How Many Colleges Are in Atlanta? A Local’s Guide to the City’s Higher Education Scene

Atlanta isn’t just the capital of Georgia—it’s also one of the largest college hubs in the Southeast. If you live in Atlanta, are planning to move here, or are visiting and curious about the city’s education scene, it helps to understand how many colleges are here, what types they are, and where they’re located.

Because “Atlanta” can mean different things (the city limits vs. the metro area), the answer depends on how you define it.

Quick Answer: How Many Colleges Are in Atlanta?

When people ask, “How many colleges are in Atlanta?” they’re usually thinking about all the schools that feel like part of the city’s higher education community, not just those technically inside city limits.

Here’s a simple way to look at it:

These numbers shift slightly as programs open, consolidate, or change names, but they give a realistic sense of scale:
Atlanta is a major college city, with dozens of institutions offering everything from technical certificates to PhDs.

Types of Colleges You’ll Find in Atlanta

To make sense of how many colleges are in Atlanta, it helps to group them by type. Most Atlanta-area schools fall into a few main categories:

1. Major Research Universities

These are large, often nationally recognized institutions offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, with extensive research activity.

Some of the best-known in or very near Atlanta include:

• Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) – Midtown Atlanta
• Georgia State University – Downtown Atlanta (plus multiple metro campuses)
• Emory University – Druid Hills area, just northeast of the city’s core

These schools contribute heavily to Atlanta’s identity as a technology, healthcare, and business hub.

2. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Atlanta is nationally known for its concentration of HBCUs, many of which are clustered in the Atlanta University Center (AUC) on the west side of the city.

Within city limits, you’ll find:

• Spelman College – women’s college, liberal arts
• Morehouse College – men’s college, liberal arts
• Clark Atlanta University – comprehensive university (undergraduate and graduate programs)
• Morehouse School of Medicine – health sciences and medical education

These schools are a major reason Atlanta is viewed as a center of Black higher education and culture.

3. Liberal Arts and Private Colleges

Beyond the research universities and HBCUs, Atlanta has several private institutions with strong liberal arts or specialized focuses, such as:

• Oglethorpe University – in Brookhaven, just north of Atlanta
• Atlanta’s seminaries and theological schools (for students pursuing religious and ministry education)

These schools tend to be smaller and more intimate than the big public universities.

4. Community Colleges and Technical Colleges

If you’re looking for two-year degrees, workforce training, or flexible career programs, Atlanta has multiple options through the Technical College System of Georgia and community-oriented campuses.

Within or close to the city you’ll find campuses such as:

• Atlanta Technical College – south Atlanta
• Georgia Piedmont Technical College (nearby in the east metro)
• Atlanta Metropolitan State College – a state college offering associate and bachelor’s degrees, in southwest Atlanta

Across the wider metro area, additional community and technical campuses serve students in DeKalb, Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton counties.

5. Art, Design, and Specialized Schools

Atlanta also hosts specialized institutions for creative and professional training, including:

• Art and design schools
• Culinary and hospitality programs
• Music and performing arts academies
• Health-care-focused colleges (nursing, allied health, etc.)

These schools add to the total number of colleges even if they’re smaller or more narrowly focused.

Atlanta vs. “Metro Atlanta”: Why the Count Changes

When you ask how many colleges are in Atlanta, you’ll get different numbers depending on who you ask—and they’re not all wrong. The variation comes down to boundaries and definitions.

Inside the City of Atlanta

If you draw a boundary strictly around the City of Atlanta, you’ll find:

• Multiple major universities (Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Emory-adjacent, AUC schools)
• A handful of community or state college campuses
• Various private and specialized institutions

That usually adds up to around 15–20 distinct institutions that offer higher education degrees or substantial postsecondary programs and market themselves as being “in Atlanta.”

