This report has been contributed by Elizabeth Tammi, a student from Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism.
The Central Georgia area is home to several colleges and universities. Some are public, private or for women.
We took one example of each — Middle Georgia State University, Mercer University and Wesleyan College, respectively — and did some research on where exactly their students come from.
At Middle Georgia State University, director of admissions Margo Woodham said that 97 percent of their students are from Georgia.
As for the other three percent, “they are from 32 states and 18 countries,” Woodham said.
Wesleyan College is a private women’s college located in Macon, Ga. With a total student body of 762 students, 647 of them call Georgia home, according to director of communications Mary Ann Howard.
Then, 51 Wesleyan students are from other states, and the remaining 64 are either international or visiting students.
Mercer University is also a private university. At its main undergraduate campus in Macon, Ga., approximately 80 percent of the domestic student body are Georgia residents.
According to Kelly Holloway, PhD, the remaining 20 percent of domestic students are out-of-staters.
However, about three percent of the total student body are international or visiting students. Holloway said a big part of Mercer’s 10-year plan is focused on improving recruitment of out-of-state and international students.
Overall, it seems the vast majority of undergraduates in the middle Georgia area come from this state.