Within about 75 miles of downtown Atlanta, a family can visit 13 of the four-year colleges Lens covers: large public universities, an engineering-focused university, three historically Black colleges side by side, liberal arts colleges and campuses in college towns. This guide lists them all, then offers three ways to plan a trip, depending on what the student hopes to learn.
A campus visit is one of the few moments in the college search when a student can stand somewhere and ask, quietly, whether it feels like a place they could belong. Atlanta makes that easy to test, because so many different kinds of colleges sit within a short drive of one another.
Colleges you can visit from Atlanta
Acceptance rates are for fall 2024 (IPEDS) unless marked; distances are straight-line miles from downtown. Colleges are grouped by area, from the city outward.
| College | Town or neighborhood | Setting | Kind | Public or private | Undergraduates | Acceptance rate | About how far from downtown | Plan a visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia State University | Downtown Atlanta | City blocks | Large research university | Public | 26,600 | 55% | Under 1 mile | Admissions · Tours |
| Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) | Midtown Atlanta | A campus of its own in the city | Engineering-focused research university | Public | 18,800 | 13% (fall 2025) | 2 miles | Admissions · Tours |
| Spelman College | Atlanta University Center | A 39-acre campus near downtown | HBCU; women's liberal arts college | Private | 3,400 | 25% | 1 mile | Admissions · Tours |
| Morehouse College | Atlanta University Center | A historic campus near downtown | HBCU; men's liberal arts college | Private | 2,800 | 44% | 2 miles | Admissions · Tours |
| Clark Atlanta University | Atlanta University Center, West End | A historic campus near downtown | HBCU; research university | Private | 3,600 | 64% | 1 mile | Admissions · Tours |
| Emory University | Northeast Atlanta (plus Oxford College in Oxford, Georgia) | A campus of its own in a residential neighborhood | Research university | Private | 7,300 | 11% | 5 miles | Admissions · Tours |
| Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw and Marietta | Suburban, two campuses | Research university | Public | 41,300 | 69% | 23 miles | Admissions · Tours |
| Georgia Gwinnett College | Lawrenceville | Suburban, a 261-acre campus | Four-year college | Public | 11,300 | 96% | 27 miles | Admissions · Tours |
| University of West Georgia | Carrollton | Town | University | Public | 7,500 | 52% | 44 miles | Admissions · Tours |
| Brenau University | Gainesville | Small city | University; women's college | Private | 1,000 | 88% | 50 miles | Admissions · Tours |
| University of North Georgia | Dahlonega and other campuses | Town | University | Public | 16,100 | 68% | 59 miles | Admissions · Tours |
| University of Georgia | Athens | College town | Large research university | Public | 32,100 | 34% (fall 2025) | 60 miles | Admissions · Tours |
| Berry College | Mount Berry, near Rome | A very large campus outside a small city | Liberal arts college | Private | 2,200 | 64% | 61 miles | Admissions · Tours |
Three ways to plan the trip
Families plan different trips. Some want to learn what kind of campus feels right, some want to compare colleges of one kind, and some want to see colleges that admit most of the students who apply. Here are three routes, each of which fits in a day or two.
1. A first visit that compares settings
If this is a first visit and the student isn't sure whether a campus woven into city blocks, a campus of its own in the middle of the city or one tucked into a residential neighborhood feels right, this route shows all three in one day, and none of the stops is more than about 4 miles from the last.
Stops: Georgia State University → Georgia Tech (about 2 miles apart) → Emory University (about 4 miles). Open the route in Google Maps
Georgia State University. A large public research university with about 26,600 undergraduates, set among the streets and buildings of downtown Atlanta. Its buildings are part of the city itself, which is the point of seeing it first.
- Plan your visit: Admissions · Campus tours and visits
- What to see: the university offers a self-guided tour by campus map and a virtual tour.
- Visitor basics: visits begin at the Welcome Center, 100 Auburn Ave. NE, and the university lists visitor parking in the 75 Piedmont upper lot and nearby decks, paid through ParkMobile (parking details). The campus is reachable by MARTA.
