UGA once again attracted an exceptionally strong applicant pool this year. Competition for admission was stronger than ever. Our 21,000 applications were a significant increase over last year, but it was unfortunately not balanced with an equivalent increase in the number of possible spaces for enrolled freshmen, around 5,200. This goal still allowed us to offer admission to almost 11,000 students.
For perspective, here are some basic statistics on those offered admission. Because simple averages and highest-lowest extreme for summarizing groups of students can be misleading, our professional associations and testing agencies recommend describing applicant, accepted and enrollment cohorts’ statistics using the “middle 50%.” Here is a first look at four basic factors showing who was ranked between the 25th and 75th percentile:
• College Prep Grade Point Average: 3.77 – 4.05
(Please remember this is not the GPA students see on their high school transcript, but rather the GPA that UGA recalculates for everyone based on the core academic courses taken in high school and looking at the actual grades posted on the transcripts).
• SAT Critical Reading + SAT Mathematics: 1200 – 1370
• SAT Writing: 590-690
• ACT Composite: 27 – 32
In addition, our average admitted student had taken 6 or more Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate courses. Around 1,500 also enrolled in dual enrollment courses. While we consider AP and IB courses as factors indicative of a student’s curriculum difficulty, we also look at the entire course selection in light of each student’s chances for academic challenges. To that end accepted UGA students have taken a wide range of Honors and Advanced courses, summer enrichment programs, and college dual enrollment.
Statistics, of course, cannot describe other crucial non-quantifiable qualities. Most UGA accepted applicants have exceptional high school records and undoubted potential for continued success in college. That was also true for the vast majority of the students to whom we were not able to offer admission. Valuable leadership capabilities, strong writing, being an active member of their school and community and showing great growth from freshman to senior year were all evident, especially as our Admissions professional staff read and re-read well over 8,000 packed folders prior to our final decisions.
Congratulations to everyone in the college graduation class of 2017! For those of you admitted and ready to commit to UGA, don’t forget to send your University of Georgia commitment deposit NO LATER than May 1. Best of wishes to all, and…
Go Dawgs!