University of North Georgia

Public · Moderately Selective · GA

Photo: Hermione1980 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationGA · South

SettingRural

Undergrads16,146

Student:faculty19:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate32.5%

6-yr grad rate37.3%

Drop-out rate26.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$5k

Out-of-state tuition$17k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity32.4%

Gender diversity55.4%

International1.1%

Identity—

Overview

The University of North Georgia spans multiple campuses across the mountains and foothills north of Atlanta — Dahlonega, Gainesville, Oconee, Cumming, and Blue Ridge — with Dahlonega serving as the historic core. Its defining feature is a genuine dual identity: it is one of only six senior military colleges in the country, alongside schools like The Citadel, Virginia Tech, and Norwich University, maintaining a uniformed Corps of Cadets alongside a much larger civilian student population on the same campuses.

Academics

Nursing, education, and business are the most popular programs, drawing both cadet and civilian students across the university's multiple campuses. The military-college infrastructure adds leadership-focused coursework and ROTC pathways that are unusually developed for a regional public university — UNG's ROTC program commissions officers at a scale unusual for a school this size, a direct legacy of its status as a senior military college.

Campus & student life

The Dahlonega setting in the north Georgia mountains gives easy access to Appalachian hiking and outdoor recreation, a real contrast to the more urban options closer to Atlanta itself. Cadet life and civilian student life run in parallel on the same campuses, with distinct traditions, housing, uniforms, and daily expectations for each group, even though cadets and civilians often sit in the same classrooms.

Getting in

Civilian admission is accessible and academic-record-driven, typical of a regional Georgia public university. The Corps of Cadets track involves an additional, more involved application and commitment process, including a physical fitness component and leadership evaluation, layered on top of ordinary undergraduate admission rather than replacing it. Students uncertain which path fits them can typically start in the civilian program and explore ROTC without formally joining the Corps, though moving into the Corps itself after enrolling is less common than applying directly.

After graduation

Cadet graduates commission as officers across multiple branches of the military, a direct and well-defined pipeline distinct from most public universities. Nursing, education, and business graduates place solidly within Georgia's regional job market, with many staying in the north Georgia and greater Atlanta area after graduation.

Worth knowing

Students should be clear about which track they're applying to — the Corps of Cadets and the civilian student body have genuinely different daily structures, obligations, and campus experiences despite sharing classrooms, dining halls, and degrees. Civilian students can also participate in ROTC without joining the Corps of Cadets itself.

ung.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate67.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 980–1210 · ACT 19–25

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying