The Georgia Senate’s higher education committee heard a proposal Thursday that would put more home grown students in the state’s four public, research universities.
Senate Bill 282, sponsored by Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, would require the schools set aside 90% of its early applicant slots for students from Georgia. The four institutions are the University of Georgia (UGA), Georgia Tech, Augusta and Georgia State universities. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported about the legislation in December.
Early admissions is a process typically used by high-achieving students, to secure enrollment in top universities and determine the best scholarship packages, but the process is competitive. UGA accepted about 42% of applications from students hoping to enroll for the fall 2020 semester, while Georgia Tech's acceptance rate was 21%. Early admissions are decided months before schools decide who's accepted for the entire first-year class.
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Beach said he introduced the legislation after hearing from a constituent with a 4.0 high school grade-point average and other strong academic credentials who did not get early acceptance to UGA, but was accepted to schools outside Georgia. Beach said he’s concerned about Georgia students enrolling at schools in other states and never returning. About 40% of UGA’s early admissions offers went to out-of-state students.
“We’ve got to keep our best and brightest here,” Beach told the committee.
The presidents of Georgia Tech and UGA told the committee the legislation is unnecessary, saying 60% and 88%, respectively, of its undergraduate students are from Georgia. The presidents said it’s important to have a good mix from outside the state and noted many of those graduates have built successful careers in Georgia. They also suggested the legislation would cost tens of millions of dollars in additional state funds. Tuition is higher for most out-of-state students.
“At the end of the day we want to target the in-state population,” Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera told the committee.
Beach, though, was not convinced. He repeatedly asked if the schools would accept a Georgia student if they have the same academic credentials as an out-of-state student.
The committee did not take a vote on the bill. Beach said afterward he will get more information to strengthen his case that the legislation should pass.
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