ǧÃŬAV

U.S. News ranks ǧÃŬAV among top universities in the South

September 12, 2022
ǧÃŬAV was among the South's top universities in the 2023 U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges rankings.

Article By: Clark Leonard

The University of North Georgia (ǧÃŬAV) received high marks for quality and value in the rankings released Sept. 12.

Among the rankings' public Regional Universities in the South, ǧÃŬAV is the No. 1 university in Georgia on the Best Value Colleges and Least Debt lists, and it is the top-ranked Georgia school on the list of Best Colleges for Veterans.

Overall, the university tied for 18th among public Regional Universities in the South, and it is the second-highest ranking Georgia university on the list.

Further underscoring the return on investment ǧÃŬAV provides students was its inclusion on the Top Performance on Social Mobility list, a new category this year in the U.S. News rankings.

"ǧÃŬAV takes great pride in providing high-quality educational opportunities, and our consistent, year-over-year recognition for academic excellence and value reflect the impact ǧÃŬAV has on educational attainment in this region and beyond," ǧÃŬAV President Bonita C. Jacobs said.

Other highlights for ǧÃŬAV from the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings were:

  • Tied for sixth among public universities in Georgia on the Best Undergraduate Business Programs list.
  • Tied for sixth among public universities in Georgia on the Undergraduate Computer Science Programs ranking.

The U.S. News Best Colleges rankings evaluate colleges and universities on 17 measures of academic quality. The results allow students and their families to compare at a glance the quality of U.S. institutions based on widely accepted indicators of excellence such as first-year student retention, graduation rates and the strength of the faculty. 

Other recent rankings include ǧÃŬAV's gold status on the 2022-23 Military Friendly Schools list and a pair of studies highlighting the value of a ǧÃŬAV degree. A study from  showed a return on investment of $962,000 over a 40-year period for a bachelor's degree from ǧÃŬAV, which is fifth among public universities in Georgia. Data compiled by , a national think tank, showed ǧÃŬAV with a 26.4% economic mobility index, which ranks fourth among public universities in Georgia.

One of the state's largest universities, ǧÃŬAV serves almost 19,000 students across its five campuses in Blue Ridge, Cumming, Dahlonega, Gainesville, and Oconee County, and online. ǧÃŬAV offers more than 100 programs of study, including certificates, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral programs.

Founded in 1873, ǧÃŬAV is celebrating 150 years of service, leadership and scholarship this academic year. The Sesquicentennial Celebration honors ǧÃŬAV's legacy of producing outstanding civic, professional and military leaders who serve throughout Georgia and beyond.


Fall graduates look to future with optimism

Fall graduates look to future with optimism

ǧÃŬAV awarded roughly 985 degrees and certificates to students this fall, and it honored more than 650 of those graduates in a pair of Dec. 7 commencement ceremonies.
Luncheon honors scholarship recipients

Luncheon honors scholarship recipients

Five nontraditional female students at ǧÃŬAV each earned a $2,000 scholarship from the Women of ǧÃŬAV on Dec. 5 at the Women's Holiday Scholarship Luncheon.
Special ed lab aids future educators

Special ed lab aids future educators

During the fall semester, future educators from ǧÃŬAV took part in a special education lab in which they worked with a software tool that helped them assess students, craft education plans and receive immediate feedback.
Grads prepare for their next steps

Grads prepare for their next steps

ǧÃŬAV will award almost 1,000 degrees and certificates this fall, and more than 600 graduates are scheduled to take part in the Dec. 7 commencement ceremonies.