Address: 201 Dowman Drive, 30322 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Law, Business, Theology, Arts and Sciences
Emory University was founded in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia, as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church, and it carries the name of Bishop John Emory. The college closed in 1861 during the Civil War, when its students enlisted on the Confederate side, and thirty-five of them died. It moved to Druid Hills in 1915 and was rechartered as Emory University after accepting a land grant from Asa Griggs Candler. It became coeducational in 1953, was racially integrated after a 1962 ruling of the Georgia Supreme Court, and joined the Association of American Universities in 1995.
The main campus is at Druid Hills, about four miles from downtown Atlanta, and covers more than 600 acres. It was annexed into the city of Atlanta in January 2018. The original campus at Oxford, Georgia, about 38 miles east of Atlanta, covers 56 acres and houses Oxford College. Emory Healthcare, the largest healthcare system in Georgia, has seven major hospitals, among them Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown.
In the autumn of 2024 the university enrolled 16,142 students, of whom 18.2 percent were international, and in 2020 it employed 32,594 people, including about 24,000 in healthcare. Nine schools teach there: Emory College of Arts and Sciences and Oxford College, both from 1836, the School of Medicine, from 1854, the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, the Candler School of Theology, the School of Law, the Laney Graduate School, the Goizueta Business School and the Rollins School of Public Health, from 1990.
The Robert W. Woodruff Library belongs to a system of more than 3.9 million print and electronic volumes. The Rose Library holds the papers of Flannery O’Connor, Alice Walker and Langston Hughes, and the Michael C. Carlos Museum has the largest collection of ancient artefacts in the southeastern United States. Emory lies next to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to which it donated 15 acres in 1947 for the headquarters. The endowment was about 12 billion dollars in 2025.
Alumni include Alben Barkley, vice president of the United States, the golfer Bobby Jones, Newt Gingrich and Elizabeth Prelogar, Solicitor General. Jimmy Carter, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2002, taught at the university. Check the current tariff for tuition and aid. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Emory Healthcare, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention next to the campus, the Carter Center, and the International Association of National Public Health Institutes.
Research:
Public health, medicine, nursing, biological and chemical sciences, humanities, with CDC-funded centres on campus.
Famous Alumnis:
Alben Barkley, Bobby Jones, Newt Gingrich, Lee Hong-koo, Elizabeth Prelogar
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
32594
Current students***:
16142
Foreign students***:
18%
Cumulative former students***:
133000
Pros
Strong medicine and public health, next to the CDC, large endowment, libraries with major literary archives, green Druid Hills campus.
Cons
High tuition, selective admission, Atlanta traffic, hot summers.
Best For
Students aiming at medicine, public health, nursing or business in a research university close to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Brandeis University follows much the same lines as this university, with finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry as common ground, and it covers physics as well, and is far smaller, with about 4,696 students against roughly 16,142 here.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of finance, bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics can consider University of Alabama at Birmingham, and it is public, whereas this university is private, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
University of Miami takes a similar route through finance, microbiology and genetics and life sciences, and it covers marine science and ecology and sustainability as well, and is slightly larger, at about 20,104 students against roughly 16,142 here.
A good alternative in the same country is Georgetown University, which likewise covers finance, statistics and life sciences; it is slightly larger, at about 20,031 students against roughly 16,142 here, and is also a private institution.
In terms of fields, Yale University is the nearest neighbour, with chemistry, statistics and mathematics again at the core; it has almost the same size, at about 15,500 students, and is also a private institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on finance, statistics and mathematics is Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Italy, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers agriculture and food science as well.
Students considering a move abroad can look at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany, where finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry also form the core, and it does not run the mba programmes found here and covers physics as well.
Beyond national borders, Yonsei University stands out as a comparable school for finance, chemistry and mathematics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers physics and electrical and electronics as well.
If this university is on your list for finance, chemistry and statistics, Tel Aviv University in Israel deserves a comparison, because it is public, whereas this university is private, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
Seen from abroad, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) is a close relative on subject matter, since finance, chemistry and statistics are central to both, and it is slightly larger, at about 21,110 students against roughly 16,142 here, and is public, whereas this university is private.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Emory University?
At Druid Hills, about four miles from downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
When was it founded?
In 1836, in Oxford, Georgia, as Emory College.
When did it move to Atlanta?
In 1915, and it was rechartered as Emory University.
How many students does it have?
16,142 in the autumn of 2024, of whom 18.2 percent were international.
How many schools does it have?
Nine, including Medicine, Law, Nursing, Public Health, Theology and Business.
What is Oxford College?
The original Emory campus in Oxford, Georgia, about 38 miles east of Atlanta.
How close is it to the CDC?
Emory lies next to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and donated 15 acres for its headquarters in 1947.
What is the Rose Library?
A library with the papers of Flannery O'Connor, Alice Walker and Langston Hughes.
Which famous people taught or studied there?
Alben Barkley, Bobby Jones, Newt Gingrich, and Jimmy Carter as a teacher.
What does it cost?
Check the current tariff for tuition and aid.
Biology, Chemistry, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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