Athens State University

Athens State University is located in Athens, Alabama, approximately 20 miles west of Huntsville in the Tennessee Valley region. The campus, established in 1822, stands as Alabama's oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning, featuring historic antebellum buildings alongside modern academic facilities across its 17-acre downtown setting. Originally founded as a female academy, the institution now operates as a public upper-division university, accepting only junior and senior-level students pursuing bachelor's degrees. The university specializes in business, education, and arts and sciences programs, with a particular focus on serving transfer students and working adults. Campus facilities include Freeman Hall, the oldest building on campus dating to 1842, and students primarily commute as the institution does not maintain traditional residential housing.