The 4,495 freshmen expected to begin class at the University
of Georgia on Thursday represent the most academically prepared
entering class in UGA history, according to preliminary statistics
from UGA’s Office of Admissions.
The entering class presented an average high school grade
point average of 3.72, besting the record set in 2002 of 3.71,
and an average SAT score of 1237, compared to the previous
high of 1215, also set in fall 2002. Some 900 members of the
entering class had a perfect 4.0 high school GPA. Eight enrolling
students had a perfect score of 1600 on the SAT or 36 on the
ACT, and another 88 had perfect scores on either the verbal
or math portion of the SAT. More than 600 were joint-enrolled
in a college or university while completing their high school
work.
The class also shows an increase in racial diversity
over recent years. Almost 700 of the new freshmen, or 15.6
percent, are minorities, including 256 Asian-Americans, who
comprise 5.5 percent of the class, 202 African-Americans (4.5
percent), 146 multi-ethnic/multiracial (3.3 percent), 72 Hispanics
(1.6 percent), and nine Native Americans. The 121 international
students are not counted in these calculations. English is
not the native language of 158 of the students. Of minority
applicants offered admission, 49 percent enrolled, with the
largest increase in enrollment among students self-identifying
as multiracial. More than 300 of the students are the first
in their family to attend college. Of the new students, 16
percent have a parent or sibling who attended UGA, and 10
percent of African-American students are from alumni families.
The new class was selected from 13,300
applicants, a number second only to the record 13,402 set for
the fall of 1999. It is smaller by 695 members than last year’s
freshman class, a deliberate move to keep total university enrollment
within campus capacity and regents-mandated limits. The class
comprises 61 percent females, the same as a year ago. It is
83 percent Georgia residents, but an analysis of Social Security
numbers shows 43 percent were issued in other states, reflecting
the surge of in-migration to Georgia during these students’
lifetimes. They represent 385 Georgia high schools from 140
counties, and 41 other states. The most out-of-state students
come from Tennessee, followed by Texas, North Carolina, Virginia
and Florida.
Building the New Learning Environment
The new learning environment is an academic and intellectual
community on the campus of the University of Georgia humming
with the vibrancy of the true college experience—bright
and talented students working with brilliant faculty formally
in the classroom and informally over a cup of coffee or lounging
in the greenspace which stretches from one end of campus to
the other. It is a place which recognizes that new information
technologies are transforming traditional academic disciplines
and embraces those opportunities. |
