Georgia Southern University

What Georgia Southern University does

Georgia Southern University is a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 research institution and a unit of the University System of Georgia, serving over 27,000 students across three primary campuses in Statesboro, Savannah (Armstrong Campus), and Hinesville (Liberty Campus), with an additional East Georgia Campus in Swainsboro and international programs through the Wexford Learning Center in Ireland. Founded in 1906 as the First District Agricultural School and consolidated in its modern form through the 2018 merger with Armstrong State University and East Georgia State College, the university offers more than 140 degree programs at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels and fields 17 NCAA Division I athletics teams. It is recognized as Georgia's largest and most comprehensive center of higher education south of I-20 and ranks as the second most affordable college in Georgia per the College Affordability Guide.

The university's revenue model rests on four streams: tuition and fees (in-state, out-of-state, graduate, and online tiers), recurring state appropriations through the University System of Georgia, external research grants from federal (NSF, NIH, DoD, FHWA, EPA) and private sources, and economic development programs operated through the Business Innovation Group incubator. Technology-enabled operations include a February 2026 digital twin platform that integrates facilities and occupancy data for space optimization, the MyGeorgiaSouthern student portal, the Southern Express campus transit system with real-time Passio Go mobile app integration, and a Salesforce Education Cloud partnership management platform with Handshake career data integration, implemented with Redpath Consulting Group.

The institution serves a diversified student base spanning first-year undergraduates, transfer students, graduate students, adult and non-traditional learners, military-affiliated students, and international students, supported by 300+ student organizations. Go-to-market is traditional direct-to-consumer higher education admissions, with segment-specific recruitment for military-affiliated and adult online learners. Recent strategic activity centers on a $178 million state-funded dental college planned for the Armstrong Campus (Fall 2028), partnerships with Shimadzu (research instrumentation), METAL/IACMI (manufacturing workforce), and Georgia DOT (V2X pooled fund study administration), as well as Innovation Incubator expansion and Carnegie R1 classification ambitions. Notable alumni include Barbara Melvin (CEO, South Carolina Port Authority), Carla Metts (Emmy Award-Winning Sports Anchor), and Jaime Weeks (VP, The Wendy's Company).

Name

Georgia Southern University

Legal name

Georgia Southern University

Website

https://georgiasouthern.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Georgia Southern University is a public Carnegie R2 research institution serving 27,000+ students across three southeast Georgia campuses through 140+ degree programs, funded by state appropriations, tuition, research grants, and economic development partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Flagship Public Research Universities (R1/R2) (EDAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF), Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Public higher education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Online degree programs
• Research university

Headquarters

HQ city

Statesboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, including out-of-state tuition premiums and various student fees
2. State Funding: State appropriations from the University System of Georgia for public higher education operations
3. Grants and Research Funding: External research grants from federal, state, and private sources including NSF, NIH, and Department of Defense
4. Economic Development Programs: Revenue from Business Innovation Group incubator programs including $2.5M expansion funded through Economic Development Administration grants

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Georgia Southern University is a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 research institution that delivers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs across 140+ programs at three campuses (Statesboro, Armstrong in Savannah, and Liberty in Hinesville) plus the East Georgia Campus in Swainsboro. It supplements in-person instruction with fully online degree programs and continuing and professional education, supports 17 NCAA Division I athletics teams, and operates the Business Innovation Group's Innovation Incubator for regional economic development.

