SDSU Georgia has introduced American university culture concepts and practices and even merged these with the local regulations to better fit the Georgian higher education system. This includes new practices for university application which for SDSU Georgia starts a year before admission. SDSU Georgia has introduced new recruitment strategy for STEM programs, considering these were not very demanded fields of education when SDSU first came to Georgia. SDSU Georgia focused its admission on the disadvantaged groups, including several categories of socially vulnerable families and applicants from regions. Financial Assistance funding up to 30’000 USD of tuition expenses per student was also a novelty, considering the cost for local universities are far below this amount. SDSU Georgia also provisioned preparatory English and STEM training to improve competitiveness of the applicants. Women were also highly encouraged to become STEM students and through its efforts, SDSU Georgia has managed to keep the female participation at previously unprecedented 40%.

SDSU Georgia also brought student life, smart classrooms, long-term associations, peer-to-peer mentorship programs to Georgia. General Education component for STEM degrees was also introduced and successfully integrated to facilitate quality instruction, academic rigor, and educational effectiveness. As part of introducing SDSU student life practices, SDSU-G organized and the student body elected its first Associated Student Chapter of SDSU-G in December 2017.

SDSU Georgia helps the students be academically excellent, encourages them to ask for help in academic or personal endeavors, and motivates them to be involved in university life. In their junior and senior year, students are given workshops in leadership, CV writing and interview technique to prepare them for the job market.