A Few First Year Applicant FAQ’s

It’s fall semester, and questions are beginning to flood in about UGA’s First Year admission process.  Here are answers to some of our more frequently asked ones.

• I plan to apply Early Action.  What is the last ACT/SAT exam date you will accept for Early Action (EA)?  We will only be able to use SAT/ACT scores for tests taken by the October 15 EA deadline.  For us to receive your scores in time, you must designate UGA as an automatic recipient when you register for the exam.

• Do I have to complete the essays if I am applying for Fall 2014 as a First Year student?  It depends.  Are you applying for Regular Decision, whose deadline is January 15 compared to EA’s October 15 deadline?  If so, you will complete four short essays for the 2014 application.  EA applicants who do not meet EA criteria and who are then deferred to the Regular Decision process will complete the essays.  Click here to see this year’s essay topics.  Regular Decision also requires a teacher recommendation and allows you to submit your first term senior grades. 

• When can I apply?  There is early, and then there is late.  The 2014 First Year application first becomes available at the beginning of September.   Please know that, while there is a HUGE penalty for missing our application and document deadlines, we give no admission benefit or prize for being among the first to submit the application.  Take your time.  (Just don’t wait until the week before the deadline when most mistakes are made!) If you submit your application on our September 3 opening date, we still cannot begin to review your completed file and scores until October along with all other Early Action applicants.  All EA decisions will be released in late November or early December.  The file completion deadlines for EA and RD will be one week after the application deadlines.
• How long does it take to fill out the application?  Most students say it takes longer than they thought it would, so be encouraged by the fact that you don’t have to complete the application in one sitting.  Once you create your UGA “ApplicantID”, you can save your work and come back later to complete the application and make any corrections.  Warning: Once you agree to the UGA Honor Code and choose “submit” at the bottom of that final page, you cannot return to make changes or corrections to your application.

• What will I need when I sit at my computer to I apply?  Great question!  We suggest you put four documents in your UGA folder:  (1) SSN card, (2) resume, (3) copy of your latest HS transcript, and (4) fee payment information. You absolutely must give us your correct Social Security Number (please proofread it). We ask you to list your honors, activities, leadership, and work experiences which you may have already collected for a resume.  You need to accurately report the college prep curriculum you’re taking and the grades you’ve earned.  And finally, to complete the application you must give us payment information, ideally for a credit card.    

• Should I apply Early Action or Regular Decision?  We can’t tell you which decision plan is right for you.  That decision should be made by you with the help of your family and high school counselor.  Read our Regular Decision vs. Early Action page here.