Friendly, affordable, and convenient – three hallmarks that make Athens State University a great place to continue your education.
At Athens State, we understand that career opportunities rest on your college education. Over 3,000 students each semester select Athens State because of this friendly environment where over 50 different degree programs are taught by understanding and quality faculty.
Whether you work full or part-time or are a full-time student, Athens State offers a course schedule to meet your needs, whether it be a day, night, weekend, or distance courses. Because nearly every student is from North Alabama or Southern Tennessee, you will attend class with people you know. Do not find yourself being just another student number. Consider Athens State University.
Athens State University will be the premier destination for transfer students seeking the highest quality education and cutting-edge delivery at the most affordable cost. As the upper-division University in Alabama, building on a tradition that began in 1822, Athens State University will be the catalyst for positive change in its students' lives.
The university advances the best interests of its students and the State of Alabama through teaching, service, research, and other creative activities to empower students to make valuable contributions in their professional, civic, educational, and economic endeavors. Through innovative communication and course delivery for high-quality undergraduate and select graduate programs, Athens State University provides a supportive environment for each student, demonstrating the importance of the diverse and interdependent nature of our state and society. Athens State University changes the face of Alabama by changing the lives of its students.
Athens State offers a wide variety of college majors, minors, and certificate programs to prepare you for the workplace's challenges. Many are available entirely online to meet the needs of your busy schedule.
Athens State is dedicated to its traditions of building a brighter, more prosperous future for our students, our state, and our world. Our faculty members are committed to teaching students in ways that will best prepare them for rewarding careers. We seek to admit and enroll students who have demonstrated their commitment to learning. For admission decisions, we consider grades and test scores, of course, but we also consider the experiences and talents that a student will share with our community. You can choose from more than 50-degree options. Athens State is affordable and accessible by offering a wide range of merit and need-based scholarships and financial aid.
The Office of Campus Security supports the university's mission by maintaining a reasonably safe and secure environment conducive to active learning, teaching, studying, and working. A professional core of Security Officers, an integral part of the campus community, protects persons and property through crime and emergency prevention activities, incident response, ID services, parking and traffic control, facilities access, and dispatch communications. The office is also responsible for maintaining and reporting crime statistics for the university as mandated by the Campus Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990.
In December of 1822, a group of citizens from Athens, Alabama, had a vision for an institute of higher learning to serve the educational needs of the women in the community. After five acres of land was purchased and a single building was built, Athens Female Academy was born. The storied history that would eventually lead to the creation of Athens State University began.
In 1842, ownership of the school was transferred to the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Church. With the switch, Athens Female Academy became Athens Female Institute. This name remained throughout the Civil War conflict and through the birth of the North Alabama Conference of the Methodist Church in 1870 when the institution came under the jurisdiction of that body. Following this transfer to the newly formed conference, the name was again changed to Athens Female College in 1889.
As the only institution in Alabama offering upper-division educational services, Athens State University continues to enjoy the essential and unique position it has always occupied within the community. With a firm history upon which to build its foundation, Athens State's colorful past has supplied the institution with the tools necessary to continue serving Alabama far into the future.
The strategic planning process at Athens State University provides direction, objectives, goals, benchmarks, and actions that ensure the university's advancement both internally and externally. In compliance with the Board of Trustee's Strategic Direction Policy and the Strategic Planning operating policy established by the President, the Strategic Planning Committee seeks broad-based input in the development and implementation of strategic goals and plans. The university's vision, mission, and goals statements ultimately serve as the foundation for strategic planning.
The primary mission of Institutional Research and Assessment Services (IRAS) is to assist and support institutional planning, management, policy formulation, and decision-making, through the systematic collection, analysis, evaluation, and dissemination of valid and reliable information.
