Perimeter College fulfills a vital role in higher education in Georgia. From its history as a DeKalb County junior college, the institution has opened the door to higher education for hundreds of thousands of students during the past half-century.
As part of the University System of Georgia, the college grew to serve more than 21,000 students on five campuses and online. Its 2016 consolidation with Georgia State University created the largest university in the state and one of the largest in the nation.
Perimeter College was founded in 1964 as DeKalb College, a two-year college in Clarkston governed by the DeKalb County Board of Education. The institution, which also was known as DeKalb Community College for a period of its history, grew, opening additional campuses in the county before becoming part of the University System of Georgia in 1986. The college continued to expand and, in 1998, changed its name to Georgia Perimeter College to reflect its broad footprint in the metro Atlanta area.
In 2015, the Board of Regents announced plans to consolidate Georgia Perimeter College with Georgia State University, a move approved in January 2016. Georgia Perimeter College became Perimeter College, the 10th college within Georgia State University.
Prior to the consolidation, Georgia State and Georgia Perimeter already shared a history forged in part by students. Nearly 1,500 Georgia Perimeter students annually transferred to Georgia State. The institutions also shared common interests, among them the goal of helping students of all backgrounds to achieve academic success.