More than 72,460 University of Georgia supporters contributed a record $300.4 million to the university during the fiscal year that ended June 30 (FY25). This is the first time university fundraising has surpassed $300 million.

Gifts were directed to enhance key university initiatives, including student scholarships, faculty and graduate student support and the university’s new School of Medicine. During the 2024-2025 academic year, privately funded scholarships supported more than 9,500 students, and during FY25, donors helped to reach 391 total endowed chairs and professorships. Donors included alumni, students, parents, UGA employees and retirees, corporate and private foundations and other members of the community.

“As we continue to innovate and make progress on important initiatives at the University of Georgia, I am incredibly grateful to our donors for all they do to fuel our ongoing pursuit of excellence,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I am energized by our loyal alumni and friends and their ongoing confidence in our mission, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in the years ahead.”

This past year’s unprecedented level of private support continues a trend of elevated giving that has driven the three-year rolling average to $272.8 million, the highest ever achieved by the state’s flagship university. It also marks the third time in UGA history that total fundraising was more than $250 million.

“The university community has stepped up like never before,” said Jill S. Walton, vice president for development and alumni relations and executive director of the UGA Foundation. “As we celebrate these results, we are most driven by the lives we enhance and the doors we open with the funding entrusted to the UGA Foundation by our generous donors.”

Laying the foundation for the School of Medicine

The School of Medicine achieved several milestones since it was authorized to proceed in February 2024. The $100 million needed for the Medical Education and Research Building was secured through a combination of state funding and private support less than a year after its announcement. The state-of-the-art facility will feature medical simulation suites, biomedical laboratories and classrooms to support Georgia’s growing health care needs.

To attract and prepare the most talented students for the first School of Medicine class, fundraising efforts for the School of Medicine are focused on increasing scholarship funding to help cover the cost of medical school.

Scholarship support continues to open doors

Last November, UGA established its 1,000th endowed, need-based scholarship for undergraduate students. Many of these scholarships cover the general cost of attendance, but others support experiential learning, student veterans, first-generation students and more.

“Our fundraising success is built on the unwavering loyalty of our present donors and the foundational generosity of those who came before them,” said Allison C. Ausband, outgoing chair of the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees. “Their collective spirit, along with President Morehead’s continued strategic leadership, illuminates our path forward. Every gift — from a $5 monthly donation on Dawg Day of Giving to a major gift establishing a professorship or enhancing a program — elevates the impact we’re able to have on current and future students, faculty and programs.”

Donor support enhances countless areas of campus

Numerous collective efforts led to significant contributions to UGA in FY25, including:

• The UGA Parents Leadership Council raised $1.5 million for funds and initiatives that enhance the undergraduate student experience.

• The Class of 2025 set a Senior Signature record; more than 3,400 students donated over $115,000 to 544 funds across campus.

• The fourth annual Dawg Day of Giving brought in more than 13,000 gifts to support students and programs, a single-day record for the university.

Private giving in FY25 extended to all areas of campus. Naming events to recognize seven- and eight-figure gifts to the university took place this year, including the C. Herman Terry Risk Management and Insurance Program, the Benson-Bertsch Center for International Trade and Security, Layton Design Studio, and the M. Douglas and V. Kay Ivester Institute for Business Analytics and Insights.

The Delta Air Lines Foundation committed $5 million to the Hospitality and Food Industry Management program to expand hands-on learning opportunities for students by launching the renovation of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, a Public Service and Outreach facility, to include teaching space for event management, culinary arts and hotel operations.

Commitments to UGA Athletics continue to elevate the university’s total fundraising levels and support UGA’s status as an athletic and academic powerhouse. A growing cohort of generous donors are investing in the success of both academic and athletic initiatives at the university at tremendous levels — of these, 76 “powerhouse donors” are committing upwards of $1 million to both.