Clarke County

More freshmen want in on UGA’s winning streak as application numbers spike

CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. — The winning ways of the Georgia Bulldogs coupled with strong academics are sparking a surge in applications for admission to the University of Georgia, officials say.

“We were up 38% in applications two years ago. Then last year, we saw a modest increase, and are up 11% in our current application pool.” said UGA Undergraduate Admissions Director Barley Barton.

According to university officials, over 39,000 students applied for freshman admission to UGA last year, and over 16,000 were admitted. That’s an admission rate of around 39%, officials say.

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“Students are learning more about us through the athletic process, but they are also hearing about the academic opportunities,” said Barton.

Graduate student Mahmoud Muhammed traveled from his Egyptian homeland to attend UGA.

“The law school here is one of the best law schools in the nation, so that’s what I’m interested in,” said Muhammed.

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Another student who grew up in New Jersey says he came to UGA because of its winning teams and academics.

“I knew I wanted to go to a big school, and I knew UGA was a great school academically and socially. It just checked all the boxes,” said student Evan Johnson.

UGA student Savannah Hernandez said she was offered a full scholarship to both UGA and Vanderbilt, but chose UGA.

“Being a student here gives me a lot of pride and a community environment, that has kind built off that energy,” said Hernandez.

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Officials say another factor drawing students to UGA is its proximity the the world’s busiest airport, and easy access to domestic and international travel.

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