Atlanta Magazine • Atlanta Magazine August 2025 • Georgia College Guide

Imagine finding an apartment in a building with co-working spaces, a wellness center, a courtyard, a recording studio, access to public transit, a coffee shop, and a cafe. It might even have a rooftop pool and a shuttle service. There’s only one thing keeping you from signing a lease: You’re not a college student.

The rental market for this slice of the population is gaining a foothold by offering such coveted features, as well as for being an alternative to the traditional, and often outmoded, campus dorm. As Patrick Fleming, a Virginia Tech grad and group manager for JE Dunn Construction, notes, “I remember having a room with a metal bed and having to walk down the hall with soap and a towel to take a shower with everyone else. Now I go into these properties and see a coffee shop in the lobby, a pool on the roof, a yoga studio, and saunas. It’s unbelievable how attractive the amenities are.”

But housing college students isn’t just about flashy features. Projects such as Dunn’s Rambler Atlanta, Whistler, and HERE near Georgia Tech and Reflection and The Mix near Georgia State fill a need colleges can’t meet. Fleming continues, “When you look at the major colleges and universities and their enrollment growth, then compare that to the current number of beds available, there’s a deficit. To start, there’s a land constraint: Where are they going to put these buildings? That opens a niche for private developers to do something immediately adjacent. We can put up a beautiful tower with an attractive amenities package and almost guarantee occupancy.”

The units in these properties often beat what a dull dorm room can offer. “The level of finish continues to be more elevated, with tiled showers, washers and dryers, and balconies,” Fleming says. What’s more, prices for 10-month leases are set by the room, not the unit, and vary by property, which floor is selected, and the number of bedrooms. At Reflection near GSU, rates start at $1,039 but climb to $1,769 for a one-bedroom. At Kinetic in Midtown, prices range from $1,350 to $2,099.

“The price also varies by location, proximity to campus, and amenities,” says Mohamed Mohsen, a principal with architectural firm Niles Bolton Associates. “If it’s on the edge of campus, highly amenitized, and new, it will do well even in a downturn because schools are having a very hard time housing their student populations.”

Student apartments also offer an alternative to commuting or splitting rent with roomies, Mohsen adds. “They cater specifically to students in the way they’re run and how they provide opportunities to bring students together,” he says, “And the amenities go way beyond what’s on campus. Some of them are like little resorts. We joke that when students finish school, they don’t want to move out.”

There's an App for That

Steve Mineo, senior vice president for admissions at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), remembers the tedious and sometimes grueling process that once was applying to college. “You used to print out the application, sit down at the kitchen table, and fill it out,” he says. “Then you’d write essays, your parents gave you a check, and you mailed it in." Technology has changed all of that. Gone are the paper apps and the handwritten checks. Essays, payments, and transcripts are now handled online. One program that has been a game changer is Common App (commonapp.org), an online repository where students can upload their details, explore college options, and apply with just a few clicks.

According to admissions consultant Sara Harberson, “Common App is the giant; it’s the most widely used platform and most widely accepted by over 1,100 colleges. It’s very straightforward: A student can fill it out once and, technically, use that same application for all the colleges that accept the Common App.”

Among those schools across the state using the Common App are the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, the University of Georgia, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia Southern University, Augusta University, and SCAD.

“Common App is the primary way most students apply,” says Mineo. “For us, it’s a central repository where we can see where everyone is in the process, and it allows us to work a little bit quicker. It also helps high school counselors who can go to each student’s profile and upload transcripts just once, which is great now that many students are applying to 20 or more schools.”

With so many institutions on Common App, finding a good educational fit can be easier, Mineo adds. He notes, “It’s allowed students to really dig in and learn about programs at multiple schools at once. Someone could be searching for art and design or fashion institutes, and SCAD will pop up, so we can receive applications from all over the country.”

Rebekka Whitehead, who heads an educational consulting firm in Brookhaven, advises college-bound clients to make use of online programs like Common App, as well as Coalition for College (coalitionforcollegeaccess.org) and Niche (niche.com), to streamline the process. She says, “They have ways to keep track of deadlines and requirements, and Common App now has a mobile app that high schoolers love.” Experts add that most college admissions staffs trust and have solid rapport with these programs that have resulted in more applications.

“They’re easy for everyone to use,” Harberson concludes. “And frankly, that’s part of the reason Common App has become a popular choice.”

Directory of Georgia Colleges

The Georgia College Guide directory includes all schools that have campuses in state, offer four-year undergraduate programs, and are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) or an equivalent regional accrediting organization; satellite campuses are accredited by regional equivalents in the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Tuition figures are undergraduate and do not include fees or room and board unless otherwise noted. Graduate tuition figures are also provided when available.

HOPE figures are consolidated, including standard HOPE and Zell Miller Awards (unless noted). Schools supplied both SAT and ACT scores when available. Many schools still use only math and critical reading SAT scores for admissions. When available and used by the school, we have noted the composite three-part score for math, reading, and writing. The ACT score breakdown typically includes English and math. In some cases, schools no longer require SAT or ACT scores for admission; this is noted when applicable.

*The information for each school with an asterisk comes from the institution’s website, as the college or university did not respond to requests for data prior to publication.