UGA 2023 Freshman Applicant Pool - from Dr. David Graves, UGA Admissions

David Graves February 6th, 2023 in Blog 

The applications are all in for the UGA Regular Decision group of students, so here is some information on the total UGA freshman applicant pool for Fall 2023.

• The total application numbers (EA and RD) are roughly 43,600, which is up substantially from last year.

• Roughly 26,000 students applied for Early Action, and 17,600 applied for Regular Decision. We do not treat either group differently in the review process, only in the timelines for decisions.

• Roughly 45% of the applicant pool is in-state, and 55% is out-of-state/international. Due to UGA being the flagship university for the state of Georgia, we do have a goal of having our enrolling class (not accepted but enrolling) be roughly 80% in-state and 20% out-of-state, so it will be somewhat more challenging to be admitted as a non-GA resident.

• We have applicants from just over 6,300 high schools, with the range going from 1 applicant (a number of schools) to 438 applicants (Lambert HS). We do not limit decisions based on the high school a student has attended, but instead look at each student individually.

• The top six choices of major by applicants is Biology (3447 applicants), followed by Business (3113), Finance (2707), Psychology (2092), Marketing (1958) and Computer Science (1806). A student is not tied to their initial choice of major, as enrolling students can change their major prior to orientation using the UGA student system called Athena. As well, this means we do not have different decisions based on different majors, as this would not make sense due to the ability to change majors.

• We have applicants from 154 of the 159 GA counties, with the five outliers generally being from counties without a high school in the county, ones with a tiny HS age population, etc.

• The average core course GPA for the entire applicant pool of 39,700 is roughly a 3.87 using the UGA GPA calculation method. This is not the GPA you see on your HS transcript, as that is usually very different from our GPA. We see such a wide variety of HS GPA’s and grading scales, ranging from 4.0, 5,0, 6.0, 12.0, and 100 methods (and more), thus using the various HS GPA’s on a transcript does not allow for equal comparisons. The link I have provided shows exactly how we calculate a GPA. Again, this the UGA GPA average for the entire pool, so as you can see the applicant pool is very strong academically.

• The average ACT and SAT for the entire applicant pool of 43,600 is roughly a 28 Composite/1292 Total. While core grades and a student’s curriculum are generally better indicators of academic strength than test scores, I am giving this data out due to the state of Georgia mandating test scores for all the GA public colleges/universities.

• The projected freshman class is 6,200 students, and since we know that not all applicants we admit will enroll at UGA, we will offer a much large number of students than the size of the class (we do not have details on this specific number). We will not know exact details until we are able to look at the overall applicant pool, do analysis of how we project the admitted students will yield (meaning will they select UGA), and are then able to finalize decisions.

• Currently, we are deep into the review of freshman files, so that means we are reading hundreds of files daily. As such, we are limited in our ability to respond to emails and phone calls.

• Remember that UGA does not use demonstrated interest in our admission or scholarship reviews, so there is no need to email, text, or call us to let us know that UGA is high on your list of future colleges. We assume that if you applied to UGA, you are interested in us.

• We will have two waves of decisions going out in the next 3 months. A small group of students will be admitted in mid-February, and these students are academically at the top end of the applicant pool, would have been admitted in EA, and are almost exclusively RD applicants. The final decisions for all RD and deferred EA students will be released in mid-March. No dates for these two waves are available now, but we will give them out prior to the decision dates.

• We continue to review files for both admissions and scholarships, and the next round of scholarships will be tied to the mid-March decision date or after. Students do not have to take any additional steps to be considered for scholarships, as we use the admission application for the review.

Good luck, and Go Dawgs!

