ATHENS, Ga. — Fellow Georgia Bulldogs celebrated quite the birthday for their beloved alma mater on Saturday.

UGA received its charter from the state in 1785, which made the university the first state-charted public university in the United States. The college didn't actually begin admitting students until 1801, four years after the University of North Carolina, but the site was selected in Athens, Georgia, 16 years earlier -- making it the oldest university in the nation.

Georgia was ranked No. 16 by U.S. News & World Report for best public universities in the country.