Georgia Tech. A public, engineering-focused research university with about 18,800 undergraduates on a campus of its own in Midtown. More of its graduates major in computing than in any other field. Georgia Tech on Lens
- Plan your visit: Admissions · Campus tours and visits
- What to see: visit programs meet at the John Lewis Student Center and Stamps Commons, and the admission office offers a self-guided walking tour and a Campus Visit Bingo sheet for spotting places along the way.
- Visitor basics: the admission office recommends Visitor Area 3 (the Student Center Deck), with Visitor Area 1 on North Avenue as a backup, and does not validate parking (prepare for your visit). Your confirmation email gives the exact check-in spot.
Emory University. A private research university with about 7,300 undergraduates. Students can start on the Atlanta campus or spend their first two years at Oxford College, a campus of about 1,000 students east of the city. Emory on Lens
- Plan your visit: Admissions · Campus tours and visits
- What to see: Emory's self-guided tour, which you register for in advance, has stops for academics, campus life and community, and points visitors to dining spots, coffee shops, the student center and the campus bookstore (self-guided tour FAQs).
- Visitor basics: Emory says Atlanta campus walking tours run 60 to 75 minutes and Oxford tours 45 minutes to an hour. Atlanta visitors park in the Oxford Road Building deck (charged on weekdays, free on weekends); Oxford parking is free.
2. Similar colleges together: the Atlanta University Center
If the student is drawn to historically Black colleges, the Atlanta University Center brings three of them together, close enough to walk between. Spelman is a women's college and Morehouse a men's college; Clark Atlanta is coeducational. Seeing them on one day shows how three neighbors can feel quite different.
Stops: Spelman College → Morehouse College (about 0.3 miles apart) → Clark Atlanta University (about 0.4 miles). Open the walking route in Google Maps
Spelman College. A private historically Black liberal arts college for women, with about 3,400 undergraduates on 39 acres about five minutes from downtown. Students can take courses at other Atlanta University Center schools. Spelman on Lens
- Plan your visit: Admissions · Campus tours and visits
- What to see: Spelman offers guided tours (see its tour schedule), a campus map and a virtual tour.
- Visitor basics: register ahead, and arrive at least 15 minutes early to park ($3 on campus). Admissions is on the third floor of Packard Hall in the Cosby Academic Center. Spelman notes that residence hall tours are not offered and that tours may be delayed or canceled in bad weather.
Morehouse College. A private historically Black liberal arts college for men, with about 2,800 undergraduates. Morehouse describes its campus as a place to walk in the footsteps of history.
- Plan your visit: Admissions · Campus tours and visits
- What to see: the college's campus map highlights the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, the King Collection and the Robert W. Woodruff Library.
- Visitor basics: Morehouse is a private campus, so schedule a tour before you come; directions and parking are on its site.
Clark Atlanta University. A private historically Black research university with about 3,600 undergraduates, in what the university calls the heart of Atlanta's historic West End.
- Plan your visit: Admissions · Campus tours and visits
- What to see: tours are led by an admissions representative; the student center, with the bookstore, is open to guests.
- Visitor basics: reserve a tour through the university's tour picker (one student and two guests per booking), and arrive at least 15 minutes early. The campus is near the Ashby MARTA station. Visitors are not allowed in the cafeteria.
3. Colleges that admit most applicants
If the student would like to see colleges where most applicants are admitted, every stop on this route admitted more than 60 percent of applicants for fall 2024: Kennesaw State 69%, Clark Atlanta 64% and Georgia Gwinnett 96% (IPEDS). The route crosses the city from the northwest suburbs to the northeast, so some families split it over two days.
Stops: Kennesaw State University → Clark Atlanta University (about 22 miles apart) → Georgia Gwinnett College (about 28 miles). Open the route in Google Maps
Kennesaw State University. A public research university with about 41,300 undergraduates on two campuses, Kennesaw and Marietta, in Cobb County north of Atlanta. Check which campus your tour is on.
