UGA ranked 10th among public universities in the U.S. by Niche

he University of Georgia has been ranked 10th on the latest list of Top Public Universities in the U.S. by the rankings platform Niche. 

The ranking, which was released this week, is based on Niche’s analysis of academic, admissions, financial and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education. The ranking compares over 500 public colleges and state universities. 

UGA received high marks for academics, value, diversity and athletics.  

“Niche’s ranking affirms that the University of Georgia is a powerhouse in both academics and athletics,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “We have made significant strides in recent years through strategic investments in faculty hires, new and renovated research space, as well as continued enhancements to the quality of the living and learning experience for undergraduates. Those investments are paying off, helping our students to maximize the value of their UGA degrees.” 

UGA’s retention rate—the percentage of students returning for their second year of studies—is 95%. The vast majority of UGA students finish their degrees on time: 72% of students complete their degrees within four years, and 88% of students complete their degrees within six years. These completion rates far exceed those of UGA’s peer institutions. 

Of the students who graduated in the class of 2021, 92% percent were employed, attending graduate school or engaged in postgraduate internships within six months of graduation, according to career outcomes data released by the UGA Career Center. 

The university also recently welcomed its largest and one of its most academically qualified freshman classes. More than 6,200 new first-year students started classes on Aug. 17, selected from a record number of 40,000 applications. 

This class has an average high school GPA of 4.12, the sixth consecutive year that the average weighted high school GPA of the entering students exceeds 4.0. The class of 2026 also posts an average ACT score of 32, tying last year’s record, and an average SAT score of 1384. 

The top public institution on the Niche ranking this year was UCLA. The University of Florida is the only other SEC school in the top 10, which also includes the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia and the Georgia Institute of Technology.