ATLANTA – In a new study, Atlanta recently ranked in the top five Best College Towns and Cities in America for 2025.

Release:

With college application season in full swing and student living expenses reaching over $36,000 per year in some regions, WalletHub released its report on the Best & Worst College Towns in America for 2025, as well as expert commentary, to help college-bound students find the most cost-effective and fun places to pursue higher education. This report is a follow-up to WalletHub’s College & University Rankings.

Best Large College Towns

San Diego, CA

Austin, TX

Orlando, FL

Tampa, FL

Raleigh, NC

Atlanta, GA

Phoenix, AZ

Miami, FL

Sacramento, CA

Pittsburgh, PA

Best Midsize College Towns

Madison, WI

Scottsdale, AZ

Tempe, AZ

Gainesville, FL

Boise, ID

Charleston, SC

New Haven, CT

Tallahassee, FL

Salt Lake City, UT

Cary, NC

Best Small College Towns

Wilmington, NC

Ann Arbor, MI

Charlottesville, VA

Champaign, IL

College Station, TX

Missoula, MT

West Lafayette, IN

Santa Barbara, CA

Berkeley, CA

Pullman, WA

Note: For simplicity, we used the term “Towns” to refer to both cities and towns.

Best vs. Worst

• Charleston, Illinois, has the lowest cost of a two-bedroom apartment rental, which is 4.7 times lower than in Santa Cruz, California, the city with the highest.
   
• Brownsville, Texas, has the lowest cost-of-living index for young people, which is 3.2 times lower than in Stanford, California, the city with the highest.
   
• Provo, Utah, has the lowest cost of higher education, which is 4.2 times lower than in Evanston, Illinois, the city with the highest.
   
• Stony Brook University, New York, has the most enrolled students (per 1,000 residents), which is 25.9 times more than in Cape Coral, Florida, the city with the fewest.