More selective than 13% of Georgia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $27,431. College Scorecard.
Higher than 2% of Georgia colleges we cover and 2% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 2% of Georgia colleges we cover and 4% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Paine College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 2,253 applicants, Paine College admitted 1,878 and 120 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Paine College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Paine College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Paine College took 5.0 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Georgia. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $15,322 | $76,610 | no earnings gain |
| $30–48k | $14,959 | $74,795 | no earnings gain |
| $48–75k | $17,233 | $86,165 | no earnings gain |
| $75–110k | $23,604 | $118,020 | no earnings gain |
| $110k+ | $20,388 | $101,940 | no earnings gain |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 5.0 years, the average time graduates took (6% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($33,338) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in GA (Census ACS 2020-2024). Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Paine College majors, earnings & careers
Paine College offers 21 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 5
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Communications & Media · 3
- Science & Math · 3
- Humanities & Languages · 2
- Arts & Design · 1
- Education · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Paine College
Not enough graduates in any one major to report earnings.
Quick list of all 21 majors
- Accounting—
- Biology—
- Business Administration—
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Criminology—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- English—
- History—
- International Business—
- Journalism—
- Management Information Systems—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Mathematics and Computer Science—
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Psychology (Research)—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Sociology—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Journalism → Reporter / journalist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 5.9% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Augusta
Overall prices in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,329. Housing costs 29% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 45 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Richmond County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Richmond County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Paine College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Georgia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paine College | 95% | $16,670 | 14% | $33,338 | This school |
| Herzing University-Atlanta | 94% | $21,679 | 14% | $36,909 | |
| Brewton-Parker College | 96% | $26,054 | 21% | $42,009 | |
| Shorter University | 96% | $16,646 | 38% | $44,604 | |
| Life University | 93% | $29,791 | 38% | $47,397 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Paine College would cost you $5,009 less per year than Herzing University-Atlanta, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Paine College.
- Paine College gives aided families $5,433 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Georgia resident | Paine College | Herzing University-Atlanta | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticker price | $27,431 | $27,007 | +$424 |
| Average grants | −$10,761 | −$5,328 | −$5,433 |
| You pay | $16,670 | $21,679 | −$5,009 |
“+” means Paine College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Paine College
What is the Paine College acceptance rate?
Paine College accepts 95% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,878 of 2,253 applicants were admitted.
How much does Paine College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $27,431 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,670 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $15,322 and families earning $110k+ pay $20,388.
How much do Paine College graduates earn?
Former Paine College students earn a median $33,338 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Paine College graduation rate?
14% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 54% return for their second year.
Is Paine College the right fit for your family?
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Paine College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/paine-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).