Mercer is Georgia's oldest private university, and its Macon campus is anchored by a Victorian Gothic tower that students still climb and sign. The university runs a medical school built to serve rural Georgia and a law school in a copy of Independence Hall. It also restored Capricorn Sound Studios, where the Allman Brothers recorded. Its football team won back-to-back Southern Conference titles in 2024 and 2025.
About this site
Mercer University is a college & university in Macon, Bibb County. It is one of 3 colleges & universities documented in Bibb County, among 199 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 32.8251, -83.6746 near Macon. The nearest cataloged historic site is Ballard-Hudson Senior High School (historical marker), about 1.0 miles away. Others within a short drive include Anderson, Capt. R. J., House, Napier, Leroy, House, and Brown Gallery.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Mercer University different
Mercer is the oldest private university in Georgia, founded in 1833. en.wikipedia.org
The Godsey Administration Building (1872–74) was designed by Chicago architect Gurdon P. Randall. Students keep a generations-old tradition of climbing its tower and signing their names on the walls. den.mercer.edu
The School of Law, founded in 1873, is housed in a three-story partial replica of Independence Hall on Coleman Hill overlooking downtown Macon. en.wikipedia.org
Sam Oni, a student from Ghana, broke the university's color barrier in 1963 and graduated in 1967. den.mercer.edu
Mercer restored Capricorn Sound Studios, the Macon studio behind the Allman Brothers Band and Southern rock, and reopened it as Mercer Music at Capricorn in December 2019. capricorn.mercer.edu
Each fall, students make a Pilgrimage to Penfield, the village where Mercer began, for a picnic, fireworks and historical reenactments. mercer.edu
As a No. 14 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, Mercer beat No. 3 seed Duke. The game won the ESPY for Best Upset. en.wikipedia.org
Georgia Baptists opened Mercer Institute in 1833 in the village of Penfield, in Greene County. It was named for Jesse Mercer, the Baptist minister and benefactor who led the effort, and became Mercer University in 1837–38. After the Civil War the trustees moved the school to Macon in 1871. Chicago architect Gurdon P. Randall designed its new home, a towered Victorian Gothic building finished in 1874. That building, now the Godsey Administration Building, still holds the university's leadership. The law school followed in 1873. Today it sits on Coleman Hill in a partial replica of Independence Hall.
In 1963 Mercer's trustees voted to admit students without regard to race, and Sam Oni, a student from Ghana, enrolled that fall. When a Macon Baptist church turned Oni away in 1966, the incident drew wide attention to segregation in Southern churches. Mercer grew into a comprehensive university in the late 20th century. It added a School of Medicine in 1982 to train doctors for rural and underserved Georgia, merged with Atlanta's Georgia Baptist College of Nursing, and opened campuses in Atlanta, Savannah and Columbus.
In Macon, Mercer has helped revive the neighborhoods around campus. In 2019 it reopened the city's famous Capricorn Sound Studios as Mercer Music at Capricorn. Football returned in 2013 after 70 years, and the Bears won outright Southern Conference championships in 2024 and 2025. In January 2026 Penny L. Elkins, a two-time Mercer graduate, became its 19th president and the first woman to lead it.
#148 among National Universities — U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges, 2027source
#37 Best Value Schools (National Universities) — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
#44 undergraduate engineering (schools where the highest engineering degree is a bachelor's or master's) — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
#49 for undergraduate teaching (National Universities) — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
Majors & programs
Mercer has 12 schools and colleges and grants degrees from the bachelor's through the M.D., J.D. and Ph.D. The Macon campus is home to the residential undergraduate program, engineering, music, law and medicine. Atlanta is the base for pharmacy, nursing, theology and most health professions programs. The list below shows each school with some representative programs. The Program Finder has the full list.
Known for
Law (J.D.)
Founded in 1873, the law school was the first in Georgia accredited by the American Bar Association. It is taught in its landmark Independence Hall replica on Coleman Hill.
Known for
Medicine (M.D.)
Founded in 1982 to serve rural and medically underserved Georgia, the School of Medicine admits Georgia residents and has four-year campuses in Macon, Savannah and Columbus.
Known for
Engineering
U.S. News ranked it #44 among undergraduate engineering programs at schools without engineering doctorates (2027 edition).
Known for
Nursing
The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing traces its roots to the state's oldest nursing program. Mercer added the B.S.N. in Macon in 2025.
Known for
Music
The Townsend School of Music offers conservatory-style training, and Mercer Music at Capricorn gives students a historic recording studio downtown.
All degree programs at Mercer University (12)
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Majors include biology, chemistry, English, history, journalism and media studies, political science and psychology
Stetson-Hatcher School of Business
Majors include accounting, finance, management, marketing and the M.B.A.
