Known to many as the "Peach State" or the "Empire State of the South," Georgia is home to some of the nation's fastest growing counties, second only to Texas. Georgia holds a rich history both in terms of its development into the 8th most populous state in the U.S. and in its deep roots in Southern Culture dating back to the Civil War and America's conception before that. Established in 1732, Georgia was the last and southernmost of the original Thirteen Colonies, and was named after King George II of Great Britain. It one of the original seven Confederate states to secede from the Union and was the last among them to return to it. Today, Southern pride, hospitality, and general warmth in social interactions are commonly reported features of Georgia's culture and subculture, especially in the more rural areas of the state.
As the largest state in land area east of the Mississippi River, Georgia features incredibly diverse environments and ecosystems. From the Appalachian Mountains to the north, to the centralized riverlands and lakes, to the coastal plains and Atlantic Coastline of the southeast there are countless beauties to be explored in Georgia. It is also home to 115 institutions of higher learning, among which is the University of Georgia, the oldest public university in the United States. All Georgia residents who have graduated from high school or earned a General Educational Development (GED) certificate will have access to The Hope Scholarship, though students must maintain a GPA of 3.2 or higher in a public college or university in-state to reap the benefits.
Students often choose to attend online colleges within their own state. While one might choose to move for a job or out of passion for the area, the most compelling reasons to move closer to one's school of choice stem from specific school benefits.
Funding often plays a role in such a choice. Even though the courses are the same regardless of where they're taken, Georgia schools often apply their in-state tuition rates for Georgia residents. Georgia also participates in the Southern Regional Education Board's Academic Common Market, so even those residing in nearby states may be able to get this benefit.
Likewise, schools' support services will often be easier to access from a physically-closer location. Online students are often still entitled to the use of university facilities and resources, even though they do not take courses on campus. This can also make it easier to get more face time with one's academic advisors, or connect with internship opportunities provided through campus events.
Living within the state can also speed up a degree or open up new opportunities. Hybrid programs which incorporate both online and traditional coursework can open up new degree options. Similarly, some schools will offer intensive coursework on evenings or weekends, or at specific times of year, which can further accelerate a degree program.
Compared with the rest of the nation, Georgia boasts relatively affordable higher education costs. In 2014-2015 the average annual tuition for public four-year colleges was $8,447 for in-state students. This falls squarely in the middle of the range of public four-year college education costs, with tuition of $4,890 in Wyoming and up to 15,160 in New Hampshire. While this means that Georgia public education isn't astoundingly low or high, tuition for public four-year institutions is well below the national average cost of $13,000 per year. Public education is on par for public education in the south, however, with the average posted tuition of public four year colleges in the south at $8,709.
For private universities offering online degrees in Georgia, Savannah College of Art and Design is one of the more expensive, coming in at $36,045 for undergraduate tuition. For a world-class art-centered university, however, these fees are modest and further instill the notion that online education in Georgia is quite a good deal compared to the nation as a whole.
Featured Online Schools
Perhaps the highest value of online universities in Georgia is the top ranked Georgia Institute of Technology. Offering a number of degree programs entirely online, including a very affordable MS in Computer Science presented through MOOCs, Georgia Tech is a top 25 ranked national university that undergraduate students can attend for less than $5,000 a year. What a deal!
Atlanta is massive, and boasts the 10th largest city economy in the United States. Accordingly, Atlanta is home to some four online degree granting universities, a number which swells to eight when looking at surrounding metro area cities and suburbs. Two notable online-degree granting institutions in Atlanta city limits include Georgia Institute of Technology, the top ranked institution providing online degrees in the state, and Georgia State University, a strong state university offering one of the largest arrays of doctoral degrees online that we've seen at BestCollegeReviews. In Atlanta's high tech and media based economy, students can't go wrong with technical degree from Georgia Tech. What's more, masters programs are $170 for in or out-of-state students taking online degrees through the school.
As home to one of the largest concentration of Fortune 500 company headquarters of any city in the US, there's a ton of opportunity in Atlanta. Also of note is the relatively low cost of living, with an overall cost of living index 99% of the nation as a whole. For soon-to-be online students, Atlanta is second to none for a great mixture of opportunity, online course offerings, and cost of living.
