Schools.com ranks UNG in top five of best four-year schools in Georgia

The University of North Georgia (UNG) is ranked as the No. 5 university among all four-year institutions of higher learning in Georgia, according to the website Schools.com.

Schools.com uses the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and reports from accredited schools themselves to determine the rankings of 1,383 four-year colleges and universities in the United States.

Data was gathered on more than 50 schools in Georgia and analyzed with Schools.com's 12-point methodology.

"Schools that stood out in multiple categories earned the right to be called the best campus-based and online colleges in Georgia," the website said.

Rankings were based on the latest data available from 2016-2017 school year. Schools ranked higher than UNG were University of Georgia (1), Georgia Institute of Technology (2), Georgia College and State University (3), and Georgia Southern University (4).

Each school was scored on a 100-point scale, using specific data points. To be included in the ranking, schools had to report the following data:

• In-state tuition and fees for full-time undergrads
• Average amount of institutional grant aid awarded to full-time, first-time undergraduates
• Financial aid awarded to full-time first-time undergraduates
• Median debt of graduates
• Loan repayment rate of graduates
• Degree and certificate programs offered on campus
• Degree and certificate programs offered online
• Percent of students enrolled in any distance education classes
• Full-time student retention rate
• Graduation rate in six years
• Percent of students working and not enrolled six years after entry
• Flexibility and student services ranging from dual credit to remedial services

Schools.com is a private website owned by QuinStreet Inc., a marketing and media online business based in Foster City, Calif.

UNG is a designated State Leadership Institution and serves at The Military College of Georgia. It has more than 18,000 students across five campuses in Blue Ridge, Cumming, Dahlonega, Gainesville, and Oconee.