Savannah State is Georgia's oldest public historically Black university and the first college of any kind in Savannah. It was chartered in 1890 as a land-grant school. Students built its first brick buildings by hand, and they still stand among live oaks at the edge of a tidal salt marsh. The marsh doubles as a working lab for one of the few marine science programs at an HBCU.
About this site
Savannah State University is a college & university in Savannah, Chatham County. It is one of 2 colleges & universities documented in Chatham County, among 480 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 32.0230, -81.0596 near Savannah. The nearest cataloged historic site is Walter Bernard Hill Hall (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Hill Hall at Savannah State College, Savannah State College, and ART Gallery.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Savannah State University different
It was the first public college for Black students in Georgia and the first institution of higher learning of any kind in Savannah. savannahstate.edu
Hill Hall was built in 1900–1901 by students learning manual arts and blacksmithing. It survived a 2000 fire during its restoration and reopened in 2008. en.wikipedia.org
Founding president Richard R. Wright Sr. is the boy in Whittier's poem "Howard at Atlanta," based on his reply to a Union general: "tell them we are rising." georgiahistory.com
President William Howard Taft visited Hill Hall in 1912, and during World War I the building housed Black soldiers training in Savannah. en.wikipedia.org
In 2017 its competitive cheer team became the first HBCU squad to win a national cheerleading championship. andscape.com
It was the first school in Georgia to offer a bachelor's degree in homeland security and emergency management. savannahstate.edu
The first degree it ever awarded, in 1898, went to Richard R. Wright Jr., the founding president's son, who later became president of Wilberforce University. savannahstate.edu
The Georgia General Assembly created the Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth on November 26, 1890, using federal money from the Second Morrill Act. After a summer session in Athens, classes moved in October 1891 to a site on Savannah's east side. The school's first president was Richard R. Wright Sr., who was born enslaved. As a boy in Atlanta, Wright had given General O. O. Howard a message for the North: "tell them we are rising." The poet John Greenleaf Whittier turned the moment into verse. The college awarded its first degree in 1898, to Wright's son.
Students did much of the early construction themselves. Hill Hall, built in 1900–1901 by students in the manual arts and blacksmithing programs, is the oldest building left on campus. President William Howard Taft visited it in 1912, and Black soldiers used it as a barracks during World War I. The college admitted women as residents in 1921, became a four-year school in 1928 and joined the University System of Georgia in 1932 as Georgia State College. It became Savannah State College in 1950 and Savannah State University in 1996.
Its coastal setting shaped a marine sciences program that began in 1979 and uses the marsh at the campus edge as a classroom. Athletics moved from NCAA Division I back to Division II and the SIAC in 2019. In April 2025 Jermaine Whirl, previously president of Augusta Technical College, became the university's 15th president.
#48 (tie) Historically Black Colleges and Universities — U.S. News & World Report, 2026source
#49 (tie) Top Performers on Social Mobility, Regional Universities South — U.S. News & World Report, 2026source
#125 (tie) Regional Universities South — U.S. News & World Report, 2026source
Top-ranked HBCU in Georgia, and 18th nationally for student experience — The Wall Street Journal / College Pulse, 2026source
Majors & programs
Savannah State offers more than 30 programs through five colleges. They run from marine sciences and engineering technology to journalism, film and social work, plus graduate degrees in business, marine science, public administration and social work. The list below reflects the university's program directory in September 2026. Check the official list for the latest.
Known for
Marine Sciences
Taught since 1979 on a campus that borders tidal salt marsh. Students work from a waterfront lab and dock, and the program is one of the few of its kind at an HBCU.
Known for
Journalism and Mass Communications
Accredited by ACEJMC, the national journalism accreditor. Students produce the Tiger's Roar and work at the campus radio station, WHCJ 90.3 FM.
Known for
Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Savannah State was the first school in Georgia to offer this bachelor's degree.
Known for
Engineering Technology
Bachelor's programs in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering technology, taught in the College of Engineering Technology and Computing.
Known for
Business Administration
The College of Business Administration is AACSB-accredited and offers an MBA.