The consolidated area of Augusta and Richmond Counties (roughly, Augusta, GA), are the second largest metro area in Georgia after Atlanta. While there are no online degree granting institutions located in Augusta, students living in Augusta are within three hours drive from Atlanta, Macon, and Athens. For online programs requiring more than periodic meetups or practicums, a three hour distance is usually designated as the outer range a student might be able to make regular trips at. With 12 online-degree granting institutions within this range, students in Augusta still have plenty of "local" online options even if none within the city limits.
Columbus, Georgia, and the nearby metro area are home to some 300,000 residents as well as one online-degree granting institution (within city limits): Columbus State University. While Columbus State University offers a wide range of bachelors and masters level online degree programs, students needing other offerings can easily expand their "local" options with two other institutions within 30 minutes, and access to Atlanta and Macon in under two hours. For many located in nearby Fort Benning, online education is one of the primary higher educational delivery methods, so those seeking to further their education online certainly aren't alone in Columbus.
Atlanta
Population: 447841 Cost of Living: 0.99 Top Industries: Media, Finance, Film, Transportation Local Online Degrees: 8
Augusta
Population: 197872 Cost of Living: 0.93 Top Industries: Defense, Manufacturing Local Online Degrees: 0
Columbus
Population: 202824 Cost of Living: 0.91 Top Industries: Defense, Education, Health Care Local Online Degrees: 1
Savannah
Population: 142772 Cost of Living: 0.98 Top Industries: Manufacturing, Tourism, Transportation, Defense Local Online Degrees: 1
Athens
Population: 119980 Cost of Living: 0.91 Top Industries: Education, Support Services, Health Care Local Online Degrees: 1
Sandy Springs
Population: 99770 Cost of Living: 0.99 Top Industries: Biomedical, Research, Health Care Local Online Degrees: 2
Macon
Population: 89981 Cost of Living: 0.95 Top Industries: Defense, Aerospace, Health Care, Transportation Local Online Degrees: 1
The Best Online Colleges in Georgia
Accreditation serves as a sign of a college or university's independently-verifiable quality, and that plays a role in many other elements of college life. Most colleges will only accept credits in transfer from other accredited schools, and financial aid from the federal government generally requires accreditation.
In most cases, the highest accreditation standard available to a university as a whole is called regional accreditation, and is overseen by region-specific accreditation organizations. Georgia's regional accreditation organization, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, oversees accreditation in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Individual programs at a school can also have programmatic accreditation, which indicates a specific program meets the prevailing needs of a specific field. Students should always make sure the school they're attending has regional accreditation, and look into programmatic accreditation for any programs in which they're interested, especially if they are highly technical.
Making sure that a University you're hoping to attend is regionally accredited — or accredited by a real and respected accrediting agency — is one of the most important choices you can make in ensuring the quality of your education.
Three Steps for Securing Financial Aid
Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online.
Contact your universities of choice to determine if any other forms are necessary.
Search for private scholarships online or through your schools of choice.
By going through these three steps, many students secure grants, work-study programs, scholarships, or stipends, which defray the cost of education.
Great Georgia Higher Education Resources
The Georgia Student Finance Commission is funded by the lottery of the state of Georgia, and provides a wide range of support for higher education and opportunities for individual student scholarships.
Check out the Georgia Office of the State Treasurer for the most up-to-date and accurate information on 529 education savings plans.
The Georgia Student Aid Commission is in charge of overseeing a wide range of grants and initiatives for increasing accessibility to Georgia schools. check out their list of financial aid programs here.
For information on Georgia Hope Scholarships, financial planning, and opportunities for increasing college availability, check out the GA Futures organization. Check out their detailed and consumer-centered college search here.
There are 22 technical colleges in Georgia. Check out the official site of all public technical colleges in the state here.
Interested in attending a location of the Georgia University System? Start by checking out their site here.
The Georgia Career Information Center provides accurate job and educational information to help inform students on career choices.
The Georgia College and Career Clusters are ways of organizing curricular and major paths to center around occupational skills. Check out their guidance at the previous link.
Affordable Learning Georgia supports educators and institutions replacing commercial learning materials with low cost alternative. Check out their list of compliant courses and institutions above.
Whether you're a student of Georgia State University or not, check out many open educational resources shared from Georgia Universities and educators under creative commons licensees. Many resources are meant to lower the cost of obtaining quality educational materials in Georgia.
If you're a student athlete at the University of Georgia, your alma mater is preparing you for future careers their own way. Check out preparing for a career, the Georgia way!
