ATLANTA — With the merger of Georgia State University and Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia State will become the state’s largest institution of higher learning.

Tuesday, the Georgia Board of Regents is expected to approve Chancellor Hank Huckaby’s recommendation to merge the two schools.  This would give GSU an estimated student population of almost 54,000, making it one of the nation’s largest.

Last Fall, GSU has an enrollment of 32,556.  Georgia Perimeter had 21,371.  In comparison, the University of Georgia has a student population, as of last Fall, of 35,197.  The combined school would now dwarf that figure.

“The consolidation would greatly improve opportunities for students and expand Georgia State’s reach and impact across the metro-Atlanta area and the state,” said Georgia State President Mark Becker in a message broadcast to the campus.

The consolidation would leave the University System with 29 institutions.

But that is not all.  The merger would be the second recently, following the merger of Kennesaw State University and Southern Polytechnic State University, which is up for final approval by the Board of Regents at the Jan. 6 meeting.

“Our consolidation of institutions has been about serving our students better by expanding access, broadening programs and reinvesting resources for the benefit of our students,” Huckaby said on Dec. 9 when discussing the Kennesaw State/Southern Poly merger.