Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Brenau University

Students comparing Brenau University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Gainesville, Georgia1,029 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 55Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Brenau University: Washington Monthly ranks it #1076 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #983 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,029 undergraduates, admits 87.8% of applicants, and posts a 32.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,027; aid recipients pay $18,924 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $54,003.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
87.8%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$18,924

60% below the $46,877 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$54,003

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
32.9%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$27,000

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
930–1200

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Brenau University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National universities, liberal arts, regional and specialty listsNot ranked by this source
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1076of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#983of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Brenau University's position moves 34 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Brenau University

Brenau University is a private nonprofit institution in Gainesville, Georgia. Federal data show 65.0% first-year retention and a 11:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $18,924 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $46,877 sticker cost against $18,924 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Brenau University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$34,027

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
45.9%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$12,850

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $46,877 a year, but the average family pays $18,924 — a 60% difference. 45.9% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Brenau University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    11:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    65.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,029

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Brenau University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $34,027 and on-campus room and board is $12,850, for a published total of $46,877 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $18,924.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 87.8%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Wheeling University

    Wheeling, WVPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Wheeling University: U.S. News ranks it #57 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1207 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1087 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 589 undergraduates, admits 63.2% of applicants, and posts a 23.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $29,875; aid recipients pay $20,503 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,949.

    Acceptance rate
    63.2%
    Average net price
    $20,503
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $57,949
    6-yr graduation rate
    23.3%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#57 of 135Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1207 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1087 of 2,605

    589 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 55 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Morris College

    Sumter, SCPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Morris College: U.S. News ranks it #83 on Regional Colleges (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #535 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1706 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 383 undergraduates, admits not reported of applicants, and posts a 17.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $16,664; aid recipients pay $20,555 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $30,614.

    Acceptance rate
    Not reported
    Average net price
    $20,555
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $30,614
    6-yr graduation rate
    17.3%
    US News · Regional colleges (South)#83 of 131Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#535 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1706 of 2,605

    383 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 55 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Xavier University of Louisiana

    New Orleans, LAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Xavier University of Louisiana: U.S. News ranks it #208 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #887 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #405 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #785 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,628 undergraduates, admits 69.0% of applicants, and posts a 48.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $28,733; aid recipients pay $17,127 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,184.

    Acceptance rate
    69.0%
    Average net price
    $17,127
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $52,184
    6-yr graduation rate
    48.5%
    US News · National universities#208 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#887 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#405 of 500+2 more on profile

    2,628 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 54 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Brenau University against these