s colleges, then the biggest programs and what their graduates earn.

Business 26%Biology 8%Communication 8%Psychology 6%Social sciences 6%Interdisciplinary 4%Everything else 42%

Biggest programs

Psychology, GeneralUniversity of Georgia · 591 graduates a year

$59k4 yrs out

Biology, GeneralUniversity of Georgia · 573 graduates a year

$60k4 yrs out

Finance and Financial Management ServicesUniversity of Georgia · 545 graduates a year

$97k4 yrs out

MarketingUniversity of Georgia · 398 graduates a year

$86k4 yrs out

Management Information Systems and ServicesUniversity of Georgia · 369 graduates a year

$113k4 yrs out

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationUniversity of Georgia · 298 graduates a year

$75k4 yrs out

Political Science and GovernmentUniversity of Georgia · 266 graduates a year

$71k4 yrs out

InsuranceUniversity of Georgia · 252 graduates a year

$95k4 yrs out

Within reach

More colleges near Athens

Colleges within 30 miles of the center of Athens, beyond its own.

University or collegeCommunity college

College of AthensUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Watkinsville

7.7 mi68 students

Emmanuel UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Franklin Springs

26.1 mi837 students

Straight-line distance. Degree-granting colleges with students on campus. Dashed rows are too small, or report too little to the Department of Education, for a page of their own.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →

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Start the conversation

Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023). “On campus” counts fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Net price is the average a year after grants for families on federal aid; earnings are the median 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. Distances are straight-line from the center of Athens. Town figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.