Known for
Film (Georgia Film Academy)
A film program run with the state's Georgia Film Academy, a short drive from Savannah's busy production scene.
All degree programs at Savannah State University (37)
College of Business Administration
Accounting · Bachelor's
Business Management · Bachelor's
Business Marketing · Bachelor's
Business Administration · MBA
College of Education
Biology Education · Bachelor's
Engineering Technology Education · Bachelor's
Mathematics Education · Bachelor's
Middle Grades Education (4-8) · Bachelor's
Music Education · Bachelor's
Teacher Certification (post-baccalaureate)
College of Engineering Technology and Computing
Civil Engineering Technology · Bachelor's
Computer Information Systems / Logistics and Supply Chain · Bachelor's
Computer Science Technology · Bachelor's
Cyber Security · Bachelor's
Data Analytics · Bachelor's
Electrical Engineering Technology · Bachelor's
Mechanical Engineering Technology · Bachelor's
College of Sciences and Humanities
Biology · Bachelor's
Chemistry · Bachelor's
Criminal Justice · Bachelor's
English, Languages and Cultures · Bachelor's
Forensic Sciences · Bachelor's
Homeland Security and Emergency Management · Bachelor's
Shannon Sharpe — Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end, three-time Super Bowl champion and TV host (starred in football, basketball and track at SSU) en.wikipedia.org
Walter E. Gaskin — Marine Corps lieutenant general and the first African American to serve as deputy chairman of the NATO Military Committee (B.S., 1974) en.wikipedia.org
Donnie Cochran — first African American pilot selected for the Navy's Blue Angels and later their commander (civil engineering technology, 1976) en.wikipedia.org
Annie B. Andrews — retired U.S. Navy rear admiral (B.S., criminal justice) en.wikipedia.org
Van R. Johnson — mayor of Savannah (business administration, 1990) en.wikipedia.org
Edna Jackson — former mayor of Savannah and civil rights activist (B.S. 1968, M.Ed. 1972) en.wikipedia.org
W. W. Law — Savannah civil rights leader and preservationist, who led the NAACP Youth Council while a student here and later earned his bachelor's in biology en.wikipedia.org
Richard R. Wright Jr. — the college's first graduate (1898), later an AME bishop and president of Wilberforce University en.wikipedia.org
Athletics: Savannah State Tigers and Lady Tigers
NCAA Division II · Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
FootballMen's basketballWomen's basketballBaseballSoftballVolleyballMen's golfWomen's golfWomen's tennisCross countryTrack & field
Men's basketball won the 2025 SIAC tournament championship over Tuskegee thesiac.com
First HBCU to win a national cheerleading championship (2017) andscape.com
Shannon Sharpe's No. 2 jersey is retired, and he is in the Division II Football Hall of Fame en.wikipedia.org
Home venues: Ted Wright Stadium (football) · Tiger Arena (basketball and volleyball) · Willcox-Wiley Gymnasium (historic 1936 gym)
Savannah State University The Legacy of Richard R Wright · Savannah State University's WTRT Tiger's Roar TVSavannah State professor discusses growth and impact of Marine Science program · WTOCSavannah State wins SIAC Championship for third time in school history · WTOCSavannah State University establishes John Lewis School of Public Policy and Social Sciences · WTOC
Yes. Founded in 1890, it is the oldest public historically Black college or university in Georgia.
What is Savannah State known for?
Its history as Georgia's first public HBCU, marine sciences on a salt-marsh campus, an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program, the Powerhouse of the South marching band, and alumni such as Shannon Sharpe.
How big is Savannah State University?
About 3,200 students. The Department of Education counted 3,193 in fall 2024, most of them undergraduates.
What division is Savannah State?
NCAA Division II, in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The Tigers returned to Division II in 2019 after several years in Division I.
Who is the president of Savannah State?
Jermaine Whirl, the university's 15th president, who took office in April 2025.
Where is Savannah State University?
On Savannah's east side, about 5 miles southeast of downtown, on a campus that borders tidal marsh.
Did Shannon Sharpe go to Savannah State?
Yes. He played football, basketball and track for the Tigers before the Denver Broncos drafted him in 1990.
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