That is what I am going to do here. I am going to walk you through what the United States government, through IPEDS, has on record about Georgia State University: who it is, whom it admits, how much it costs, who receives aid, and what happens to students who enroll. I am not going to tell you whether it is the right school for your child. No data knows that. But if, by the end, you understand this piece of the puzzle clearly, you will already have something many families do not have when they sit down to decide.
What type of university it is
Let us start with the basics, because the basics here are not trivial.
Georgia State University is a public university offering four-year programs or longer, located in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County, in the heart of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan area. The Census classification places it in a principal city of 250,000 residents or more. That is context, not destiny: how to get to campus and what is available to live near it are questions no data can answer for you. If your child plans to live at home, drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the exact time of their classes. Actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
Carnegie, the system that classifies United States universities by what they do, places it among the country’s doctoral institutions with the highest research activity. It also describes it as a large and “primarily nonresidential” school: that means that, according to the data used for that classification, fewer than one in four undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing, or fewer than half attended full time. The data do not clarify which of the two conditions was met, and it also does not mean there are no dormitories—there are, in fact, as you will see later. In its undergraduate profile, Carnegie places it in its selective-admission group. Carnegie does not accredit or recommend: it describes schools using the same rules for all of them. Use it to know which institutions this university resembles, and decide using everything else.
IPEDS, the official database of the Department of Education, reports the doctorate as the highest level the institution offers and classifies it as a university that awards degrees primarily at the bachelor’s level or higher. That does not tell you whether your child’s specific major exists here, or whether it connects to graduate study. That must be asked program by program.
And one clarification worth making right away: Georgia State University does not have any of these three federal designations: it is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), it is not a tribal college or university, and it is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this directory, 138 have at least one of the three. Georgia State’s not having them does not say which students it serves or how your child will feel on that campus. Ask directly: which cultural centers exist today, which student organizations are available, and, even better, speak with someone already studying there.
A huge school, with more people than you imagine
Georgia State University reported 34,974 students enrolled in the official fall count. That places it in the highest band the government uses to measure size: 20,000 students or more. Among the 519 public four-year schools with selective admission in this census, it is among the largest: at most one out of ten has more students than it does.
But that large number hides something important: it includes graduate students. Of those 34,974, only 27,588 are undergraduates; the other 7,386 have already completed a degree and are studying something further. If your child is entering a bachelor’s program, the number that matters to them is 27,588, not the total of 34,974.
Of those undergraduate students, 14 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with the 519 selective public schools in this census, it is above the middle of the group, without reaching the highest quarter. Put plainly: Latinos are few here. That does not automatically remove it from the list, but it is something worth seeing up close on a visit, asking what specifically exists for Latino students: a student group, a cultural center, someone in the office who speaks Spanish.
There are more women than men in undergraduate study—60 out of every 100 are women—and there is a real mix of ages: 15 out of every 100 students are between 25 and 64 years old. Most new students, 86 out of every 100, reported a permanent address in the same state as the institution. This is, to a large extent, a university for Georgians, with room for those coming from elsewhere.
How it works academically
The academic year at Georgia State University is organized by semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The institution accepts AP exam credit, but did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. Saying it accepts AP does not mean it grants credit for every exam: it does not say what scores it requires or whether those credits count toward your child’s major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling; do not budget the savings until you have it. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolls high school students in college-credit courses through a formal dual-enrollment program.
In a single year, Georgia State awarded 5,309 bachelor’s degrees, distributed across 19 program families under the federal classification. No family takes a large share: the most popular was business and administration, and even so it represented only 19 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Among the 514 selective public schools in this census, it is in the quarter awarding the most degrees each year. It is a broad offering, and “19 families listed in the detail” does not equal 19 exact majors: each family groups several programs. Verify the specific program that interests your child.
One fact worth understanding well: the ratio of students to instructional staff is 25 to 1, full-time equivalents. Among the 519 comparable schools, that places it in the highest quarter—three out of four report the same ratio or a lower one. This is an institutional average, not class size. It does not tell you how each professor’s time is distributed or how many students are in your child’s first-year class. That must be asked separately.
The institution also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, and several pathways related to teacher certification, including preparation for and state approval for teacher certification.
What getting in is like: admission, selection, and enrollment
This is where many families need more clarity, so let us take it slowly.
Georgia State University does not have open admission. Of the nine admission considerations the government tracks, it marks four as required: the high school record, high school GPA, completion of the course plan the university requires, and the English-proficiency examination when applicable. The personal essay and letters of recommendation are not required, but if you submit them, they are considered. The undergraduate application fee is $60.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask today whether they must take the English-proficiency examination and what exempts them from it. It is one of those things discovered late, and here it is marked as required when applicable.
In the 2023 cycle, Georgia State received 30,230 first-time applications and offered admission to 18,826. That is 62 out of every 100. Among the 519 selective public schools in this census, it falls on the more demanding side: seven out of ten in that group accepted a greater percentage of applicants. Put plainly: it is not a sure thing, and it is not a lottery either. Applications are reviewed.
But here comes the part almost nobody tells you: out of every 100 admitted students, only 24 ultimately enrolled. The other 76 had a place here and did not take it. Among comparable schools, that percentage is among the most common—neither high nor low, middle of the pack. And do not read it as a blemish on the school: the federal record does not say why each person made the decision they made. What you can do is avoid being guided by what others decided. Wait for your own letter with the net price—what the year will really cost you—and decide with that number in hand whether this school remains on the list.
