New data earns Perdue’s support for online learning programs at Ga. colleges

In an AJC interview, Perdue embraced need-based scholarships and the USG’s online course offerings.

University of Georgia System Chancellor Sonny Perdue speaks during budget hearings at the Capitol in Atlanta on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

By Jason Armesto

5 hours ago

Georgia has long been one of the only states in the country that doesn’t operate a need-based financial aid program for college hopefuls. Sonny Perdue expects that is about to change.

The University System of Georgia chancellor said he supports Gov. Brian Kemp’s recent proposal to invest $325 million in a scholarship program for low-income students.

In a 15-minute interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Perdue spoke about the program, as well as the rise of online learning at USG schools.

While schools like Georgia Tech have found success with online programs, Perdue and members of the USG Board of Regents have expressed skepticism about their efficacy for months. The USG tasked Angela Bell, vice chancellor for research & policy analysis, to examine the issue.

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“We have no evidence that online education is systematically hurting our students in terms of the outcomes that we observed,” Bell told the regents at Tuesday’s monthly meeting. “We also see rising demand for online education by looking both within USG and beyond.”

Despite Bell’s presentation, several regents remain skeptical. Regent James Hull called the data “somewhat self-serving,” saying online learning is “much more profitable for the institutions as well as much, much easier for the teachers.” Regent Harold Reynolds questioned if online courses are impacting student’s work ethic. Regent Erin Hames suggested online courses could negatively impact their mental health, saying students could be benefit, and be better prepared for the workforce, by going to a classroom.

“Education is a business,” Perdue told the AJC. “In a business, you have to provide a product that people want.”

This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.

Q: You seem happy about Gov. Kemp’s proposal.

Perdue: Yeah, we are happy about it. When you see the numbers of people who stop out for financial reasons, their lack of degree attainment was dismal. Georgia State (University) showed with their Panther grant that sometimes $200 to $1,000 to keep kids in school made a huge difference.

Q: In the Board of Regents meeting, you called it a “hand up” and not a “hand out.” What’s that distinction for you?

Perdue: Some people have, I think, probably the misunderstanding that students are just looking for a free ride. We put in the parameters of qualifications, having some contribution through either work study programs, internship programs, or actual contributions, really on top of the family contribution ability.

So that’s what we wanted: students who also knew they had skin in the game regarding contribution to their education, not just somebody paying for everything.

Q: What role did you have in getting this on the governor’s agenda?

Perdue: We advocated last year and advocated again this year.

My commitment to him was ... I can go out and raise educational philanthropic money across the country to contribute to an endowment. $300 million is a lot. But an endowment at 4.5% to 5%, it’s limited. So I think we probably need five to six times the 300 in order to meet the needs there. So that won’t happen right away, but we’re going to start on it and go for major donor gifts.

Q: You wanted more information about online learning. You got a lot of that data today. How are you feeling about it after seeing the presentation?

Perdue: The question I wanted to answer was, has our faculty gotten used to online protocols since COVID and are they willing to go back? I think (Bell’s) information and data showed me that it is more (student) demand-driven.

For working adults and for people who have families, who may have started college but for whatever reason had to drop out, this is an opportunity where they can get an education.

It sounds like the board members have somewhat of a similar preference to in-person classes. That’s the way I went to school. That’s the way I learned. But I see my grandchildren doing very well in dual enrollment or online learning.

So it’s a balance between customer service and quality. If I sensed that we were diminishing our quality over online, then we would draw the line. I didn’t get that from her presentation today. I didn’t get that at all.

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