The University of West Georgia started in 1906 as one of Georgia's district farm schools, on a plantation west of Carrollton whose 1840s house still stands on campus. Over the years its story has included a Norman Rockwell visit, a chapel dedicated with Robert F. Kennedy, and a young history professor named Newt Gingrich. Today it is a Division I university with about 14,000 students and 35 national cheerleading titles.
About this site
University of West Georgia is a college & university in Carrollton, Carroll County. It is one of 178 historic sites cataloged in Carroll County on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 33.5726, -85.1109 near Carrollton. The nearest cataloged historic site is First “REA” Substation in Carroll County (historical marker), about 0.6 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bonner-Sharp-Gunn House, University of West Georgia Arboretum, and University of West Georgia Galleries.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes University of West Georgia different
The campus stands on the former Bonner plantation, and the Bonner House, built around 1845, is still there. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Bonner–Sharp–Gunn House. dlg.usg.edu
Norman Rockwell visited West Georgia College to draw its rural education program, and his sketches ran in the Saturday Evening Post. georgiaencyclopedia.org
The campus Kennedy Chapel was dedicated in 1964 in memory of President John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy took part in the ceremony. georgiaencyclopedia.org
Newt Gingrich taught history at West Georgia College from 1970 to 1978, before he was elected to Congress. en.wikipedia.org
In 1996 Beheruz N. Sethna became the first native of India to serve as president of a U.S. university. georgiaencyclopedia.org
West Georgia's debate team qualified for the National Debate Tournament 33 years in a row, from 1972 to 2005. georgiaencyclopedia.org
The 1982 football team went 12–0 and won the NCAA Division III national championship. en.wikipedia.org
In 1906 Georgia set up an agricultural and mechanical school in each congressional district. The Fourth District A&M School was built on the old Bonner plantation near Carrollton and opened in 1908. Its first students ran a working farm while they studied. In 1933, during a statewide reorganization in the Depression, the school became West Georgia College, a junior college. Irvine S. Ingram led it for 27 years. His 1937 rural education program, which sent the college into the surrounding countryside, drew national attention, and Norman Rockwell came to sketch it for the Saturday Evening Post.
West Georgia became a four-year college in 1957 and began offering master's programs in 1967. In the summer of 1963, President James E. Boyd admitted Lillian Williams, a Carroll County teacher and mother of four, and the college was integrated without incident. The next year a donated church was moved onto campus and dedicated as a chapel honoring John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy came for the ceremony. From 1970 to 1978 the history faculty included Newt Gingrich, who later became Speaker of the U.S. House.
The school became the State University of West Georgia in 1996, when Beheruz N. Sethna became the first native of India to lead a U.S. university, and took its current name in 2005. It added a campus in Newnan, and in 2024 it moved its athletics to NCAA Division I. Michael Johnson, a Marine Corps veteran and former University of Houston chief of staff, became UWG's ninth president in August 2025.
Rankings & recognition
Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs: #22 nationally (#1 in Georgia) — U.S. News & World Report, 2026source
Online master's in applied computer science: #59 nationally (#2 in Georgia) — U.S. News & World Report, 2026source
Top Performers on Social Mobility: #87 nationally and #3 in Georgia — U.S. News & World Report, 2026source
Majors & programs
UWG offers 87 programs of study, taught in person in Carrollton and Newnan and online, from associate degrees to doctorates. The university is especially strong in nursing, education and business, and it has a well-known doctoral program in consciousness-focused psychology. The list below shows representative majors in each college. See UWG's program finder for all of them.
Known for
Nursing (Tanner Health School of Nursing)
U.S. News ranks UWG's online Master of Science in Nursing #1 in Georgia and #22 in the nation for 2026.
Known for
Applied Computer Science (M.S.)
This online master's program is ranked #2 in Georgia by U.S. News for 2026.
Known for
Psychology: Consciousness and Society (Ph.D.)
An unusual doctorate, approved in 2011, that grew out of UWG's long tradition of humanistic and transpersonal psychology.
Known for
Business (Richards College of Business)
U.S. News ranks UWG's online MBA #3 in Georgia (2026). The college also offers undergraduate business degrees in Carrollton and Newnan.
All degree programs at University of West Georgia (7)
Dr. James 'Earl' Perry College of Mathematics, Computing, and Sciences
Majors include biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics and geosciences
College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Majors include psychology, history, English, political science, criminology, art, music and theatre
School of Communication, Film, and Media
Majors include mass communications, film and communication studies
Richards College of Business
Majors include accounting, finance, management, marketing and economics, plus the MBA
College of Education
Teacher preparation, counseling, and leadership, with graduate degrees through the doctorate
Tanner Health School of Nursing
BSN, MSN and doctoral nursing programs
Honors College and University College
Honors study, plus associate degrees and first-year programs
Zac Brown — frontman of the Grammy-winning Zac Brown Band (attended) en.wikipedia.org
C. Michael Greene — longtime head of the Recording Academy, which presents the Grammy Awards, and its first president/CEO (BBA) en.wikipedia.org
Elle Duncan — former ESPN anchor, now a Netflix sports anchor (attended) en.wikipedia.org
Lil Nas X — Grammy-winning rapper of 'Old Town Road'; studied computer science for a year before leaving to pursue music (attended) en.wikipedia.org
Foots Walker — led West Georgia to the 1974 NAIA basketball title, then played 10 NBA seasons; the first Cleveland Cavalier to record a triple-double en.wikipedia.org
Raymond Moody — author of 'Life After Life', who coined the term 'near-death experience' (Ph.D. in psychology) en.wikipedia.org
Julian Stanley — Johns Hopkins psychologist who founded the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (attended West Georgia College, 1936) en.wikipedia.org
Athletics: West Georgia Wolves
NCAA Division I (FCS football) · United Athletic Conference (joined 2026; ASUN member 2024–26)
A History of West Georgia College and UWG - UWG Ingram Library · University of West GeorgiaThe University of West Georgia Claims the 2024 UCA Nationals Division I Title · Varsity SpiritUWG Cheerleading: A Legacy That Lasts · University of West Georgia
UWG had 14,337 students in Fall 2024, according to federal data, and reported more than 16,000 in Fall 2025, many of them studying online. The main campus in Carrollton covers about 645 acres.
What division is West Georgia?
NCAA Division I. The Wolves moved up from Division II in 2024. After two seasons in the ASUN, they joined the United Athletic Conference in 2026. Football plays in the FCS.
What is UWG known for?
Nursing, education, business and online programs, along with one of the most successful college cheerleading programs in the country. The university counts 35 national cheer titles.
Is West Georgia a good school for nursing?
Nursing is one of UWG's best-known programs. U.S. News ranks its online Master of Science in Nursing #1 in Georgia and #22 in the nation for 2026.
Did Newt Gingrich teach at West Georgia?
Yes. He was on the history faculty at West Georgia College from 1970 to 1978, before he was elected to Congress.
Can you visit the UWG campus?
Yes. Visitors park in UWG's pay-to-park spaces, which are managed through the AMP Park app. Official admissions visits are booked at westga.edu/visit.
Where is the University of West Georgia?
In Carrollton, about 50 miles west of Atlanta, with a second campus in Newnan.
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