The University System of Georgia oversees public four-year colleges and universities in the state. As public institutions, these schools rely on state funds for operation, and for Georgia residents they offer lower tuition rates than private colleges.
The University System includes four-year colleges offering degrees in everything from agricultural engineering to philosophy. The three major research universities within the University System are Georgia State University; the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech); and the University of Georgia, the state's flagship institution. The student body at these institutions is larger than any others within the university system.
Both Georgia State and Georgia Tech are located in Atlanta, offering students an urban university experience. Georgia Tech also has a reputation for having some of the best engineering programs in the nation.
The University of Georgia, on the other hand, is located in smaller Athens, Georgia. It grants four-year degrees in business, humanities, natural sciences and other fields of study.
These three large universities offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in a variety of disciplines. While other four-year public colleges are scattered throughout the state, none is as large as these three.
Two-year colleges are also included among University System of Georgia institutions. They can be found in urban settings like Atlanta and Savannah, but others--like Bainbridge College in South Georgia--are located in rural areas of the state. They offer associate degrees in arts, sciences or applied sciences, and they may provide certification to meet certain students' career interests.
The Technical College System of Georgia oversees the state's technical schools, and several are located throughout the state. Whether you're looking for an automotive technology program or instruction in barbering, Georgia's technical colleges offer several diplomas, degree programs and technical certificates to meet the diverse needs of students.
For students looking into options outside the public college and university systems, Georgia's private colleges offer many of the same academic programs found in state schools. Private institutions tend to charge higher tuition rates than public ones, especially compared to public institution rates for in-state residents, since they don't receive money from the state.
Atlanta's Emory University, for example, is a nationally-recognized private university with a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. Unlike public schools that must only provide a secular education due to their reliance on state funds, Emory also has a divinity school housed in the Candler School of Theology.
For career-oriented individuals seeking a technical education, several proprietary colleges and private career institutes like Devry and ITT Tech have campuses in Georgia, particularly in the Atlanta area.