- Plan your visit: Admissions · Campus tours and visits
- What to see: the university's visit page suggests its dining halls and the KSU stores, and offers interactive maps of the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses.
- Visitor basics: visitor parking is paid through the ParkMobile app or pay-by-plate kiosks in visitor areas (where to park).
Clark Atlanta University. See route 2.
Georgia Gwinnett College. A public four-year college with about 11,300 undergraduates on a 261-acre campus in Lawrenceville.
- Plan your visit: Admissions · Campus tours and visits
- What to see: tours start at the Grizzly Welcome Center (Building D) with a 15-minute information session, then a walking tour led partly by student ambassadors. There is also a virtual tour.
- Visitor basics: the college says tours run weekday mornings and afternoons during the fall, spring and summer semesters. Each student must register ahead and may bring two guests.
Build your own trip
The table above is a menu as much as a list. A family might pair Georgia Tech with the University of Georgia to compare two large public universities, or add Berry College to a day in Rome. Two nearby stops, chosen for a reason, often teach more than four chosen at random.
What to notice on any visit
These are suggestions, things worth watching for rather than facts about any college.
- Who eats together. In the dining hall or student center, do students sit in mixed groups or in clusters? Could you picture yourself at one of those tables?
- The bulletin boards. Flyers show what students actually do with their evenings, and what they care about.
- The library on a weekday afternoon. Busy and quiet, busy and loud, or nearly empty?
- The walk from the dorms to class. How far is it, and what do you pass on the way?
- One question for your tour guide. "What surprised you after you got here?" often brings a more honest answer than "Do you like it?"
- How you feel when you leave. Notice whether you're talking about the place in the car afterward.
Timing tips
These are common practice, not rules from any one college.
- Visit while classes are in session if you can, so you see the campus on an ordinary day.
- Check each college's academic calendar for breaks and exam weeks before you book.
- Spring break is a busy time for visits, so register ahead.
- Leave time between stops for parking, check-in and a slow walk around on your own.
Frequently asked questions
How many colleges can you visit in one day? Common practice is that two is comfortable and three makes a long day, since most visits pair an information session with a tour. In the Atlanta University Center, three colleges are close enough to walk between, which helps.
Which colleges near Atlanta admit most applicants? In this guide's table, Georgia Gwinnett College (96%), Brenau University (88%), Kennesaw State (69%), the University of North Georgia (68%), Clark Atlanta (64%), Berry College (64%), Georgia State (55%) and the University of West Georgia (52%) admitted about half of applicants or more for fall 2024.
Which HBCUs can you visit in Atlanta? Spelman College, Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University sit side by side in the Atlanta University Center, about a quarter to half a mile apart. Route 2 visits all three.
Does visiting help you get in? It depends on the college. Georgia Tech states that demonstrated interest is not part of its admission process. For other colleges, section C7 of each college's Common Data Set shows whether "level of applicant's interest" is considered. Either way, a visit is most useful for what it teaches the student.
Can we visit Emory's Oxford College on the same trip? Yes; Emory offers a self-guided tour and a virtual tour for Oxford, and its visit page lists both campuses.
Lens helps you understand which kinds of colleges fit you, using seven research-backed assessments, so that when you walk onto a campus you know a little more about what you're looking for. Start with Lens →
Related
- Georgia Tech
- Emory University
- Spelman College
- University of Georgia
- Big school or small college?
- What is a liberal arts college?
- Fitting in vs. belonging in college
- How many colleges should I apply to?
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS: enrollment, control, location and fall 2024 admissions for every college in the table.
- Lens college pages for Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia (fall 2025 acceptance rates), Emory and Spelman.
- Georgia State University: Admissions, Atlanta Campus visit, visitor parking. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Georgia Tech: Visit, Prepare for your visit. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Emory University: Visit, FAQs. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Spelman College: Visit Spelman. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Morehouse College: Visit Morehouse, Campus map. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Clark Atlanta University: Visit. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Kennesaw State University: Visit KSU. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Georgia Gwinnett College: Visit and learn about GGC. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Admissions and visit pages for every other college, as linked in the table, all checked October 30, 2026.