 

Calculating a UGA GPA

By David Graves

During every admissions cycle, the question of how UGA calculates a high school GPA arises. I have seen so many GPA’s thrown out on college “discussion forums” that I start to cringe when I see these three letters. Because there are so many school systems using such a wide variety of grading scales, my best answer is always that we try to start everyone out on as level a playing field as possible. To give you an idea of the range of grading/GPA scales, here is a small sample; 10 point grading scales, 7 point grading scales, E/S/U grades, narrative grade reports, 6 point GPA scales (to include AP weighting), 4 point GPA scales, plus/minus grades, numerical only grades, 16 point GPA scales adding all four years together, etc. As you can see, the GPA on one student’s HS transcript could vary greatly from another’s.


So step one is to look at the GPA(s) on your transcript, and then completely ignore it. Scratch it out, mark it out with a Sharpie, rip that section off the transcript, but do whatever you need to do to get it out of your mind.


Step two, understand that UGA re-calculates all high school GPA’s, and it is based upon the individual grades (be it semester, trimester, full year, etc.) in all the academic classes using the grading scale at that school. In addition, we add 1.0 weight to every individual AP or IB grade (unless a weight has already been added to the individual grade), and calculate a GPA based upon a 4.00 scale. Every A is worth 4 points, every B is 3 points, etc. As I said before, our goal is to try to review everyone on as level a playing field as possible.


Here is a quick example: Johnny Smith applies to UGA with the following grades in his core classes, and his school does not add any weight to the grades.

• 10 A grades (10 X 4 = 40 quality points)
• 4 B grades (4 X 3 = 12 quality points)
• 1 C grade (1 X 2 = 2 quality points)
• 3 of these grades are AP grades (3 X 1.0 = 3 quality points)

Add up all the quality points (57) and divide by the number of grades (15), and you will get your GPA (57 / 15 = 3.80).

That is it. It is not that difficult, and it gives us a good, consistent GPA for all our applicants. Imagine if we had to try and compare a 3.76 GPA to an 11.40 GPA to a “mostly E/S grades” GPA. The idea of comparing apples to apples is much better.

I hope this helps, and Go Dawgs!

 

Dual Enrollment and Challenging Coursework for UGA Admissions

By David Graves

Every once in a while, the topic of dual enrollment (taking college classes while in high school) comes up on this blog. Every year, well over 1,500 of our freshman applicants will have some form of dual enrollment work, and most likely 700-900 freshmen will enroll with dual enrollment work. It ranges from 3 hours to 60+ hours of college work, from a variety of colleges, and a variety of courses taken. We are happy to work with students who have taken dual enrollment courses, and we look at this information when reviewing the rigor of an applicant’s schedule, as well as all of the dual enrollment details and grades during our file reading process.

The most important thing I always focus on is that the student (and parents) should sit down with their school counselor and chart out a path that will challenge the student to the best of their ability. Is that taking the IB program in their school, taking Honors and AP courses, a mix of AP and dual enrollment, or if there are no advanced courses at the high school, focus on dual enrollment, etc. If you want to prepare yourself for college, and especially a competitive college like UGA, then you want to come in prepared to to the work. I sat in on a program for 8th grade parents last month that helped prepare students to register for 9th grade classes, and this same thought was stated as well by the school officials. We know the challenges of Honors and Gifted courses early on, and of AP/IB courses in the later years, as well as dual enrollment. For some students, AP courses are readily available and allow them to remain in their school throughout the day, and are a great stepping stone to the challenge they will see in a college class. For others, their high school may have limited options in school, and a local college course is the best route. At UGA, I have seen several students who were beyond their HS’s capacity in the math and foreign language areas, and UGA was a great option to fill this need. But I will say again, the choice of courses needs to reside in the student’s hands, not in UGA’s. The only serious issue that I have seen with dual enrollment, especially if not taught on the college campus, is that a number of selective private colleges may not accept these courses as transfer work, but you would need to communicate with the colleges to which you are applying (or check their transfer equiv. charts).

