UGA Receives 34,000 Early Applications as Out-of-State Interest Jumps 17.9%

The University of Georgia received more than 34,000 early action applications this year. That's a 12.8% jump from last cycle. Applications from out-of-state students climbed 17.9%, and in-state applications went up 8.54%.

More than 10,700 early action applicants got admission offers. The middle 50% of admitted students had a core GPA between 4.18 and 4.43. ACT scores ranged from 32 to 35, while SAT scores fell between 1400 and 1510.

Admitted students finished 10-15 AP, IB, or dual enrollment courses. Applicants came from 49 states plus Washington, D.C. They also represented 129 Georgia counties, which is up from 115 last year.

"Exceptional students throughout our state and across the country continue to be drawn to the University of Georgia's world-class learning environment," said President Jere W. Morehead in a statement, according to UGA Today. "As the state's flagship institution, we remain committed to recruiting, admitting and enrolling Georgia residents and consistently advancing our vital land-grant and sea-grant mission through outstanding teaching, groundbreaking research, and dedicated public service."

The university sent early action decisions in two waves this year. In-state admitted students received notifications on Nov. 21, 2025, while out-of-state admitted students heard back on Dec. 12, 2025.

The admissions recruitment team made 365 high school visits across Georgia this year, topping the 311 visits made in 2024. Admitted in-state students came from 412 Georgia high schools.

"Our recruiting team has been steadily expanding the number and reach of our visits across the state each year to better fulfill our mission to serve Georgians," said David Graves, executive director of undergraduate admissions. "Our priority is to ensure that Georgia students have strong access to UGA, and we are focused on enrolling a class where approximately 80% of students are Georgia residents."

Students deferred to the regular decision round will still get full consideration. Deferred applicants can submit grades from the start of their senior year, and they can send new test scores too.

The regular decision application deadline is Jan. 1. Final admissions decisions for deferred early action and regular decision applicants are announced in mid-March.

Four-year graduation rates rose this year from 76% to 78%. The school is one of nine public universities in the U.S. with a six-year graduation rate of 90% or higher. Retention of first-year students sits at 94%.