The Carvers gave him as much of an education as they could. At age 12, George left the Carvers to start life on his own.
For the next 12 years, he worked whenever he could and went to school whenever he could. He manages to finish high school and won a scholarship to go to Highland University. However, when he appeared at the university, they refused to admit him because he was black. This did not stop Caver. He continued to work and save money. Eventually, He went to Simpson College in 1890 to study painting and paid for his school by ironing clothes for other students. Soon, he realized he could not support himself as an artist and decided to study agriculture instead.