Your college experience is a chance to genuinely engage, find your purpose, and grow in knowledge and skill. At GSW, we’re going even beyond that. By connecting purposefully and engaging meaningfully, there is a sense of community where we are all rising together. It’s the people, the places and a common spirit that are uniquely GSW. We help empower you to unlock understanding, develop skills, and cultivate confidence which will help you forge your own path forward. GSW serves as a springboard to your future propelling students from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Georgia Southwestern State University, a four-year unit of the University System of Georgia, was founded in 1906 as the Third Agricultural and Mechanical School. In 1926, the General Assembly granted a charter authorizing the school to offer two years of college work and to change its name to the Third District Agricultural and Normal College. The new charter resulted in the expansion of the curriculum to include courses in teacher training, and the State Department of Education gave teacher certification to students who completed the program.

In 1932, by legislative enactment, this college and other state-supported institutions of higher learning in Georgia were organized into the University System of Georgia and placed under the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents. As a unit of the University System, the College continued its two-year curriculum and changed its name to Georgia Southwestern College.

In 1964, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia authorized Georgia Southwestern College to begin its transition to a four-year degree-granting institution. This action resulted in the development of baccalaureate programs, and the first bachelor's degrees were conferred in June 1968. The name of the institution was changed to Georgia Southwestern State University in July of 1996. A program of graduate studies leading to the Master of Education degree was approved by the Board of Regents and initiated in June 1973. This program has undergone continuous growth and development, and the Specialist in Education degree was begun in the summer of 1982. The Master of Science in Administration was added in the winter of 1983. The Master of Science in Computer Science was added in the spring of 1986, and the Master of Business Administration was added to the curriculum in 2003. Most recently, the Master of Arts in English was added in the fall of 2011, and the Master Science in Nursing (online) was added in the fall of 2012.

Among distinguished GSW alumni are former President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jimmy Carter; the late Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady; and the late Griffin Bell, former U.S. Attorney General.

Georgia Southwestern State University is a member of The University System of Georgia.

The University System of Georgia (USG) is the organizational body that includes 35 public institutions of higher learning in Georgia. The System is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates general policy to educational institutions as well as administering Public Library Service of the state which includes 58 public library systems. The USG also dispenses public funds (allocated by the state's legislature) to the institutions but not the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship. The USG is the fourth largest university system in the United States by total student enrollment, with 311,442 students in 35 public institutions. The three larger systems are the University System of Ohio, State University of New York, and California State University.