UGA Undergraduate Admissions / Admissions Info / First-Year Admissions / First-Year Admission Criteria

First-Year Admission Criteria

Factors 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 College Preparatory deficiencies in English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies or Foreign Language, as well as any grades of D or F.

How Does Admissions Recalculate High School Grades? A Excellent 4.0 B Good 3.0 C Satisfactory 2.0 D Passing 1.0 F Failure 0.0

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 opts for no more than a standard college prep curriculum with few if any Honors, AP or IB courses.

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 a culturally and intellectually diverse community of scholar-citizens.

High School Grades Carry the Most Weight
We make no bones about it: more than any other single factor, the grades that you earn in your high school courses play the most important role in determining your 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 areas (with the addition of AP Art and Music Theory courses). Using a standard 4.0 scale [see chart], we convert each grade earned according to the grading scale in use at your high school at the time the course was taken.

Additionally, if a weight is not already added to an individual grade, we raise by the equivalent of one half-letter grade (0.5) 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 courses. Consequently, it is UGA’s policy not to add any weight for these courses when recalculating a student’s GPA for admission. We do consider the number of Honors courses a student takes, however, when determining the rigor of his or her overall curriculum.

College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) Units English 4 units Mathematics -Algebra I & II and Geometry -one math course beyond Algebra II 4 units Science -life science with lab -physical science with lab -one science elective 3 units Social Studies -United States history -World history -one social studies elective 3 units Foreign Language -two sequential years of the same language 2 units A unit is often referred to as a Carnegie Unit and represents a full academic year of credit.

Curriculum Difficulty and the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC)
As outlined above, the level of academic rigor in your course selection is the second of three major factors influencing your chances for admission to UGA. At a minimum, by policy of the University System of Georgia, all first-year applicants must complete the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC), which consists of 16 academic units in English (4), Mathematics (4), Science (3), Social Studies (3) and Foreign Language (2).

To be most competitive, though, you should challenge yourself by pursuing the most rigorous courses available in your high school that you, your parents, and your guidance counselor deem appropriate to your level of ability in each respective academic area. The number of courses taken beyond the minimum requirement of 16—not to mention those designated as advanced, Honors, gifted, AP or IB—will be considered in the admission process. In fact, in recent years, 98% of first-year students admitted to UGA pursued an honors or advanced level curricular track.

Please note: A challenging schedule will not counterbalance a non-competitive GPA, as your grades ultimately remain the single most important factor. Additionally, any grades of D or F on your transcript— especially in your junior or senior year—would be cause for concern on the part of our Admissions Committee and should be addressed in your application.

Standardized Tests: ACT, SAT I and SAT II
For first-year admission, the University of Georgia requires that an applicant submit an official score report for either the ACT or the SAT I. Currently, we recommend (but do not require) students to submit SAT II scores. Scores must be submitted electronically by the respective testing agency. UGA will not accept scores that appear on your high school transcript, nor will we consider paper “Rush Reports.” We receive electronic transmissions of ACT and SAT scores from the testing agencies on a weekly basis, and we will automatically update your application file with any new scores received by our application deadlines.

New Writing Assessment Requirement Begins in 2005 Applicants for first-year admission to the University of Georgia who wish to enroll beginning in the summer or fall of 2006 will be required to submit the writing assessment portion of the SAT or ACT. Starting in the spring of 2005, both tests will include a standardized writing assessment section. Thus, current juniors are advised that they will need to submit scores after March 2005, even if they submit results from earlier exams. For more information on the new writing assessments, use these links to the College Board and ACT Web sites.

There are many myths and misconceptions about standardized tests and how they are used in admission decisions. At UGA, the only minimum score requirements in place are the ones required by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia for admission to its four research universities: that is, an SAT-V of 430 and SAT-M of 400, or subscores of 17 on both the English and Math sections of the ACT. If a student takes the SAT or ACT more than once, we will consider the best scores we receive for each section on either exam.

Though historically we have received more SAT scores from applicants, we do not have a preference between the ACT and SAT. In fact, we often recommend that students attempt each test at least once. Used in conjunction with a student’s grades and rigor of curriculum, both have proven equally reliable in predicting academic success at the University of Georgia, as is evident in UGA’s nationally-envied first-to-second year persistence rate of 93%.

Please note: It is imperative that you use an accurate Social Security number when registering for either the SAT or ACT. Failure to do so will likely impede the completion and academic review of your application. Additionally, 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.

Additional Factors in Admission Decisions
UGA’s Faculty Admissions Committee appreciates the importance of considering other factors beyond academic achievement to discern the overall qualities of an applicant. For many students, therefore, a more comprehensive review of their entire application files will occur after the initial academic review. Our goal is to build a first-year class of highly qualified, intellectually curious and actively involved students who have demonstrated high levels of maturity and personal integrity as well as commitment to serving their communities.

To achieve this ambitious goal, the University will consider information gathered from a number of different sources beyond a first-year applicant’s transcript and test scores. These include, but are not limited to the following: the application essay and short answers; school and community activities, leadership positions and awards; participation in athletics; work experience, summer activities and special circumstances; the counselor or school evaluation; and a teacher recommendation from the junior or senior year. Due to the high volume of applications received, however, we are only able to consider information gathered on the application form or the required supplementary forms. Applicants are requested not to submit resumes, certificates or additional letters of recommendation, unless specifically requested for scholarship consideration.