T he impact on the regional economy by Georgia College reached more than $285 million in 2021—an increase of $2.7 million from the previous fiscal year.

For each job created on campus, two off-campus jobs exist due to university-related spending.

Numbers are from an annual study commissioned by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG). They show the economic benefits Georgia College imparts on both the private and public sectors which extend to Baldwin, Bibb, Hancock, Jones, Putnam, Wilkinson and Washington Counties.

Overall, USG schools had a $19.3 billion impact on the state’s economy. That’s a 3.8% increase since 2020. This included $13.1 billion in initial spending by students and USG’s 26 public colleges and universities on personnel and operating expenses. More than 152,620 full and part time jobs were generated by USG schools.

The report highlights the vital contribution colleges and universities make toward a healthy state economy. They promote jobs, higher incomes and greater production of goods and services, according to the study conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.

Benefits for each institution were divided into several categories of related expenditures for colleges and universities. Those include spending by institutions for salaries and fringe benefits, operating supplies and expenses and other budgeted expenditures; spending by students who attend the institutions; and spending by institutions for capital projects.

Economic impact was measured by the initial spending of an institution for operations and personnel, as well as student spending. Total economic impact includes the effect of initial spending and secondary or indirect and induced spending that occurs when initial expenditures are re-spent.