August brings two things for colleges -- fall semester and a slew of studies ranking universities every which way.

Georgia Tech and University of Georgia earned the No. 1 and 4 positions when SmartMoney magazine ranked 50 colleges based on the median salary of graduates compared with what they paid in tuition. Median salary for Georgia Tech graduates is $57,300 and they paid $87,810 in tuition, the magazine found. UGA graduates have a median salary of $42,100 and paid $77,957 in tuition.

More information on "Payback Score": www.smartmoney.com.

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Students line up after school for school buses at Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The school’s principal told teachers not to talk to students about ICE, and teachers and activists are pushing back. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com