Brenau opened in 1878 as the Georgia Baptist Female Seminary. It took its made-up name in 1900 from the German word for 'burn' and the Latin word for 'gold,' after its motto, 'As Gold Refined by Fire.' Its Gainesville front campus is a National Register district centered on an 1897 opera-house-style auditorium. The university keeps a Women's College alongside coed undergraduate and graduate programs, and its collection includes the disputed Dare Stones.
About this site
Brenau University is a college & university in Gainesville, Hall County. It is one of 98 historic sites cataloged in Hall County on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 34.3032, -83.8223 near Gainesville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Brenau University Galleries (museum), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Northeast Georgia History Center, Dr. Emmett Ethridge Butler, and Bailey-Harper House--Doctors Building.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Brenau University different
The name 'Brenau' was invented in 1900 by blending the German brennen ('to burn') with the Latin aurum ('gold'), a nod to the motto 'As Gold Refined by Fire.' georgiaencyclopedia.org
Pearce Auditorium was dedicated in 1897 and billed as the largest of its kind in the South. Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Sr., Sally Ride and Dave Brubeck have all appeared there. en.wikipedia.org
Brenau owns the Dare Stones, 48 carved rocks once claimed to be messages from Roanoke's Lost Colony. Most were exposed as hoaxes by 1941, but the first stone has never been conclusively proven or disproven. en.wikipedia.org
Brenau Academy, founded in 1928, was described as the only all-girls boarding school in Georgia. georgiaencyclopedia.org
Pearce Auditorium has its own ghost story. Campus legend says a spirit named Agnes haunts the hall. youtube.com
Alumna Annabel Matthews (A.B. 1901) became the first woman to serve as a judge of the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals, in 1930. en.wikipedia.org
Brenau's competitive cheer team won the NCA's NAIA all-girl national championship three years running, in 2024, 2025 and 2026. brenau.edu
Brenau began in 1878 as the Georgia Baptist Female Seminary, a school for women in Gainesville. W. C. Wilkes, its first administrator, put up many of the buildings that still line the front campus. The grandest is Pearce Auditorium, dedicated in May 1897. It was called the largest hall of its kind in the South at the time, and over the years its stage has hosted Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Sr., Sally Ride and Dave Brubeck.
In 1900 H. J. Pearce bought the school and gave it a new name he had invented: Brenau, from the German brennen ('to burn') and the Latin aurum ('gold'). The name matched the motto, 'As Gold Refined by Fire.' Brenau Academy followed in 1928 as a girls' college-preparatory boarding school. In the late 1930s Haywood Pearce Jr. began buying the Dare Stones, carved rocks said to record the fate of Roanoke's Lost Colony. Scholars soon judged most of them to be hoaxes, but they are still one of Brenau's odder claims to fame. The front campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Men first enrolled in Brenau's evening and weekend programs in the late 1960s. The school became Brenau University in 1992, expanding into graduate study and, later, online and health-science programs. The residential Women's College continues alongside the coed schools. David L. Barnett became the university's 11th president in 2024.
Best Undergraduate Teaching, Regional Universities (South): #16 — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
Top Private Schools, Regional Universities (South): #47 — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
Regional Universities (South): #88 — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
Best Occupational Therapy Programs: #59 (tie) — U.S. News & World Report, 2026source
Majors & programs
Brenau's programs are taught through four colleges: the Jacobs College of Business & Media, the Carole Ann Daniel College of Education, the College of Fine Arts & Humanities, and the Ivester College of Health Sciences. Students enroll through the Women's College, the coed Undergraduate School, or the Sidney O. Smith Jr. Graduate School. The list below shows the degree programs on Brenau's program directory in September 2026. Certificates, endorsements and post-baccalaureate tracks are left out.
Known for
Occupational Therapy (M.S.)
U.S. News ranked Brenau's occupational therapy program tied for #59 in the nation in 2026. Undergraduates can start on a pre-OT track in health science or psychology.
Known for
Nursing (BSN, ABSN, MSN, DNP)
Brenau offers nursing from an accelerated bachelor's to the doctorate. In 2026 it partnered with the Technical College System of Georgia to help associate-degree nurses finish their BSN, as part of an effort to ease Georgia's nursing shortage.
Known for
Physician Assistant Studies (M.S.) and Physical Therapy (DPT)
These clinical graduate programs in the Ivester College of Health Sciences make Brenau a regional training ground for health professionals.
Known for
Dance (BA, BFA)
Brenau pairs its dance degrees with a certificate in dance/movement therapy, an unusual combination for a small school.
Known for
Interior Design (BFA and Master of Interior Design)
Interior design is offered from the bachelor's through the master's level, along with BFAs in fashion design and studio art.
Partly. Brenau keeps a residential Women's College, but its Undergraduate School and graduate programs are coeducational. Men have enrolled in some Brenau programs since the late 1960s.
What does 'Brenau' mean?
It's a made-up word from 1900 that combines the German brennen ('to burn') and the Latin aurum ('gold'). It echoes the school's motto, 'As Gold Refined by Fire.'
How big is Brenau University?
Federal data counts 2,436 students in Fall 2024, split roughly evenly between undergraduates and graduate students. The historic Gainesville campus covers about 57 acres.
What is Brenau known for?
Health sciences (nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy and physician assistant studies), the arts and design, its Women's College, and the historic 1897 Pearce Auditorium.
What division is Brenau?
The Golden Tigers compete in the NAIA's Appalachian Athletic Conference. The competitive cheer team won national titles in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Are the Dare Stones at Brenau?
Yes. Brenau acquired 48 of the so-called Dare Stones, which were claimed to record the fate of Roanoke's Lost Colony. Most were declared hoaxes by 1941.
Can you visit Brenau's campus?
Yes. The historic front campus on Washington Street is easy to walk, and Pearce Auditorium hosts public concerts and events. Check Brenau's events calendar for performances.
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