Gates Foundation Invests $4.6M to Remove Barriers Between Two and Four Year Degrees at GSU

ATLANTA, GA — A new $4.6 million grant from the Gates Foundation is aimed squarely at one of higher education’s most persistent problems: students who start college but never make it to a bachelor’s degree.

Georgia State University (GSU) will use the funding to reduce the academic, technological and administrative barriers that often prevent students at Perimeter College from successfully transferring into four-year degree programs. University leaders say the initiative is especially critical for online learners and working students, who make up a significant share of Perimeter’s enrollment.

While associate degrees are designed to serve as stepping stones to bachelor’s programs, many students nationwide lose credits, momentum or financial stability during the transfer process. Georgia State officials say the grant will help close those gaps by aligning coursework, strengthening online learning supports and expanding academic infrastructure.

More than 18,000 students attend Perimeter College, with a majority taking at least some classes online. The new initiative will assess students’ digital readiness early, streamline degree pathways between associate and bachelor’s programs, and expand access to tutoring, coaching and faculty support.

University leaders emphasized that the grant is about more than academic efficiency — it is about economic mobility.

“These pathways will help more students persist, complete their studies and move toward meaningful career and economic opportunities,” said Allison Calhoun-Brown, senior vice president for Student Success.

By investing in transfer alignment and online infrastructure, Georgia State aims to ensure that more students who start college — particularly first-generation and nontraditional students — have a clearer, faster path to finishing with a four-year degree.