The Metro Area Adds Many More

When people say “Atlanta” in everyday conversation, they often mean the Atlanta metro area, which includes parts of:

• Fulton County
• DeKalb County
• Cobb County
• Gwinnett County
• Clayton County
• And several surrounding counties

Once you include colleges in places like Kennesaw, Marietta, Decatur, Lawrenceville, and Morrow, the count rises to 50 or more colleges, universities, and technical schools that are considered part of “greater Atlanta.”

If you’re a student or parent planning where to study, it makes sense to think in terms of the metro area, since commuting via I‑20, I‑75, I‑85, GA 400, or MARTA is a normal part of Atlanta life.

What This Means If You Live or Study in Atlanta

Knowing how many colleges are in Atlanta is useful, but what really matters day-to-day is how this shapes living, working, and studying here.

1. You Have a Wide Range of Options

Within a relatively short driving radius, you can find:

• Large public universities (good for broad program offerings and research)
• Private universities and liberal arts colleges (often smaller class sizes)
• HBCUs with strong community and identity
• Technical and community colleges oriented toward specific careers

This makes Atlanta a practical place for:

• High school graduates choosing between multiple pathways
• Working adults going back to school
• People interested in changing careers without moving out of the city

2. Many Programs Are Accessible by Transit

Several major campuses, especially in Downtown, Midtown, and the west side, are near MARTA rail or bus routes, including:

• Georgia State University (Downtown MARTA stations)
• Georgia Tech (Midtown and North Avenue stations, plus Tech Trolley)
• The Atlanta University Center area (served by bus routes from West End station)

If you don’t want to drive everywhere, looking at schools along MARTA lines is a practical way to narrow your options.

3. Strong Ties to Atlanta’s Employers

Because Atlanta has so many colleges, there are regular pipelines into local industries like:

• Tech and engineering (Georgia Tech, Georgia State, local tech programs)
• Healthcare and public health (Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory, nursing colleges)
• Business and finance (business schools across several institutions)
• Media, film, and entertainment (benefitting from Georgia’s film and TV industry)

If you’re already in Atlanta’s workforce, local colleges can be a way to upskill without leaving the region.

Locating and Contacting Colleges in Atlanta

If you’re trying to figure out where to start, it helps to know the central offices or resources that deal with higher education and student questions.

While each college has its own admissions and registrar’s office, there are a few useful Atlanta-area touchpoints:

• Atlanta Technical College

  • 1560 Metropolitan Parkway SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
  • Main campus for technical and career training in the city

• Atlanta Metropolitan State College

  • 1630 Metropolitan Parkway SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
  • State college offering associate and bachelor’s degrees

• Georgia State University (Downtown Campus)

  • 33 Gilmer Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30303
  • Large urban research university with multiple advising and admissions offices

• Georgia Institute of Technology

  • North Avenue NW, Atlanta, GA 30332
  • Main campus in Midtown; central hub for engineering and technology programs

• Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUC)

  • Includes Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse School of Medicine in the West End area
  • The AUC neighborhood is a dense cluster of HBCU campuses

Most institutions list admissions, financial aid, and program information on their official sites and can be reached by main campus phone lines for up-to-date details on programs and application steps.

How to Choose Among So Many Atlanta Colleges

With so many colleges in and around Atlanta, it can help to narrow your choices using a few simple questions:

• Program type: Do you need a certificate, associate, bachelor’s, or graduate degree?
• Location: Do you want to stay inside Atlanta city limits, or is a nearby suburb acceptable?
• Transportation: Will you rely on MARTA, rideshares, or your own car?
• Campus environment: Are you drawn to a large urban campus, a historic HBCU, or a smaller private college?
• Schedule: Do you need evening, weekend, or online options to fit work and family life?

Because Atlanta has dozens of colleges and universities in its orbit, most residents can find at least one option that fits their goals, budget, and commute.

In everyday terms, you can safely say that Atlanta proper hosts around 15–20 colleges and universities, and the greater Atlanta metropolitan area is home to more than 50 higher education institutions of various types. For anyone living in or moving to Atlanta, that means plenty of educational paths—without needing to leave the city you call home.