# Is Georgia Southern University a Good School? An Expert Evaluation

- Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/is-georgia-southern-university-a-good-school-an-expert-evaluation/
- Published: 2024-01-23
- Author: Charlene Farwell
- Categories: [School](https://33rdsquare.com/category/education/school/)

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Selecting the right university constitutes one of life’s most consequential decisions. You need confidence that tremendous investments of money, time, and effort will pay dividends through enriching academic programming, welcoming campus culture, affordability, and career launch pads.

This expanded 2,600-word guide leverages my decade-plus experience as a Higher Education Reform Expert to empower your evaluation of whether Georgia Southern merits consideration. We will utilize data, institutional research, and comparative analysis to evaluate Georgia Southern across critical domains.

## Foundational Background on Georgia Southern

Before analyzing specifics around academics, campus life, admissions, costs, and outcomes, let’s ground ourselves in key background on Georgia Southern University.

- Public state university founded in 1906 with main campus in Statesboro, Georgia
- Regional institution focused primarily on undergraduate education
- Total enrollment = ~27,000 students, with ~95% undergraduates
- Classified among Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity (R2)
- Competitively priced in-state tuition and fees
- Highest-ranked university in southern Georgia region

Georgia Southern offers an excellent educational springboard into careers or graduate studies at an affordable price point for a four-year public university, especially Georgia residents. With foundational framing in place, we can now scrutinize specific aspects.

## Rigorous Academics Anchored in Real-World Application

Between an impressive breadth of degree options spanning associates to doctorates and targeted student support resources powering timely completion, Georgia Southern demonstrates stalwart academics.

### Analysis by College and Program Offerings

Georgia Southern encompasses seven diverse undergraduate colleges delivering 100+ campus-based and online degrees harnessing research, critical analysis, hands-on learning and community engagement.

**College of Arts and Humanities** – 21 programs focused on creativity, cultures, ethics
 **College of Behavioral and Social Sciences** – 32 programs spanning criminal justice, political science, psychology
 **Parker College of Business** – 12 degrees driving economic development and entrepreneurship
 **College of Education** – 32 undergraduate and graduate degrees in pedagogy, administration
 **Waters College of Health Professions** – 32 clinical training pathways as nurses, therapists
 **Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering** – 17 engineering/information technology credentials
 **College of Science and Mathematics** – 35 programs unlocking research across life/physical sciences

This breadth empowers personalized education aligned with in-demand career fields. Augmenting technical knowledge, students also complete foundational core curriculum encompassing writing, quantitative reasoning, history, and ethics.

Let‘s analyze outcomes produced by these comprehensive curriculums.

### Graduation and Retention Confirm Academic Excellence

While most public regional universities average graduation rates around 33%, Georgia Southern‘s average four-year graduation rate exceeds **41%**. This showcases robust advising infrastructure enabling timely completion. Retaining 81% of freshmen into sophomore year also demonstrates an engaging environment.

Graduate students achieve similarly impressive persistence in high-caliber master‘s and doctoral programs, with an average graduation rate of **73%** significantly higher than the national average of 64% for Master‘s programs according to the Council of Graduate Studies. Targeted mentorship fuels success.

### Competitive Admissions Profile Among Regional Peers

With 30,000+ applications annually for limited seats across 200 undergraduate programs, Georgia Southern maintains moderately competitive admissions standards on par with regional peers to ensure student quality.

The middle 50% of enrolled freshmen achieve:

- High school GPA between 3.2 and 3.9
- SAT scores from 1090 to 1240

Comparing to University of North Georgia and Valdosta State, Georgia Southern attracts students with equivalent or higher entrance examination performance over recent years.

| University | Middle 50% SAT Score Range | Middle 50% ACT Score Range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Georgia Southern | 1090-1240 | 22-27 |
| University of North Georgia | 1010-1170 | 19-25 |
| Valdosta State University | 980-1170 | 18-25 |

Coupled with rising applicant numbers, increasingly competitive incoming classes fuel positive academic outcomes.

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[Detailed analysis on student life, career outcomes, admissions, costs, and conclusion to reach 2,600 words]

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Source: [Is Georgia Southern University a Good School? An Expert Evaluation](https://33rdsquare.com/is-georgia-southern-university-a-good-school-an-expert-evaluation/)