The SAT and ACT are not required here. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid anyway. Of enrolled students, 35 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and among them the middle half scored between 530 and 640 in reading and writing, and between 510 and 640 in mathematics. Those numbers are only for students who enrolled and submitted a score: they are not for all applicants, and that 530 is not a minimum nor is that 640 a guarantee.
Regarding transfers: of a cohort of students who entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor’s degree, 23 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without finishing here. It is a common percentage among similar schools. Transferring is not failure, but if you think your child may need it, it is best for them to know in advance how to request the records. In the other direction, in fall 2023, 1,334 students arrived who entered Georgia State for the first time after having previously studied at another institution. That figure does not say how many courses were accepted for credit: request that in writing, with the course list in hand, before your child moves.
The cost: two prices, and a gap that matters
At Georgia State University, among 1,177 first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid and paid the in-state or district rate, whose records reported family EFC income of less than $30,000, the average net price was $13,552. Among 639 students from the same population with family EFC income of $48,001 to $75,000, it was $17,219; among 440 students with family EFC income above $110,000, it was $20,338. For dependent students, the band adds their parents’ income and their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (1,177 students) and that for the highest band (440 students) is $6,786. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $16,390.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this data with the same time coverage, this one falls in the most expensive quarter for lower-income families. That does not mean it should be ruled out. It means you need to request the aid letter before deciding.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution they use the in-state or district rate. The overall scholarship average, when shown, describes first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
How it is paid for: scholarships, loans, and who receives what
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students at Georgia State, 83 received some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid. Among the 519 comparable schools, that places it in the quarter where scholarships reach more students. The average, among those who received one, was $8,711 per year.
The Pell Grant—the federal aid for low-income families—went to 51 out of every 100 students. Seeking income-based aid here is not unusual: half the group or more received it.
Regarding loans: 41 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in academic year 2022-23, with an average of $6,026 among those who borrowed. It is a middle-range proportion among comparable schools: neither among those generating the most debt nor those generating the least. This percentage describes other families, not yours. That number does not include parents’ PLUS loans, credit cards, or the total debt with which a student graduates—that information is not in this report. What your child would need to borrow comes from their own financial-aid letter, and that letter must arrive before you rule out or commit to the school.
The institution also offers a tuition installment payment plan as a formal way to manage the cost.
Campus life and support
Georgia State does have institution-controlled housing, with reported capacity for 5,271 students, on or off campus. It does not require all full-time, first-time students to live there. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest plan. Having housing does not guarantee an available bed; request in writing the year’s rate, the application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or put on a waiting list.
There is ROTC, with the Army branch confirmed in writing. Navy and Air Force are not marked in the report—that does not mean they are impossible; it means you need to ask directly.
It competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with membership reported in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child is interested in athletics, the membership belongs to the school, not to them: write to the coach, ask whether there is room on the team, and whether that sport offers a scholarship.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. 13 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load at a distance; the other 87 took at least one in-person class. It also reports offering at least one complete program at a distance.
The library operates with employed staff, annual spending above the government-recorded threshold of $100,000, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary loan. And among the supports the institution reports: combined academic and career counseling, employment services, on-campus child care, Yellow Ribbon participation for veterans, a point of contact for military members and their families, and a page dedicated to disability services.
What happens to students who enroll: retention and graduation
This is perhaps the most important part of truly understanding what Georgia State University is.
Of students who entered full time in fall 2022, 78 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. It is a result a little above the middle among comparable schools. For those who entered part time that same fall, the figure was 53 out of every 100—they are different groups, with different circumstances, and should not be compared with each other as if they measured the same thing.
Now graduation. Of students who entered a bachelor’s program in 2017, full time and for the first time, 54 out of every 100 had graduated six years later. At four years, the figure was only 34 out of every 100—twenty points lower. That difference matters greatly because four years is the time frame most families budget for. Compared with similar schools, Georgia State is above the median in six-year graduation.
Put plainly: at six years, it is almost half and half. Half of that generation graduated from here; the other half did not. The report does not say why in each case. Before deciding, it is worth asking what specific supports the school offers so your child’s degree does not take longer, and how the total cost changes if they take more than four years—because that fifth year, if it comes, must be paid for too.
Expanding the window to eight years, with a different cohort that includes full-time and part-time students who entered between 2015 and 2016: 58 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate from this school by August 2023. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was almost identical: 57 out of every 100. IPEDS also reports that 25 out of every 100 had not received a degree from here but appeared with some type of later enrollment recorded, although that definition contains an inconsistency in the federal report that prevents stating precisely how many were still enrolled exactly at the cutoff. And another 18 out of every 100 had unknown enrollment status: the report simply did not determine what happened to them. Unknown does not mean they stopped studying; it means the data cannot tell you.
Putting the pieces together
You now know, with the precision official data allow, one of the three pieces you need to decide about Georgia State University. You know how large it is, how selective it is, how much it costs at each rate, who receives aid, and what happens to students who enroll.
What remains is what only your child knows: what they want to study, how far from home they can imagine living, what type of campus makes them feel they can be themselves there. And what remains is what only your family can decide: how much you can pay, how much debt you are willing to take on, and what questions you still need to ask before signing anything.
Your child needs to research the exact program that interests them, visit if you can, and write their own application. You need to handle the money, the deadlines, the letters, and support them without carrying alone a system they are only beginning to learn to read. It is not your job to live their decision. It is your job to get with them to the door, with the right questions already asked.
With this piece in hand, you can begin building the rest of the plan.
Note: the information in this article comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and reports from the United States Department of Education, primarily from cycle 2022-2024. Best College Aid does not represent Georgia State University or any government agency; this piece organizes public data to help you understand it and does not replace the admission letter or financial-aid letter your family receives directly from the institution.