Offers of admission to UGA’s Class of 2009 have been extended to 7,825 of the nearly 12,300 students in the applicant pool. In addition, just under 500 students have been placed on an unranked waiting list. The goal is to enroll a freshman class of 4,600-just slightly larger than last year’s target of 4,500. The number is driven by a cap of 32,500 on total UGA enrollment, which includes both undergraduate and graduate students.
Although the number of applications for the freshman class is down slightly from the 13,200 received in 2004, the applicants were very strong academically and also were more diverse than the previous year, according to Nancy McDuff, associate vice president for admissions and enrollment management.
Those applying had an average GPA of over 3.5 and average SAT of 1218. Those accepted had an average GPA of almost 3.8 and an average SAT of 1268. Almost all have taken advanced placement or international baccalaureate classes, with the average student taking three of these college-level classes.
“While the profile for the Class of 2009 will not be finalized for some time, it will almost certainly be one of the most competitive classes to enter UGA in terms of grades, rigor of curriculum and test scores,” says McDuff. “The two most important factors in first-year admission continue to be grades in academic classes and the strength of the student’s course selection.”
In terms of diversity, more than 1,600 of the students offered admission identified themselves as other than Caucasian and another 57 chose not to identify their ethnicity. To date, 570 admitted students are African-American, compared with 418 admitted in 2004, while 167 are Hispanic, compared to 151 last year. Another 262 admitted students self-identified as multiracial. Since some offers are still being processed, those numbers could change slightly. Race and ethnicity were not considered in reviewing students’ applications.
Students offered admission are predominantly from Georgia and come from 145 different counties in the state.
“We were very pleased to see an increase in the diversity of our applicant pool as a result of outreach efforts by our office and other campus units,” says McDuff. “The next challenge is to encourage the students who have been admitted to enroll.”
All admitted students are required to reserve their space by May 2 with a non-refundable deposit of $200. Invitations to new student orientation are mailed in May. At that point, admissions officials will notify wait-listed students as space in the class is available.