As an access institution, the college serves a predominantly rural area of 24 counties in Georgia's coastal plain from its three campus locations.

In September 1971, the citizens of Emanuel County approved a $2.1 million bond issue and provided 207 acres (84 ha) of land within the city limits of Swainsboro for a new college.

Then-Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives and Emanuel County native George L. Smith II was instrumental in the college's establishment.

The college hosted its charter class of 167 students in the fall quarter of 1973 at a temporary site, as the campus would not be ready for another year.

In 2003, the Physical Education building was expanded with a new indoor gymnasium, fitness center, an art studio, and additional classrooms; it now home to the EGSC Bobcats.

Named for a well known grade school teacher in the Swainsboro community, the center features an educational resource center for area K-12 students and teachers, meeting space for small conferences, educational outreach programs and summer camps, as well as a great room with a vaulted ceiling and fireplace and a full-dome planetarium.

[10] In November 2009, the EGSC Foundation voted unanimously to appropriate 10 acres (4 ha) of land near the northern part of campus to construct the college's first on-campus residence hall.

[17] The EGSC Vision Series is a community outreach initiative that brings programs of cultural and intellectual enrichment to East Georgia State College and the Swainsboro-Emanuel County area.

Noteworthy speakers who have visited East Georgia State College include President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, poet Maya Angelou, former Atlanta mayor and U.N.

[18][19] The Vision Series also sponsors field trips to historical sites and locations of cultural interest, such as the Fox Theatre and the Georgia Aquarium.

In March 2010, the college broke ground on a new satellite center on U.S. Highway 301 South, near the main campus of Ogeechee Tech.

[22] The new campus opened just before the start of the 2011 fall semester and houses classroom space, a student computer lab, and a commons area in addition to its administrative functions.

In November 2018, The George-Anne, Georgia Southern's student newspaper, reported that EGSC officials plan to relocate the Statesboro Center to the Georgia Southern campus, citing student concerns with attending classes, accessing services, and participating in extracurricular activities at two discrete locations nearly four miles (6 km) apart.

The city of Swainsboro is 15 miles (24 km) north of Exit 90 (U.S. Highway 1/Georgia State Route 4) on Interstate 16, almost halfway between Macon and Savannah.