Darton State College
Darton State College was a public college in Albany, Georgia, and a part of the University System of Georgia. It started in 1963 as Albany Junior College and began classes in 1966. In 1987 it was renamed Darton College. The name comes from an Old English word meaning a town by a river, noting Albany’s location on the Flint River.
The 186-acre campus on Albany’s west side had a theater, library, fitness center, computer labs, and lots of sports facilities, plus nature trails and ball fields.
Darton offered a wide range of programs: 84 two-year transfer and career associate degrees, 4 bachelor’s degrees, and 49 certificates. It also provided extensive online and distance-learning options, with many fully online degrees and certificates.
The college served a diverse student body. Its enrollment peaked at about 6,100 students in 2011. Darton was especially strong in nursing; a Nursing Building opened in 2010, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program began in 2013 after the college became a state college.
Darton was known for using technology in education, earning recognitions like “Most-Wired Campus.” It also offered many extracurricular activities and had successful athletics programs in sports such as golf, soccer, swimming, and cross country.
In November 2015, the University System of Georgia announced a merger of Albany State University and Darton State College. The new institution is Albany State University. The former Darton campus became Albany State University West Campus and hosts the Darton College of Health Professions. The merger led to a decline in overall enrollment for the new university.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:43 (CET).