Be advised, high school seniors: It may be harder than you think to get into Georgia’s top public colleges next year.
This year’s freshmen at the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State and Georgia College & State universities shattered records for SAT scores and high school GPAs. That continued a steady rise that has altered the state’s higher education landscape, making a slot at Tech or UGA hotly competitive and fueling huge growth and higher standards at other public universities.
Georgia Tech’s freshmen earned an average 1378 on the math and verbal SAT — up almost 50 points from five years ago. They took more than three college-level Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses by the end of junior year in high school and three more during senior year.
“It’s getting a little ridiculous,” said Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions at Georgia Tech. “The caliber is going up but the number of students we admit isn’t.”
The rising quality at top colleges has caused a trickle down effect. Enrollment at Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State universities has increased and the student talent has improved. Kennesaw State freshmen earned an average 1,074 on the math and verbal SAT — a gain of 52 points over the last decade.
Joshua Beane graduated from Grayson High in Gwinnett County with strong enough marks to compete for a spot at UGA. Freshmen there scored an average 1,254 on the SAT and had an average GPA of almost 3.8. But Beane didn’t apply.
“I just didn’t want to deal with it when there are a bunch of other colleges,” Beane said. “Smart people are going to those other colleges, too.”
He focused on less expensive campuses and those where he was likely to get in. He’s now a freshman at Kennesaw State.
The state’s HOPE scholarship has caused much of the rise. Prior to this fall, the scholarship paid all tuition at public colleges if students maintained a 3.0 GPA. The rules changed this academic year and now 10 percent of recipients get a full tuition award. The rest get a scholarship that covers most of tuition.
Before HOPE started in 1993, less than one-quarter of students who scored 1,400 or higher on the SAT stayed in state for college, according to the University System of Georgia. After, about three-quarters did.
That intensified competition to get into UGA and Tech. Some students who still wanted the big, flagship university experience turned to colleges in other states — with Auburn University and the University of Alabama the most popular alternatives for metro Atlanta students. Others flocked to in-state alternatives where they could still get full tuition under HOPE.
Over time, those other colleges have grown wildly and become first choice for some students.
“I picked Kennesaw State,” said Holly O’Shea, a junior from Columbus majoring in psychology. “I believe that we’re going to be bigger and better than UGA.”
Undergraduate enrollment in Georgia grew by 77 percent from 1999 to 2009, compared to 38 percent nationally, according to federal data analyzed by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The same analysis shows Georgia’s high school graduates are projected to increase by 22 percent over the next decade, compared to 10 percent for the nation.
The upshot: High-schoolers have to set goals and prepare earlier than ever if they are to have their choice. Some public and private middle school counselors begin talking with students and parents as early as sixth grade about what courses must be taken in high school to be attractive to competitive colleges.
Dan Walls, a college counselor at Pace Academy and former dean of admissions at Emory University, recalled being at recruiting fairs with Georgia colleges in the 1980s and said their selectivity was not discussed. Now he deals with high school seniors worried they won’t get in.
“These students aren’t just competing against others from Georgia,” Walls said. “They’re competing against students from around the country and world.”
About 10 percent of the freshmen admitted to Tech are from foreign countries. Tech received about 900 applications from China and about 400 of them earned perfect math scores on the SAT, said Clark, the admissions director.
About 12 percent of UGA’s freshmen came from other states and countries.
College admissions officers encourage students to apply, even if their scores are below the averages. Averages, they note, include lots of students who scored lower. They tell students not to worry if their high school offers few Advanced Placement courses. The point is for students to take advantage of whatever challenging classes are offered, Clark said.
Students will still face a challenge. Applications for UGA’s freshman class have increased by more than 50 percent since 2003. Tech’s applications have increased by 48 percent over the last four years.
Students and their parents need to “cast a wide net,” Walls said.
Alex Achim enrolled at Georgia Gwinnett College after he landed on UGA’s wait list. The sophomore grew to like the Lawrenceville college.
“I was disappointed at first, but the first two years is basically the same everywhere so it just made sense to go here,” Achim said. “You can always transfer or go to graduate school.”
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RISING SCORES
As more students apply to Georgia’s public colleges, the caliber of those admitted has continued to increase. Here’s how the average combined math and verbal SAT scores for freshmen have changed over the years.
College Fall 2011Fall 2006Fall 2001
University of Georgia 12541222 1201
Georgia Tech 13781329 1321
Georgia State 11101086 1063
Georgia Southern 11101104 1028
Georgia College & State 11551124 1055
Kennesaw State 10741071 1022
Source: Individual colleges, University System of Georgia
NOTE: Perfect score on math and verbal equals 1600. Fall 2011 figures are preliminary.
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