Introduction

Higher Education in America’s Metropolitan Areas and Atlanta’s Prominence is a comprehensive national study assessing higher education capacity in the 45 largest U.S. metropolitan regions.

This study provides comparative data on enrollment, degree production, institutional revenue, and research investment across 45 major U.S. metro regions.  With a special introductory focus on Atlanta’s position in the national higher education landscape, ARCHE is proud to highlight the strengths within our regional higher education colleges and universities. This section includes highlights in which Atlanta ranks among the nation’s top 5 in key indicators of enrollment, undergraduate and graduate awarded degrees, and finance metrics, showing Atlanta now ranks among the top metropolitan areas in the United States for academic research, STEM degree production and educational attainment.

Included throughout the report are perspectives of ARCHE member college and university presidents on the role and impact of Atlanta colleges and universities in the region’s economy and quality of life.

This report further includes a regional profile that gives a perspective on how Atlanta compares and excels within the larger southeast region. A final appendix concludes the study with selected tables of ranking statistics of the top 45 metro areas in the US

Highlights

Atlanta’s Academic Strength

In 2024, Atlanta was the number one most educated city in the U.S. among the top 100 cities ranked by Forbes. As a result, Atlanta is positioned as one of the nation’s top centers for academic research, innovation, and producing highly educated and talented graduates contributing to national and global societal good.

Stem Leadership

Atlanta is a leader in the national trend toward a greater share of students seeking STEM degrees. For the US, the share of STEM degrees conferred by all four-year public and private institutions increased significantly from 18.5% in 2014 to 23.5% in 2022. Atlanta’s rankings in degrees conferred at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels in core STEM fields of Engineering,
IT, Natural Sciences and Physical Sciences are all above its rankings in population, regional GDP and number of institutions. Atlanta is also highly ranked in producing total certificates, ranking 4th among the 45 regions, and 5th in IT certificates.

Research & Economic Impact

Ranking #4 in research spending and #5 in receipt of federal grants exemplifies the Atlanta region as one of the nation’s leading research hubs. The region’s many residential campuses and institutions devoted to undergraduate education is highlighted by its ranking of 6th among the 45 regions in terms of institutional housing capacity and total bachelor’s degrees conferred.