Paine College is a private, historically black Methodist college in Augusta, Georgia. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Paine College offers undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts, business administration, and education through residential, commuter, and off-site programs. The college is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.

Bishop Lucius Henry Holsey started planning for the school in 1869, and asked for leadership help through Methodist Episcopal Church South (MECS). The new school was named after the late Bishop Robert Paine. Paine College was founded on November 1, 1882 by the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (now Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, a historically black denomination), and the Methodist Episcopal Church South (now United Methodist Church, a historically white denomination). According to The Augusta Chronicle, “The Paine College Board of Trustees is the oldest interracial body in the nation”.

The first president was Morgan Callaway, who worked hard for fundraising. Classes started in 1884 in a rented space at 10th and Broad Street in Augusta, and in 1886 Paine was moved to its current location, which at the time was rural land outside of the city. It also functioned as a high school until 1945, when the first public high school opened for African Americans in Augusta.