Atlanta’s Emory University ranked 17th out of 500 national public and private universities in a new ranking by The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education. Emory was the only Georgia institution in the top 20 on the inaugural listing.

The new ranking drew information from 15 factors in four categories: student outcomes, school resources, student engagement and the learning environment (diversity). It also incorporated results from a survey of 100,000 college students on questions about student experience and engagement. Its creators say the new ranking is intended to evaluate colleges “the way prospective parents and prospective students do.”

Emory President Claire E. Sterk said, “I am delighted that this new ranking recognizes the emphasis we place on priming students for engaging in the world and lifelong learning.”

Other Georgia schools ranked included Georgia Tech, 51; Spelman College, 106; Mercer University, 197; University of Georgia, 245; and Morehouse College, 331.

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The quadrangle at Oxford College of Emory University. The university announced Wednesday it will be tuition-free for undergraduates whose families earn less than $200,000. (Courtesy of Kay Hinton)

Credit: Kay Hinton

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

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