Most Affordable Private Colleges in Georgia
Private nonprofit colleges rarely cost what their price tags say. Among the 23 we rank in Georgia, the average net price runs from $16,646 to $49,430 a year, a range of $32,784.
The median net price is $22,585, $1,275 (5%) below the national median of $23,860 for private nonprofit colleges. Median tuition and fees are $31,700, but the median net price, which also counts room, board and books after grants, is $22,585, so aid more than covers the housing and living costs added on top of tuition.
Shorter University ranks first at $16,646, ahead of Thomas University ($18,499) and Brenau University ($18,924).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Private nonprofit 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree
- Ranked by net price, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Georgia
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported net price value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Georgia has 23
- Data period
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25 (the same for in-state and out-of-state students).
- Net price by income: students with family income of $0 to $30,000, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 23 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Shorter University Rome, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $16,646 | $24,630 | $15,929 | 37% | $54,008 |
| 2 | Thomas University Thomasville, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,499 | $11,640 | $15,640 | 28% | $63,556 |
| 3 | Brenau University Gainesville, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,924 | $34,027 | $19,481 | 34% | $61,654 |
| 4 | Oglethorpe University Atlanta, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,509 | $47,590 | $16,207 | 54% | $52,138 |
| 5 | Piedmont University Demorest, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,599 | $31,700 | $15,416 | 44% | $65,743 |
| 6 | LaGrange College Lagrange, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,875 | $35,400 | $20,764 | 44% | $62,232 |
| 7 | Emmanuel University Franklin Springs, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,925 | $25,500 | $17,735 | 38% | $42,976 |
| 8 | Toccoa Falls College Toccoa Falls, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,642 | $23,950 | $20,825 | 45% | $39,953 |
| 9 | Young Harris College Young Harris, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,034 | $32,305 | $19,721 | 44% | $43,173 |
| 10 | Truett McConnell University Cleveland, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,227 | $26,792 | $21,274 | 39% | $47,336 |
| 11 | Berry College Mount Berry, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,320 | $41,686 | $18,189 | 72% | $58,750 |
| 12 | Emory University Atlanta, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,585 | $64,280 | $7,363 | 91% | $90,139 |
| 13 | Mercer University Macon, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,847 | $42,312 | $19,817 | 72% | $71,870 |
| 14 | Reinhardt University Waleska, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,425 | $30,074 | $21,877 | 39% | $53,795 |
| 15 | Agnes Scott College Decatur, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,754 | $50,604 | $21,467 | 71% | $52,746 |
| 16 | Point University West Point, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,335 | $24,000 | $23,992 | 38% | $45,849 |
| 17 | Brewton-Parker Christian University Mount Vernon, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,054 | $20,120 | $24,574 | 22% | — |
| 18 | Covenant College Lookout Mountain, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,265 | $42,040 | $18,310 | 72% | $48,802 |
| 19 | Life University Marietta, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,791 | $15,036 | $28,151 | 36% | $51,860 |
| 20 | Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,702 | $28,310 | $37,356 | 48% | $47,337 |
| 21 | Spelman College Atlanta, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,967 | $31,556 | $32,923 | 77% | $58,897 |
| 22 | Morehouse College Atlanta, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $39,013 | $32,893 | $36,359 | 56% | $61,320 |
| 23 | Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $49,430 | $41,630 | $44,858 | 70% | $47,980 |
How to compare these colleges
Do not rule out a private college because of its sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, and the net price shown here is what students who receive aid pay on average, including housing and books. Your own offer depends on your family income and the school's aid policy, so run each college's net price calculator and compare actual award letters.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Georgia
Cheapest colleges in Georgia
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Cheap colleges in Georgia for out-of-state students
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Best value colleges in Georgia
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Highest graduate earnings in Georgia
49 schools
Same list in nearby states
Most affordable private colleges in North Carolina
32 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Florida
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Most affordable private colleges in Tennessee
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All 67 colleges in Georgia See the national version of this ranking