UGA Undergraduate Admissions / Admissions Info / First-Year Admissions

First-Year Admission Information

In reviewing first-year applicants for admission, the University of Georgia sets no rigid standards for test scores or high school grade point averages that carry over from year to year. Instead, because there are a limited number of spaces available in the first-year class, admission is competitive, and exact standards depend on the number and quality of students who apply each year.

UGA offers three admission notification periods during the year: Early Action, Regular Decision and Spring Admission. After reading the detailed descriptions of the decision plans below, we invite you to review the "Top 10 UGA Admissions Urban Legends."

Required Material on a Complete Application Early Action Part I of application $50 non-refundable application fee Official high school transcript Counselor/School Evaluation Form Official SAT or ACT scores with writing assessment Deferred EA applicants must complete Part II of the application and submit a Teacher Recommendation Form. Regular Decision Part I of application Part II of the application (leadership and activities record and four short essays) $50 non-refundable application fee Official high school transcript Counselor/School Evaluation Form Official SAT or ACT scores with writing assessment Teacher Recommendation Form

The Primary Factor in Admission Decisions
“Demonstrated academic achievement” is the primary factor in first-year admission decisions at the University of Georgia. The academic review of first-year applications centers on three criteria: the student’s grade point average (GPA) in core academic courses, the rigor of a student’s course selection, and his or her best combination of scores on the SAT or ACT. Additionally, all applications are reviewed for conduct issues; recommendations; satisfactory completion of all courses and completion of the required College Preparatory courses.

GPA and rigor of curriculum weigh roughly three-to-two to standardized tests in predicting academic success at UGA. Effectively, this means that a student with a 4.0 GPA in a superior curriculum of Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses might be admitted with an SAT score at or below 1000. Yet, another student with a 3.0 GPA and an SAT score of 1400 might not be admitted, if the student opted for no more than a standard college prep curriculum with few if any Honors, AP or IB courses.

Note: Students who are home educated or attend non-accredited schools should review our Home Education Information page.

Additional Factors in Admission Decisions
UGA’s Faculty Admissions Committee has identified a number of additional factors that may be considered in admission decisions or merit scholarship consideration. These include: excellence in academic achievement, intellectual pursuits, and creative endeavors; an understanding of and respect for intellectual, social, and cultural differences; significant commitment to citizenship through public service, school activities, community involvement, leadership, and/or family; evidence of integrity and personal maturity; and the ability to benefit from and contribute to a culturally and intellectually diverse community of scholar-citizens.

A more detailed description of the first-year admission process at UGA may be found under First-Year Admission Criteria.

2008-09 Application Postmark Deadlines* Early Action – October 15 Regular Decision – January 15 Spring Admission – September 15 *Note: If a deadline falls on a Sunday or a federal holiday, the postmark deadline will be extended to the first business day following the published date.

Pick a Decision Plan and Take Application Deadlines Seriously
The first important admissions factor, too often overlooked, is making sure you have all the necessary materials to the Admissions Office by the designated deadlines. We suggest that students apply well before these deadlines in order to make sure that all materials arrive on time. (You can verify that UGA has received all your materials via the Application Status Check on our Web site.) Prompt action also allows UGA to respond by the published notification dates.

Early Action (non-binding)
First-year applicants for Summer or Fall semester for whom UGA is a top choice have the option of submitting a completed application by October 15 of their senior year and receiving an admission decision by December 15. Primary consideration under the Early Action plan will be focused on demonstrated academic achievement: grades in core academic courses through the junior year, rigor of curriculum and performance on the SAT I or ACT.

2008-09 First-Year Student Profile (For more information, visit our first-year class profile page.) Applications Received: 17,334 Applications Accepted: 9,626 New First-Year Enrolled: 4,830 Middle 50% Core GPA: 3.63-4.0 Middle 50% SAT: 1150 – 1310 Middle 50% ACT: 25-29

Early Action candidates may be offered admission, denied, or deferred to the Regular Decision process for further consideration. Applicants admitted under the Early Action plan are not bound to accept this offer of admission and have until May 1 to submit a non-refundable $200 commitment deposit in order to secure a seat in the first-year class. Applicants deferred to Regular Decision should submit mid-year senior grades and any new test scores; they will be notified of a final admission decision no later than April 1. Applicants denied admission through Early Action will not have the opportunity to submit additional information or to reapply under the Regular Decision plan. Therefore, if an applicant wishes for November or December test scores or mid-year senior grades to be considered, he or she would be better advised to apply under the Regular Decision plan.

Regular Decision
First-year applicants for Summer or Fall semester who choose this plan must submit a completed application by January 15th of their senior year and will receive a decision by April 1. Primary consideration under the Regular Decision plan will also focus on demonstrated academic achievement (grades in core academic courses, rigor of curriculum and performance on the SAT I or ACT), with secondary consideration given to a combination of the following factors: intellectual pursuits, creative endeavors and intercultural experiences; public service, co-curricular activities, community involvement, leadership and family commitments; integrity and personal maturity. By April 1, Regular Decision and deferred Early Action candidates will either be offered admission, denied or offered a place on the Waiting List.

Writing Assessment Requirement Applicants for first-year admission to the University of Georgia are required to submit the writing assessment portion of the SAT or ACT. As of spring 2005, both tests include a standardized writing assessment section. Students submitting an ACT must submit the optional ACT Writing Test as well. Students are advised that they will need to submit writing scores even if they have submitted results from exams taken prior to Spring 2005. For more information on the new writing assessments, use these links to the College Board and ACT Web sites.

All first-year candidates who are offered admission for Summer or Fall semester must submit a non-refundable $200 commitment deposit no later than May 1 in order to secure a seat in the first-year class. Commitment deposits will be credited towards students’ accounts at the beginning of the Fall semester.

Spring Admission
First-year applicants for Spring semester will be considered on a space-available basis only. Completed applications must be submitted by September 15; decisions will be released by December 1. Primary consideration for Spring Admission will be focused on demonstrated academic achievement: grades in core academic courses, rigor of curriculum and performance on the SAT I or ACT. At this time, applicants admitted for Spring semester are not required to submit a commitment deposit.