University of Georgia

What factors are considered when reviewing First-Year applications?

In reviewing first-year applicants for admission, the University of Georgia sets no rigid standards for test scores or high school grade point averages. Admission is competitive as there are a limited number of spaces available in the first-year class in accordance with the Enrollment Management Plan. Admission standards depend on the number and quality of students who apply each year, thus vary accordingly.

Academics are the primary consideration in first-year admission
  • Grades: This includes core curriculum courses (English, math, science, social science, foreign language), dual enrollment, AP, IB, and AICE. In recent years, our admitted students have earned A-level grades in over 90% of their core courses.
  • Rigor: UGA will look at the courses offered at an applicant’s high school and compare that to what applicants have taken or plan to take in their senior year. Competitive applicants are taking demanding courses in the five core subject areas available at their school.
  • Test Scores: SAT or ACT scores from exams taken AND requested by the application materials deadline. As with rigor of curriculum, a high score on the SAT or ACT will not compensate for a non-competitive GPA. Your record of three to three-and-a-half years’ worth of rigorous academic work in the classroom will be the primary focus of any admission decision.
Secondary consideration is given to the following factors:
  • Intellectual Pursuits
  • Creative Endeavors
  • Public Service and Volunteer Work
  • Co-curricular Activities
  • Community Involvement
  • Leadership and Family Commitments
  • Integrity and Personal Maturity
Consideration is NOT given to:
  • Demonstrated or continued interest in UGA (communicating with UGA to express your desire to attend)
  • Race
  • Ethnicity
  • Legacy status (having family members who are UGA alumni)

Your High School Grades Matter Most

More than any other single factor, the grades that you earn in challenging high school courses play the most important role in determining an applicant’s competitiveness for admission to UGA. Since there are so many different grading scales, not to mention weighting methodologies, we recalculate a GPA for every first-year applicant based only on academic courses taken in the five core academic areas:

  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • English
  • Social Science
  • Foreign Language

Using a standard 4.0 scale, we convert each grade earned according to the grading scale in use at their high school at the time the course was taken. AP Art and Music Theory courses will be included in our GPA recalculation.

If weight is not already added to an individual grade, we add the equivalent of one letter grade for each grade earned in an AP or IB course. Unlike nationally or internationally normed AP and IB curricula, there is no standardized methodology for the designation of honors or dual enrollment courses. Consequently, it is UGA’s policy to not add any weight for honors or dual enrollment courses when recalculating a student’s GPA for admission. We do consider the number of honors and dual enrollment courses a student takes when determining the rigor of their overall curriculum, including the availability of AP and IB courses.

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You Should Pick Challenging Course Work

UGA will look at the courses offered at an applicant’s high school and compare that to what applicants have taken or plan to take in their senior year. Competitive applicants are taking the most or nearly the most challenging coursework available in their school. To prepare yourself for the challenging academic environment at UGA, you need to pursue the most rigorous courses available in your high school that you can handle while balancing other commitments and activities. The number of courses taken beyond the required high school curriculum will be heavily considered in the admission process.

A challenging schedule and strong grades in core classes are the most important factors in our admissions review process. Additionally, any grades of C, D, or F on your transcript are cause for concern and should be addressed in your application.

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Required High School Curriculum

According to University System of Georgia (USG) Policy, all first-year applicants must complete the Required High School Curriculum (RHSC), which consists of 17 academic units in English (4), Mathematics (4), Science (4), Social Science (3), and Foreign Language (2).

USG’s “Staying on Course” document details the specific courses that satisfy this requirement. The course titles and numbers listed in this document reflect those utilized by the Georgia Department of Education; however, UGA accepts similar courses taken by those attending a private school or a public high school located outside of Georgia. Additionally, students who take physical science in the 8th grade can have that course satisfy the science requirement if it appears on their high school transcript or can be verified by the high school.

A Secondary School Report is Required

A secondary school report is required for all first-year applicants and it is submitted by the high school counselor. This report differs from the school profile and certifies the courses offered at a school. All first-year applicants are required to submit a secondary school report. Counselors will complete the secondary school report online through the Common App, UGA Counselor Portal, or through the link sent by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Official Test Scores Are Required

All first-year and dual enrollment applicants are required to submit official test scores from either ACT or SAT. There is no test optional pathway to UGA.

Minimum Test-Score Requirements

There are many myths about how standardized tests are used in college admission. At UGA, the process is simple: we follow the minimum test score requirements set by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. These minimums are 480 SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 440 SAT Math, or 17 ACT English or Reading and 17 ACT Math. While these are the required minimums for consideration, the typical academic profile of admitted UGA students is significantly stronger.

Superscoring

If you take the SAT or ACT more than once, UGA always considers your best performance. UGA superscores both exams, selecting the highest individual section scores across all attempts. For the SAT, this means we take your highest EBRW score and highest Math score and combine them for your superscore total. For the ACT, starting April 2025 for digital tests and September 2025 for all tests, the ACT will make the Science section optional and remove it from the Composite calculation. UGA will use your highest English, Math, and Reading scores from all test dates and average them to form a superscored ACT Composite. We also accept the official ACT superscore if you choose to send it; when ACT sends that report, it includes your superscore along with the test events that contributed to it.

Although UGA reports the ACT Composite externally, our admission evaluation focuses specifically on English/EBRW and Math, regardless of which test you submit. We do not mix SAT and ACT scores to form a superscore; for example, we will not combine SAT Math with ACT English. Your application is reviewed using whichever subscores, SAT or ACT, show you at your strongest. Lower scores from other test dates will never negatively impact your application.

UGA has no preference between the SAT and ACT, and in fact we often encourage students to try both. When considered alongside high school grades and course rigor, both exams are equally strong predictors of success at UGA.

How to send Test Scores

Submitting your scores is easy. For the ACT, UGA is listed as “University of Georgia” under code 0872; we accept the ACT superscore, and you can submit your scores by signing in to your MyACT account. Here is the ACT’s article on sending your official ACT scores. For the SAT, UGA is listed as “University of Georgia” under code 5813, and you can send your official scores through your MySAT account following the College Board’s instructions. Here is the College Board’s article on sending your official SAT scores.

Optional Items

We often receive questions regarding submission of additional materials. The below items are optional for first-year applicants.

Letters of Recommendation

These are optional, but we highly recommend one. A good letter of recommendation will be from a source who has seen you demonstrate and can vouch for your ability to complete rigorous academic coursework independently. Your recommender should know you well and be able to speak to your performance in the classroom and work ethic. Examples of this could be an AP or Honors teacher, or a teacher in your most challenging class. Less effective letters are vague and less focused on academic performance.

Resume

While we prefer applicants to list activities in the Common App, we do encourage applicants to supply a resume if they forgot to include something important or have work activities and other accomplishments that do not fit in the Common App.

Schoolhouse.world Certifications

Schoolhouse.world is a free, globally available platform founded by Sal Khan of Khan Academy. Their platform allows students to demonstrate subject mastery in a topic and then tutor other students. If you earned certifications through Schoolhouse.world, you can email a copy of your portfolio to [email protected]. As we do with other co-curricular involvements, we will review and consider these optional volunteer achievements and certifications during our holistic evaluation of your file. This is not a mandatory item, but as is the case with other similar materials (like an optional Resume), it can provide us with additional context into who you are as a student.

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