The Charter of Andrew College was granted in 1854 by the Georgia Legislature. Originally named Andrew Female College, Andrew operated as a women’s four-year college for 63 years. In 1917, Andrew became a junior college, and in 1956, the institution became co-educational. The college continues its Methodist heritage and Wesleyan values.
During the Civil War, classes were stopped and the College served as a hospital for wounded Confederate soldiers. When classes resumed in 1866, a physical education course was added to the College’s curriculum, the first such course to be required of women in the South. In 1892, Andrew’s buildings burnt to the ground. However, the people of Cuthbert raised the funds necessary to build Old Main, the College’s landmark building, that very same year.
Only a handful of colleges in Georgia are older than Andrew and few possess such a rich and celebrated history. Andrew College recently celebrated the culmination of its Sesquicentennial (150 years of service), and the college now offers baccalaureate and associate degrees.