First-Year Applicant Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find some commonly asked questions for First-Year applicants. Please keep in mind that the application process is student-managed and that students are responsible for keeping up with dates, deadlines, and items to be submitted.
The University of Georgia DOES NOT consider demonstrated interest in our review process, as all applicants do not have the same resources to travel to campus, attend events, etc. We want to admit strong students that will be a good fit for our campus community, so we look at many other factors that do not include demonstrated interest.
AP scores are not considered in the application review, but AP courses taken are considered when reviewing rigor of curriculum. Additionally, enrolled students may receive college credit for certain scores on AP tests. You can find more information here: https://reg.uga.edu/students/credit-from-testing/ap-equivalences/
At the University of Georgia we practice a whole-student review, meaning that while academics play an important role, so do essays, leadership, extra-curricular activities and letters of recommendation. Ultimately, to be a competitive student, we are looking for somebody that will be able to contribute to and learn from the campus community.
We need an official version of your transcript, not a copy, sent directly from your school. Your high school counselor can submit via the links provided in the Common App process, via email, or through the UGA counselor portal.
Please ask your high school counselor to submit your Secondary School Report. They can either submit our form through the UGA counselor portal, or they can submit the NACAC Secondary School Report through Naviance or via email. If they do not have access to the UGA counselor portal, please have them request access by emailing the admissions representative for your area.
Please review this blog post to see how we recalculate GPA: https://www.admissions.uga.edu/blog/calculating-uga-gpa/
Yes, we accept fee waivers for US Citizens and Permanent Residents. You can learn more about our accepted fee waiver options by visiting the fee waiver page.
AI based writing assistance programs should be treated like any other form of assistance, whether it is a parent, counselor or friend. The writing you submit on your application must be your own. The essay prompts we have chosen help us to better understand you as a person, and the only one who can really share this is you.
Recommendation letters are optional but encouraged. If you do choose to submit letters we do not have a certain number, but keep in mind that quality is more important than quantity.
Please review this FAQ on self-reported grades: https://www.admissions.uga.edu/admissions/first-year/self-reported-grades/
For Early Action, the last test date accepted is the October SAT or the September ACT. For Regular Decision, the last test date accepted is the December ACT or SAT. As long as tests are taken and scores are requested by the application deadline we can utilize them in the review process.
Please allow 5-7 business days for documents to be processed. If after 5-7 business days your document is still not showing as “received” on your status portal, please email your admissions officer to inquire. In your email, please include your full name, application number, what document you are missing, and how that document was sent to UGA.
If materials are submitted past the deadline, we cannot guarantee that they will be processed. We recommend submitting your materials well before the deadline if possible to ensure that your application will be completed.
GPAs are recalculated using 9th, 10th, and 11th grade grades. Your counselor can submit a mid-year transcript but it will not be factored into your GPA.
You can submit additional documents for your application by logging on to your status portal and uploading them in the materials section or by submitting them via email to admproc@uga.edu.
Decision release depends on how many applications we receive and how quickly we can review those applications while still being thorough in that review. Early Action decisions are typically released mid-November for Georgia residents and mid-December for Non-Georgia residents. Final decisions are typically released mid-March.