1688¿ª½±Íø

For the sixth time, the University of North Georgia (1688¿ª½±Íø) is among Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Best College Values and one of only five public universities in Georgia to be listed for 2019.

Kiplinger’s list is developed based on measures of academic quality, including SAT or ACT scores, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, and four-year graduation rates. The editors then rank the schools using cost and financial aid measures. Academic quality carries more weight than costs.

"1688¿ª½±Íø maintains a strong commitment to providing value to students, marked by excellent academic programs and high-quality student experiences at an affordable price. We are proud to be included in Kiplinger’s list of Best College Values again this year," said 1688¿ª½±Íø President Bonita Jacobs.

Among Georgia schools on the list, 1688¿ª½±Íø remains the institution with the lowest amount of student debt at graduation.  The other public universities in Georgia on the list are University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia College and State University, and Georgia Southern University.

The full list is available online at and will appear in the September 2019 print issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, on newsstands Aug. 13.

In 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked 1688¿ª½±Íø No. 1 in the South for the least amount of student debt among regional public universities on its Student Debt Load at Graduation list and No. 2 among all public regional universities on the Student Debt Load at Graduation list. The data for those lists includes loans taken out by students from their colleges, from private financial U.S. institutions and the government.