Few campuses have a 186-foot waterfall in them. Toccoa Falls, one of the tallest free-falling waterfalls east of the Mississippi, pours off a cliff at the edge of this Christian university's 1,100-acre campus in the northeast Georgia foothills. The school began as a Bible institute in 1907. It rebuilt after a 1913 fire and the deadly 1977 dam break, and on July 1, 2026, Toccoa Falls College became the University of Toccoa Falls.
About this site
Toccoa Falls College is a college & university in Toccoa Falls, Stephens County. It is one of 94 historic sites cataloged in Stephens County on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 34.5947, -83.3592 near Toccoa Falls. The nearest cataloged historic site is Colonel William Wofford (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Kelly Dam Disaster, The Bell, and Earl Hall.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Toccoa Falls College different
Toccoa Falls drops 186 feet in a single free fall, making it one of the tallest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. The university owns it and opens it to the public by a short gravel path from Gate Cottage. utf.edu
On November 6, 1977, the Kelly Barnes Dam above the falls failed and sent about 176 million gallons of water through the lower campus. Thirty-nine members of the college community died. utf.edu
Less than two years after the school moved to Georgia, its main building, a former resort inn, burned on March 7, 1913. Students and faculty kept holding classes in tents. utf.edu
It is the largest private provider of dual enrollment in Georgia, and in 2026 it expected more than 3,000 high school students to take its courses. utf.edu
It became the University of Toccoa Falls on July 1, 2026, exactly 50 years after Toccoa Falls Institute became Toccoa Falls College. utf.edu
The campus has an 18-hole disc golf course, the John V. Savio course. Isaac Robinson, who helped start the school's disc golf team in 2018 and graduated in 2022, went on to win back-to-back PDGA world championships in 2023 and 2024. utf.edu
Evangelist Richard A. Forrest started a small Bible school in 1907 in the North Carolina mountains. He acquired the Toccoa Falls property, including the Haddock Inn near the waterfall, on January 1, 1911, and moved the school to Georgia as Toccoa Falls Institute. Two years later, on March 7, 1913, the inn that served as the main building burned to the ground, and classes continued in tents while the campus was rebuilt. The school later affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. It ran a high school until 1976, the year the institute became Toccoa Falls College.
Before dawn on November 6, 1977, after days of heavy rain, the earthen Kelly Barnes Dam above the falls gave way. The lake behind it rushed over the waterfall and through the lower campus, destroying student housing and killing 39 people. The disaster led President Jimmy Carter to order a nationwide inspection of dams that were not federally owned. The college decided to stay and rebuild, and the dam was never replaced.
In recent years the school has grown quickly. It added graduate degrees, the Fetterman School of Nursing and the Chapman School of Graduate Studies, and it became the largest private provider of dual enrollment for Georgia high school students. Reflecting that growth, it became the University of Toccoa Falls on July 1, 2026. Robert M. Myers, president since 2012, plans to retire in June 2027, and a search for his successor is underway.
Ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the South, and also listed for Best Value and Social Mobility in that category — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
Majors & programs
UTF offers more than 55 programs across traditional on-campus, online undergraduate, online graduate and dual-enrollment formats, and faith is part of every one of them. Its roots are in Bible and ministry training, but today it also offers nursing, education, business, music and the sciences. Below is a sample of on-campus programs, grouped by Georgia Roam. The official list has every program.
Known for
Nursing
Taught in the Fetterman School of Nursing, one of the new schools that helped the college earn university status in 2026.
Known for
Bible, theology and ministry
The school began as a Bible institute in 1907. It still trains pastors, missionaries and youth workers in partnership with the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Known for
Education
Elementary, middle-grades, secondary and music education programs, approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for teacher certification.
Known for
Outdoor Leadership & Education
Classes can use a 1,100-acre campus with trails, creeks and a 186-foot waterfall.
Known for
Sustainable Community Development
Connected to the university's Lawson Center for Sustainable Community Development.
Known for
Online graduate programs
The Chapman School of Graduate Studies offers an MBA and master's degrees in ministry, theology, organizational leadership and marriage and family therapy.
All degree programs at University of Toccoa Falls (6)
Bible, theology and ministry
Programs include Biblical Studies, Bible & Theology, Biblical Languages, Pastoral Ministries, Youth Ministries, Church Planting, Discipleship and Music & Worship
Arts, sciences and communication
Programs include Biology, Pre-Professional Biology, Environmental Science & Sustainability, English, Writing, History, Communication Studies, Mass Communication, Music and Music Performance
Business
Programs include Accounting & Finance, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Management, Marketing, Social Media Management and Sport Management
Education
Programs include Elementary Education (with a special education track), Middle Grades Education, Secondary Education in biology, English, history and math, and Music Education
Nursing, health and human services
Programs include Nursing, Public Health, Counseling Psychology, Social Work and Criminal Justice
Chapman School of Graduate Studies (online)
MBA; M.A. in Christian Ministry, Counseling Ministries, Marriage & Family Therapy, Organizational Leadership and Theology; graduate certificate in trauma therapy
Toccoa falls tragedy remembered decades later · FOX Carolina NewsA Brief History of Toccoa Falls · University of Toccoa FallsHow the Toccoa Falls dam break changed a small town forever · FOX Carolina NewsIsaac Robinson Highlights | 2023 PDGA Worlds presented by L.L.Bean · Disc Golf Pro Tour
Yes. Toccoa Falls College officially became the University of Toccoa Falls on July 1, 2026. Its mission and location did not change.
Can you visit Toccoa Falls without being a student?
Yes. The waterfall is on campus but open to the public daily, with shorter hours on weekends. Visitors enter through the Gate Cottage gift shop, where a small entrance fee is paid, and follow a level gravel path of about 100 yards to the base of the falls. Check utf.edu for holiday closures.
How tall is Toccoa Falls?
186 feet, a single free-falling drop that is taller than Niagara Falls.
What happened at Toccoa Falls in 1977?
On November 6, 1977, the Kelly Barnes Dam above the falls failed after heavy rain. The flood swept through the lower campus and killed 39 people. A memorial near the falls trail lists their names.
What division is Toccoa Falls in?
The Screaming Eagles compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II.
How big is the University of Toccoa Falls?
It reported 3,067 students to the U.S. Department of Education for fall 2024, but most of them are dual-enrollment high school students. The on-campus residential student body is much smaller. The campus covers about 1,100 acres.
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