The incoming freshman class at the University of Georgia is again among the most diverse and academically talented in the school’s history, according to data from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Though official enrollment figures won’t be determined until mid-October, the admissions office is projecting that the number of new freshmen will be very close to the 5,000 target enrollment for 2006, which represents an increase of 400 students over last year’s target. The number of applications for the freshman class – almost 16,000 – was the highest in the university’s history.

Like classes before them, the incoming freshmen continue to have strong academic credentials. They boast an average high school grade point average of 3.75 and average SAT of 1232, and most of them have taken the most rigorous curriculum available in their high school. Almost 90 percent enrolled in College Board Advanced Placement classes, and 600 have already attended college as a joint-enrolled student.

“This is again a very strong class and helps keep UGA among the ranks of America’s very best public universities,” said President Michael F. Adams.

As was true last year, approximately 20 percent of the new first-year students are non-Caucasian, compared to 16 percent in fall 2004. The strongest growth is in the number of Hispanic students – with 124 expected to enroll this fall, up from 88 the previous year (a 41 percent increase). The number of African-American students also is up, with 380 expected versus 359 in 2005. Both years represent significant growth from the 202 African-American freshmen enrolled in 2004.

Growth is expected in other racial/ethnic groups as well, with 368 Asian-American freshmen, 17 Native Americans and 126 multiracial students in the freshmen class. This is based on data provided by the students, who choose how – or whether – to identify their race and ethnicity when filling out applications and other forms for the university.

“It appears that this will again be one of the most racially and ethnically diverse classes to enroll at UGA,” said Nancy McDuff, associate vice president for admissions and enrollment management. “With more than 1,000 students identifying themselves as other than Caucasian, it is also likely the most diverse class in terms of absolute numbers. Most importantly, all our new students predict to do very well at UGA.”

Race and ethnicity are not considered in selection for admission, but the admissions office and other units on campus have stepped up efforts to recruit students from under-represented populations. Alumni also participate in encouraging students to apply for admission and enroll. In addition, during the past academic year, UGA entered a new partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and an effort was made to create more need-based scholarships.

The class is diverse in other ways, with 440 freshmen who are the first in their family to attend college and more than 200 students from homes where English is not the native language. In addition, 187 international students represent 54 different countries.

“I am pleased with the high quality and diversity of the entering freshman class,” said Arnett C. Mace Jr., senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Again, those accepted and the applicant pool are indicative of the academic excellence of the university.”

Overall, grade point averages and SAT and ACT scores are similar to last year’s class. Half of the students have GPAs between 3.63 and 4.0, and more than 1,300 of them completed high school with a 4.0 or better. This year’s GPA average for entering freshmen is the highest in UGA history.

In terms of test scores, half of the students scored between 1150 and 1310 on the SAT and between 24 and 29 on the ACT. Seven new students earned perfect scores on the SAT or ACT, and 80 had perfect scores on either the verbal (critical reading) or math portion of the SAT. The average SAT, although 10 points lower than last year’s record 1242, is the 3rd highest in UGA history. The College Board has reported a nationwide drop in SAT test scores, which is thought to be due to a change in test-taking patterns of students in the first year of the new SAT with a writing component.

A total of 415 members of the incoming class are expected to enroll in UGA’s nationally recognized Honors Program. These academically superior students have grade point averages in the 4.0-4.2 range (indicating extra credit for advanced courses) and 50 percent of them have an SAT between 1400 and 1490. Their projected average GPA of 4.11 and average SAT of 1446 are the highest in Honors Program history.

The incoming freshmen come from more than 400 different Georgia high schools in 148 counties. While only 15 percent of the class is not from Georgia, more than 40 percent of the freshmen have social security numbers issued in other states – an indication of the continuing in-migration from other parts of the country. Among out-of-state students, the top five states represented are North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Florida. The class is again expected to be more than 60 percent female.

First-year students are required to live on campus, with a few permitted exceptions, and University Housing reports that 97 percent have been assigned housing. The most popular intended majors – besides “undecided” – are business, biology, psychology, journalism and mass communications, political science and international affairs.

The data on the freshmen class is based on the number of students who either started their UGA studies during summer semester or had attended or registered for orientation as of the end of July. The final orientation session is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 14.