ATLANTA — A new ranking of the country’s best colleges and universities has gone through 1,700 higher education institutions and determined which ones are top of the class.
Georgia ended up with three universities ranked in the top 50 nationwide.
According to U.S. News and World Report, Emory University is the best in the state, coming in at No. 24 on the national ranking.
The report says that with a total undergraduate enrollment of just over 7,400 and a 9:1 student-faculty ratio, Emory University ranks among most of the other universities nationwide.
It also mentions that the university has just a 10% acceptance rate, which is the 10th lowest in the country.
Earlier this month, officials announced that starting with the fall 2026 semester, all students whose parents make less than $200,000 will not have to pay tuition.
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Next up on the list, the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta ranked No. 32 overall.
But if you remove private universities, Georgia Tech ranks in the top 10 for best public universities at No. 9.
It was also ranked the third most innovative school.
But don’t worry, Bulldogs. The University of Georgia in Athens cracked the top 50 by coming in at No. 46.
Just like Georgia Tech, when looking only at public universities, UGA rises higher in the ranks, coming in at No. 19.
The report references UGA’s 767-acre campus and undergraduate population of more than 32,000 students, saying that despite having so many students, the student-faculty ratio is still 17:1.
Notably, for the 19th year in a row, Atlanta’s own Spelman College ranked No. 1 among historically Black colleges and universities. The college was also ranked No. 2 on the list of Top Performers in Social Mobility and remains among the top 40 Best National Liberal Arts institutions at No. 37.
Clark Atlanta University also was ranked among the top HBCUs, coming in at No. 16 and No. 52 in Top Performers on Social Mobility.
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If you’re not looking to stay in the Peach State, U.S. News and World Report says the country’s best universities are Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
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