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Pyle-Davis HousePyle-Davis House · Photo: Melsner4 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colleges in and near Demorest

Demorest is a college town: 26 of every 100 residents are students

Piedmont University (1,307 students on campus) is inside the city. Across Georgia, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town26% of residents are studentsPiedmont University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Demorest. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
4
5,811 students on campus
Nearest college
0.2 mi
Piedmont University
Residents in college
26%
Above GA (6%)
Nearest community college
5.3 mi
North Georgia Technical College · $3,330 tuition
Nearest public university
25.3 mi
University of North Georgia · $5,285 in-state
Students on campus in Demorest
1,307
next to 2,262 residents

What stands out about college in Demorest

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town26 of every 100 Demorest residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.A university in DemorestPiedmont University has 1,307 students on campus in Demorest, 47% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 5.3 miles awayNorth Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville: tuition and fees $3,330 a year for Georgia residents.In-state price at University of North GeorgiaLiving in Georgia, the University of North Georgia charges $5,285 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $16,503. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Demorest

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

26 of every 100 Demorest residents are in college (GA: 6).

1,307students on campus at Piedmont University, next to 2,262 residents (dorm students count as residents)
57college students live in Demorest households rather than dorms
25.3median age · GA 37.6
46%of homes rented · GA 34%
$1,302median rent · 7% below the state
Cost of living$1,302/mo median rentC+SafetyCrime reported to the FBIA+HealthCDC estimatesA−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundC+HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Demorest’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C+

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 11.3% of Demorest residents are below the poverty line, 11.4% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 8 points either way). 9% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C+

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (26% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health A−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Demorest’s median age is 25.3 (Georgia 37.6), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety A+

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Demorest

Three private colleges within 12 miles, and North Georgia Technical College 5.3 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, University of North Georgia, is 25.3 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miNorth Georgia Technical CollegeTruett McConnell UniversityPiedmont UniversityDemorest
University or collegeCommunity college
Piedmont UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,307 on campus · In Demorest93%admitted$21knet price47%graduate$49kearningsNorth Georgia Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · 1,979 on campus · 5.3 mi · Clarkesville$4knet price39%graduate$33kearningsTuition and fees: $3,330 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Toccoa Falls CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,047 on campus · 10.7 mi · Toccoa Falls · mostly online66%admitted$22knet price44%graduate$37kearnings59% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Truett McConnell UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,478 on campus · 12 mi · Cleveland78%admitted$22knet price38%graduate$47kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Demorest’s median household income ($77,941) falls.

North Georgia Technical College5.3 mi · Clarkesville · sticker $13,085 · tuition $3,330$8,459a year
University of North Georgia25.3 mi · Dahlonega · sticker $18,177$12,059a year
Truett McConnell University12 mi · Cleveland · sticker $39,152$22,134a year
Toccoa Falls College10.7 mi · Toccoa Falls · mostly online · sticker $37,561$22,762a year
Piedmont UniversityIn Demorest · sticker $46,801$24,161a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →North Georgia Technical CollegeToccoa Falls CollegeTruett McConnell UniversityUniversity of North Georgia
University of North Georgia37% graduate$50k earnings$18k typical debt
North Georgia Technical College39% graduate$33k earnings$8k typical debt
Truett McConnell University38% graduate$47k earnings$23k typical debt
Piedmont University47% graduate$49k earnings$25k typical debt
Toccoa Falls College44% graduate$37k earnings$22k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Demorest

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Piedmont University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Health professions 32%Education 19%Business 17%Public safety 6%Visual & performing arts 4%Communication 4%Everything else 17%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing72 graduates a year
$80k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods31 graduates a year
$46k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations21 graduates a year
$66k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections12 graduates a year
$43k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Demorest

Is Demorest a college town?

Yes. 26 of every 100 Demorest residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Georgia. Piedmont University has 1,307 students on campus, next to 2,262 residents.

What colleges are in Demorest?

Piedmont University is inside the city. North Georgia Technical College is 5.3 miles away in Clarkesville.

What is the closest community college to Demorest, and what does it cost?

North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville, 5.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $3,330 a year for Georgia residents; the federal net price, $4,005, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Piedmont University?

Piedmont University admitted 93% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,038–1,245 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Demorest. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →