Are you ready to apply?

Especially if you have an older sibling who’s been through this before or maybe your parent happens to be a school counselor, your first question for August 1 might be, are there any changes to UGA freshman admission this year?

Our simple answer is, not really.  Your research will show that we have earned the roles of an internationally esteemed flagship state research university, the oldest in the United States.   Lots of students want to start college in the exciting warmth of Athens.  Over the past two decades we have realized unprecedented increases in the diversity and academic profile of our freshman classes.   UGA admission has become remarkably competitive.  So applying to UGA is—and you deserve—a relatively complex process that will fairly reveal to us your potential for academic success and for contributions to our campus in comparison with an expected 20,000+ other applicants.

One change is that we’re opening our Application for 2014 First-Year students after Labor Day, September 3, instead of late August as in the recent past.  The reason is a bit of caution on our part while we are in the midst of a multi-year switch to a massive Banner student information system version called “Connect UGA”.  It is replacing a legacy system finally showing its age.   Our goal for the change is that you shouldn't notice.

Two other 2014 changes are in the essay topics we require for Regular Decision and a prohibition for applying for Summer, 2014 admission. This year, Summer students will have to gain Fall admission first, then in April request a change to Summer.

The rest of our process is essentially unchanged.   As you’ll see on our First Year Application website, we will still have two routes, Early Action (EA) and Regular Decision (RD). The 2013-14 deadlines for applying—Oct. 15 for EA and January 15 for RD—are unchanged, as is your responsibility for getting us all necessary test scores and supporting documents by our posted deadlines.  All admission decisions will be made before April 1 and accepted students must make their nonrefundable enrollment commitment deposit by May 1.

Please understand that because of the necessary complexity of our 2014 admission process and rolling out the new Connect UGA SIS, deadlines really are deadlines. That part of the UGA freshman application process—for better or worse as older siblings, parents and counselors can testify—has definitely not changed.

And finally, check this Blog regularly to hear the latest hints, suggestions, and updates both large and small on what we hope will be a “Connect UGA” year for all of us.

Go Dawgs!