Georgia has some of the most prestigious universities in the United State. In fact, the Peach State has three of the 50 best national universities according to U.S. News & World Report.

Our list is composed of the 12 national universities in Georgia. National liberal arts colleges (like Morehouse College) and regional universities (like Berry College) are not included.

What exactly is a national university? “Schools in the National Universities category … offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs,” U.S. News said. “These colleges also are committed to producing groundbreaking research.”

Graduation rates, peer assessment, financial resources, faculty per student and more are among the top factors in the rankings. Overall, Georgia has several great universities that all offer plenty of resources for students hoping to earn a college degree. The University of Georgia is no exception. UGA is the No. 19 public university in the country and has a competitive rate of tuition.

ATLANTA, Ga. – Gov. Brian P. Kemp on Friday signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency and suspending the state’s gas tax for two more weeks.

This suspension will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. May 20 and run through June 3.

Though separate from the current motor fuel tax suspension enabled by HB 1199, which sunsets at 11:59 p.m. on May 19, this action is designed in such a way to give Georgians another two weeks of relief at the gas pump.

“As Georgia families prepare for the Memorial Day travel weekend, they should not feel blindsided by prices at the gas pump,” Kemp said. “Along with our partners in the legislature, we’ve remained committed to giving hardworking Georgians relief wherever able, and this action is another fulfillment of that promise.”

According to AAA, 39.1 million Americans plan to travel by car this Memorial Day weekend, more than last year’s record.

The average cost of a gallon of regular gas in Georgia is currently $4.02 under the current gas tax suspension. That is a full 50 cents less than the national average, with Georgia being one of only two states to have suspended their motor fuel tax.

Georgia’s current motor fuel excise tax is 33.3 cents per gallon for gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon for diesel.

After months of campaigning, the 2026 primary elections in Georgia are on Tuesday, with hundreds of contests for statewide and local office taking place across the Peach State.

Voters in every precinct will have a distinct ballot, depending on what races are in play where they live.

With the number of candidates and hotly contested races up for grabs this year, many voters have said the primary ballot is one of the longest they’ve seen.

How to tell which races will be on your local Georgia ballot 

So how do you know what races will be on your ballot before you head to your local polling place? It’s easier than you might think.

One way is to use the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page. Once logged in with your name, county, and date of birth, you can click a link to see your sample ballot and update your voter information. You can also see where you can cast your vote and your voter registration info.

You can also check your county election department, which will have links to see the Democratic, nonpartisan, and Republican sample ballots.

Statewide races will be on every voter’s ballot, like the primaries for governor, lieutenant governor, and U.S. senator. Most other races are dependent on the county or legislative district.

The different races included in the Georgia primary election

• U.S. Senate
• U.S. House of Representatives
• Governor
• Lieutenant Governor
• Secretary of State
• Attorney General
• Commissioner of Agriculture
• Commissioner of Insurance
• State School Superintendent
• Commissioner of Labor
• Public Service Commissioner District 3 and 5
• State Senate
• State House
• Countywide officers
• Georgia Supreme Court (two seats)
• State and county courts

Georgia U.S. Senate primaries

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is running unopposed and will face one of five challengers aiming to bring the seat back into Republican hands: Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, Rep. Mike Collins, John F. Coyne III, Derek Dooley, and Jonathan “Jon” McColumn.

Georgia Congressional primaries

All 14 of Georgia’s U.S. House districts are on the ballot this year. Here are some of the metro Atlanta races CBS News Atlanta will be watching closely.

Primaries for Georgia governor

Primaries for Georgia lieutenant governor

• Democratic primary for Georgia lieutenant governor
• Republican primary for Georgia lieutenant governor

Primaries for Georgia secretary of state

• Democratic primary for Georgia secretary of state
• Republican primary for Georgia secretary of state

Primaries for Georgia attorney general

• Democratic primary for Georgia attorney general
• Republican primary for Georgia attorney general

Other statewide primaries in Georgia

Here are some other contested statewide primaries we are watching:

• Democratic primary for Georgia insurance commissioner
• Democratic primary for Georgia agriculture commissioner
• Republican primary for Georgia state school superintendent
• Democratic primary for Georgia state school superintendent
• Democratic primary for Georgia labor commissioner
• Republican primary for Georgia Public Service commissioner Districts 3 and 5
• Democratic primary for Georgia Public Service commissioner Districts 3 and 5

Georgia State Senate and State House primaries

All 56 of the Georgia State Senate districts and all 180 seats of the Georgia State House of Representatives are up for election in 2026. 

Primaries for Georgia courts

Primaries for both statewide and county courts are on the ballot this year. These elections are nonpartisan and all candidates will appear on both ballots

• Three Georgia Supreme Court judges
• Five Court of Appeals judges
• County superior court judges
• State court judges

Political party ballot questions

Both the Georgia Republican and Democratic parties include ballot questions in their primary elections. The questions are non-binding, but advise the parties on what to include in their platforms. This year, the Republicans have eight questions and the Democrats have two.

As an example, Question 1 on the Republican ballot asks: “Should Georgia enact the strongest election integrity measures possible, which may include hand marked paper ballots, fines for counties that refuse to maintain current voter rolls, and restrictions on no-excuse absentee voting to restore trust in elections?”

Question 1 on the Democratic ballot asks: “Should the State of Georgia raise the sales tax on everyday items like clothing, food, and school supplies to pay for an income tax cut that would make millionaires and billionaires richer?”

Voters mark yes or no on each question.