School of Engineering
Majors include biomedical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial and mechanical engineering
Tift College of Education
Majors include early childhood, middle grades and secondary education, plus graduate programs for teachers
Townsend School of Music
Majors include music performance, music education and music composition
School of Law
Juris Doctor · J.D.
School of Medicine
Majors include medicine (M.D.) and graduate programs in the health sciences
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Majors include nursing (B.S.N.), M.S.N., D.N.P. and Ph.D.
College of Pharmacy
Doctor of Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences · Pharm.D., Ph.D.
College of Health Professions
Physical therapy, physician assistant studies, public health, clinical psychology and athletic training
McAfee School of Theology
Divinity and ministry degrees · M.Div., D.Min.
College of Professional Advancement
Bachelor's and graduate degrees for working adults
Griffin Bell — U.S. Attorney General under President Carter and federal appeals judge (LL.B., 1948) en.wikipedia.org
Walter F. George — U.S. senator from Georgia, 1922–57, and namesake of Mercer's law school (Mercer graduate and law degree) en.wikipedia.org
Carl Vinson — congressman for more than 50 years, known as the father of the two-ocean Navy (law degree, 1902) en.wikipedia.org
Nathan Deal — Governor of Georgia, 2011–19 (bachelor's and law degrees) en.wikipedia.org
Nancy Grace — former Atlanta prosecutor and TV legal commentator (B.A. and J.D.) en.wikipedia.org
Ed Roberts — creator of the Altair 8800 personal computer who later became a small-town doctor (M.D., Mercer School of Medicine, 1986) en.wikipedia.org
Phil Walden — Otis Redding's manager and co-founder of Capricorn Records (economics degree, 1962) en.wikipedia.org
Sam Mitchell — 2007 NBA Coach of the Year and Mercer's all-time leading scorer (played 1981–85) en.wikipedia.org
Kyle Lewis — 2016 Golden Spikes Award winner at Mercer and 2020 American League Rookie of the Year en.wikipedia.org
Where graduates work
95% of Mercer's Class of 2025 graduates were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation. That's Mercer's own figure, following national NACE standards. It covers bachelor's, graduate and professional graduates except the School of Law, and Mercer had verified outcomes for 96% of the class. The law school publishes its own employment statistics. disclosure.mercer.edu
No. 14 seed Mercer upset No. 3 Duke in the 2014 NCAA Tournament en.wikipedia.org
Back-to-back outright Southern Conference football championships in 2024 and 2025 (8–0 in league play in 2025) mercerbears.com
Football reached the FCS playoff quarterfinals in 2024, with three straight playoff trips (2023–25) en.wikipedia.org
Football's 10 wins in its 2013 restart season set an NCAA Division I record for a start-up program en.wikipedia.org
Home venues: Five Star Stadium (football, lacrosse) · Hawkins Arena (basketball) · Claude Smith Field (baseball) · Sikes Field (softball) · Betts Stadium (soccer)
Inside Historic Studio A at Capricorn Sound Studios | Inside Capricorn · Mercer Music at CapricornNCAA - Mercer vs. Duke Highlights · Mercer BearsMercer Footbal Prepares for Auburn after Winning Back to Back SoCon Championships · 41NBCMercer Music at Capricorn Grand Opening Celebration · Mercer UniversitySam Oni · Mercer University
Mercer is ranked #148 among National Universities and #37 for best value in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Colleges. Its engineering program and undergraduate teaching are also nationally ranked. Mercer says 95% of its Class of 2025 was working or in further study within six months.
What is Mercer University known for?
Law, medicine, engineering, pharmacy and nursing, plus a strong liberal arts core. In Macon it is also known for its 1870s Gothic administration tower and Mercer Music at Capricorn. On the sports side, it's remembered for the 2014 upset of Duke.
What division is Mercer?
The Mercer Bears compete in NCAA Division I in the Southern Conference. Football plays in the FCS and won outright SoCon titles in 2024 and 2025.
How many students go to Mercer?
9,196 students across all campuses in Fall 2024 (4,690 undergraduates), according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Is Mercer a Baptist school?
Mercer was founded by Georgia Baptists in 1833 and keeps that heritage. It has been independent of the Georgia Baptist Convention since 2005.
Where is Mercer University?
The main campus is in Macon, about 75 miles south of Atlanta, with the law school nearby on Coleman Hill. Mercer also has campuses in Atlanta, Savannah and Columbus.
Can you visit Capricorn Sound Studios?
Yes. Mercer Music at Capricorn, at 540 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in downtown Macon, includes a museum about the studio's history. Check capricorn.mercer.edu/museum for hours and tours.
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