The University System of Georgia, or USG, announced on Tuesday, April 8, possibly merging Georgia Southern University and East Georgia State College. This is part of a wider effort by the USG to streamline operations.
“If approved, the new institution will retain EGSC’s identity while becoming a part of Georgia Southern University, to be led by President Kyle Marrero,” said a USG news release.
The Board of Regents decided Tuesday, April 15, that East Georgia State College will officially consolidate into a unified university that combines the strengths of both institutions. This potential closure arose after years of declining enrollment at East Georgia State, a rural institution located in Swainsboro, which is 180 miles away from Atlanta.
The move could possibly save $30 million in administrative costs, according to the USG. This isn’t the first time Georgia Southern has been involved in a merger with another school, which was with Armstrong University in 2017.
“It had about 1,826 students last fall, down from 3,000 in 2015,” said AP news. “Since school funding is based on enrollment, its total budget has dropped from $31.4 million to slightly more than $24 million over the past five years.”
East Georgia State is a rural institution known for its access to affordable higher education and programs in nursing, biology, education and liberal arts. If the board approves this move, East Georgia will become the 10th institution to consolidate since USG began merging schools in 2011.
The merging USG has been doing and still doing has reduced the total number of public colleges from 35 to 25. Although the plans have been made for this to happen, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges needs to approve of this move.
SACSCOC is a regional third-party organization for degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern United States. Its primary function is to ensure the quality of these institutions and verify that they meet the already established standards.
This could be a big change for students enrolled at East Georgia. Many students are stressed about classes and credits transferring from one school to the other, and whether that would affect them when they graduate, and if tuition will increase because of the move.
“The first question that was asked by the students was about tuition/fees being increased,” said a staff member at East Georgia State. “The Chancellor and GSU President said that the current tuition rates for FY 2026 are already set and will not change.”
East Georgia students will be given the option to continue their studies at Georgia Southern or transfer to another institution within the USG system. Some say efforts are underway to ensure students will be able to keep their credits and maintain their academic paths without any complexities.
Also, faculty at East Georgia colleges have some comments to make about this transition and about its effectiveness.
“There is some concern by the students,” said a staff member at East Georgia State.“They asked Several questions about the fate of our Athletics programs, dining for campus students and after-hours access to facilities like the library.”
UNG administrators are also working with both Georgia Southern and East Georgia faculty members to help create a support system for the students, as well as advising sessions and financial aid resources. A task force will be established to oversee and address students’ concerns about the transition directly.
Previous schools have been combined in Georgia, like Georgia State University with Georgia Perimeter College. Those transitions did face initial challenges, but officials said they eventually led to stronger institutions.
The final decision of East Georgia’s closure and consolidation with Georgia Southern University will be a drastic change to their faculty and students. Many people have concerns on academic changes as well as life changes, and how this affects the students outside of school.