Now, when UGA calculates a high school GPA, we can use the applicant’s dual enrollment grades if the grades show up on the high school transcript, which most do. When we calculate a GPA, we are trying to get the best understanding of the student’s core grades as possible, but we also want to have as fair a process as possible in our review. When we add weight to a student’s grades, it is only for AP or IB grades, as these course are nationally and internationally standardized through the College Board and IB programs guidance. While we certainly look at Honors/Gifted/Accelerated/Dual Enrollment courses in our review of a student’s rigorous schedule, these courses are not standardized within a county or state, much less internationally. I have seen dual enrollment courses that range from Ivy League colleges to 2 year technical schools, and I have seen such a wide range of Honors courses to know that there is no nationally standardized basis for the coursework (again this year I saw an Honors PE course on a transcript).

There have been a number of studies about students and challenging courses in high school (especially on AP courses), and the consensus is that a student is better prepared and has stronger college grades if they have taken advanced courses in high school. And the focus is generally not on the exam score of the course, but on the actual participation in challenging courses that has an impact on future grades.

So challenge yourself now in high school, and you will be better prepared for the future.

Go Dawgs!

 

AP vs DE Courses-the Pros and Cons for UGA Admissions

By: David Graves     

 

Every year, one of the most asked questions for UGA Admissions concerns whether students should take Advanced Placement courses or Dual Enrollment courses. As you can guess, our standard reply is “It Depends”. This is not a cop out answer, but rather it is based on the student’s actual situation. What courses are available at the high school? What options does the student have with colleges in their community? What is the course preparation leading up to these classes, and what is the student ready for academically? What future colleges is the student considering, and what are these colleges credit policies on AP/IB/DE work? As you can guess, this is not always our most popular answer (right up there with the parental favorite “Because I said so.”). This is my attempt at giving you the potential positives and negatives of each choice.

AP COURSEWORK

Potential Positives

• Most colleges around the US will give credit for strong test scores on either AP, with limitations set by each college. 
• AP coursework is consistent worldwide, so the student, the school and the college all know what is expected. Yes, there are variations based on schools and teachers, but the curriculum is standardized.
• AP students are able to get an idea of the level of work needed for a college-level class while still in a high school course.
• Taking AP courses in your high school allows a student to remain active in high school activities and events, as they stay on their HS campus.
• AP students are in classes with other people who are looking to really challenge themselves in their coursework and in class interactions/projects.

Potential Negatives

• Obtaining college credit for AP exams is not consistent nationwide, and there is the potential to not receive any credit for a lower exam score.
• At times, there are limitations on the variety of AP courses offered at a high school.
• There is a cost associated with AP exams, which while not huge, can still be daunting for some students and families.

DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSEWORK

Potential Positives

• The availability of dual enrollment options is very widespread, and this is especially important for students who attend a high school with no AP courses. In addition, the wide range of courses offered for dual enrollment students at each college is great.
• If you pass a DE course, a majority of public colleges (and some private ones) will award you credit for the courses.
• For students in some states, the cost of a dual enrollment course is minimal.
• If you are attending dual enrollment courses at a local college, you are in class with true college students, which allows DE students a chance to both see and learn from this experience. Students also are able to get an idea of the level of work needed for a college-level class.

Potential Negatives

• The consistency of dual enrollment colleges and courses varies greatly, so make sure you choose locations and courses which will prepare you for upper level major courses at your potential future colleges.
• A number of very competitive colleges might not accept dual enrollment coursework, and it varies depending on whether the DE course is taught on the college campus or on in the high school (HS campus DE is sometimes referred to as Concurrent Enrollment by colleges).
• Dual Enrollment courses will remain on your permanent record, so if you are looking at graduate school programs or if you really struggle in a DE class, this could be an issue. When UGA calculates an overall college GPA, DE work is a part of this calculation.

I hope this has answered some questions for you, or at least stimulated some questions. Please know that this is not a full or exhaustive list of the pros and cons for each, as each individual situation brings its own unique pluses and minuses. In the end, admissions offices cannot recommend what you should take, as this should be determined after a meeting with the student, the parents and a school official.

 

Good luck, and Go Dawgs!