Product overview

Georgia Southern University operates as a public research institution offering educational programs across bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels at three campuses (Statesboro, Armstrong in Savannah, and Liberty in Hinesville). The university’s technology-enabled services include a digital twin platform for space optimization that integrates facilities and occupancy data to achieve operational cost savings; the MyGeorgiaSouthern student portal providing unified access to academic and administrative services; Southern Express campus transit with real-time tracking via the Passio Go mobile app; and a Salesforce Education Cloud platform for managing corporate and industry partnerships with Handshake career data integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Bachelor's degree programs across 140+ majors offered at the Statesboro, Armstrong (Savannah), Liberty (Hinesville), and East Georgia (Swainsboro) campuses, serving first-year and transfer students seeking four-year undergraduate education.
• Graduate Degree Programs Master's and doctoral degree programs across multiple colleges, serving students pursuing advanced degrees and professional development at the Statesboro and Armstrong campuses.
• Online Degree Programs Fully online degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels accessible nationally and internationally, designed for working adults and students needing flexible learning options.
• Continuing and Professional Education Continuing education and professional development programs for working professionals seeking to upgrade skills, earn certifications, or pursue industry-driven training such as nondestructive testing and metalworking.
• Southern Express Campus Transit Campus bus transit service operating throughout the Statesboro Campus during classes, final exams, football game days, and Spring commencement, including an intercampus shuttle between Statesboro and Armstrong campuses and real-time bus tracking via the Passio Go mobile app.
• Business Innovation Group Incubator Programs Incubator and entrepreneurship programs run through the Business Innovation Group's Innovation Incubator (I2) facility in downtown Statesboro, including office suites, conference rooms, and a makerspace for startups and regional businesses.
• Digital Twin Platform for Space Optimization Real-time digital twin platform that integrates facilities and occupancy data to model classroom space utilization, enabling campus leaders to optimize scheduling, shift from reactive to proactive maintenance, and redesign spaces into collaborative areas, hybrid classrooms, maker spaces, and advising hubs.
• Salesforce Education Cloud Partnership Management Platform Centralized Salesforce Education Cloud platform implemented to unify management of corporate and industry partnerships across research, education, and workforce initiatives, consolidating previously siloed partnership data and integrating career data from Handshake.
• MyGeorgiaSouthern Student Portal Comprehensive student portal providing access to academic services, campus resources, parking permits, charter bus requests, and other student-facing administrative functions through a unified web interface.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average graduate earns over $78,000 annually after graduation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• US Geological SurveyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Collaboration with USGS to trap invasive Argentine black and white tegus, remove them from wild, and research population in effort to eventually eradicate species from Georgia. Partnership with Georgia DNR and Georgia Southern University.
• Georgia Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026Partnership for administration of $3.2 million Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) pooled fund study advancing connected vehicle technologies. Georgia DOT leads study including 20 U.S. state DOTs and Transport Canada, with university providing administrative support.
• Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (SPARQ Program)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2026Strategic collaboration through Shimadzu Partnership for Academics, Research, and Quality of Life (SPARQ) program to enhance university's research capacity, foster scientific exchange, and enrich student learning experiences. Partnership includes scientific instrumentation, multiyear service plans, and specialized training across environmental science, biomedical science, materials science, and water quality research. Aligned with university's goal of achieving Carnegie R1 research classification.
• METAL (IACMI - The Composites Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 February 2026Strategic partnership to advance workforce training in metalworking and manufacturing. Collaboration funded by Department of War to provide industry-driven training for professionals in casting, forging, and plate rolling. Positions university to contribute to bolstering U.S. metal manufacturing workforce.
• Redpath Consulting GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 29 January 2026Implementation of Salesforce Education Cloud platform to centralize and unify management of corporate and industry partnerships across research, education, and workforce initiatives. Platform consolidates previously siloed partnership data, integrates with Handshake for career data, and provides real-time reporting and cross-campus coordination. Supports university's Office of Business Engagement with unified partnership views.
• Downtown Statesboro BusinessesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 December 2025Care Station project in downtown Statesboro launched by university's Institute for Health Logistics & Analytics to enhance access to over-the-counter health products for the local community.
• Parker's KitchenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 September 2025Long-term athletics partnership including promotional activities and features Georgia Southern football player Davion 'Chewy' Rhodes.
• ASNT FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2025Development of nondestructive testing course curricula at undergraduate, graduate, and PhD levels with integration of simulation technologies like CIVA software. Curricula now available for other educators to use and adapt.
• Georgia TechminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2025Co-authorship on six-year study (2017-2023) measuring respirable crystalline silica exposure in engineered stone fabrication shops. Research funded by OSHA and published in Oxford Academic.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Kennesaw State University: Another large Georgia public university system (also multi-campus) that competes for the same in-state undergraduate pool, offers similar breadth of degree programs, and is similarly classified at the R2 level. The closest direct competitor in size, mission, and Carnegie classification.
• Augusta University: Georgia public university with a strong health sciences focus including a dental college (the Medical College of Georgia), directly comparable to Georgia Southern's planned dental college. Competes for the same health-professions students and state health-care funding.
• Georgia College & State University: Georgia public university with a residential, undergraduate-focused mission that competes for similar in-state students. Comparable size and tuition positioning, with a similar emphasis on affordability and regional recruitment.
• Valdosta State University: Regional Georgia public university serving a similar in-state, regional-recruitment profile. Overlaps on degree-program breadth, NCAA Division II athletics, and regional economic development role in southern Georgia.
• University of North Georgia: Multi-campus Georgia public university with a particularly strong military-affiliated student focus (similar to Georgia Southern's military segment), competing for in-state students in northeast Georgia with comparable tuition positioning.
• University of West Georgia: Regional Georgia public university with comparable Carnegie classification, NCAA Division II athletics, and a regional recruitment model similar to Georgia Southern's.

Regional players

• Troy University: Comparable regional R2 public university system based in Alabama with multi-campus reach and strong online program offerings. Useful benchmark for Georgia Southern's online and adult-learner strategy.
• College of Coastal Georgia: Junior/state-college-level institution in coastal Georgia that could absorb or feed transfer students into Georgia Southern's Armstrong Campus. Provides an adjacent feeder-network comparison for southeast Georgia.

Broad incumbents

• East Carolina University: Comparable large regional R2 public university with health sciences emphasis and similar NCAA Division I footprint. Benchmarks institutional scale, regional economic development role, and online program growth.
• Mercer University: Private research university in Georgia with comparable health sciences and undergraduate offerings. Useful comparison for tuition-versus-affordability positioning and for graduate program overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/georgiasouthern
• Facebookfacebook.com/25545934041
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/georgia-southern-university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Georgia Southern University