The 2025-2026 academic year will almost certainly go down as one of the most significant in the history of the University of Georgia. It was a year marked by important firsts as well as continued excellence from all corners of the university.

“The University of Georgia is on a remarkable trajectory thanks to the tireless efforts of our faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “As we celebrate a year defined by outstanding achievements and look ahead to a future filled with promise, I encourage everyone to reflect on the tremendous impact we are making as a university community. I am grateful to each of you for your continued support of our vital land-grant and sea-grant mission.”

Healthcare

The university announced in February 2024 that the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia authorized the establishment of a School of Medicine at UGA. Since that announcement, teams across the university worked tirelessly to prepare the new school to serve the state’s healthcare needs.

Just two years later, in February 2026, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education granted preliminary accreditation, allowing the university to recruit and admit its inaugural class. By April, the School of Medicine had extended admission offers to prospective students amid incredible demand. More than 2,000 applications were submitted during a condensed two-week admissions cycle, and school officials interviewed 235 prospective students.

The UGA School of Medicine is now the second public medical school in the state. The 93,000-square-foot medical education and research building is scheduled to be completed this December, due in large part to the continued strong support of the Governor and the General Assembly.

In August 2025, the university announced that it was moving forward with a new School of Nursing following a request from the Board of Regents to develop a comprehensive plan for the school’s development.

Later that same year, the university announced Carolyn K. Clevenger, a nationally recognized academic leader in advanced practice nursing, geriatrics and gerontology, as the founding dean of the University of Georgia School of Nursing.

In April 2026, the university announced that the new school would be named in honor of Victoria Kay Ivester. The announcement was made at a private ceremony, during which Melvin Douglas “Doug” Ivester surprised his wife Kay with the naming. The naming recognizes gifts from Doug Ivester and the Ivester Foundation that will create a $20.5 million endowment to benefit the School of Nursing.

Georgia currently ranks 39th nationally in physicians per capita and 41st in public medical students per capita. In addition, the state is facing a critical nursing workforce shortage, with a projected 21% shortfall in registered nurses by 2035.

Both the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing are positioned to address these important healthcare needs, improving the health and well-being of all Georgians.

Continued excellence

There was much to celebrate across the university during this academic year. For the 10th consecutive year, UGA placed in the top 20 among the nation’s best public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 rankings.

UGA and Georgia Tech were the only two Georgia institutions in the top 20, making Georgia and California the only two states with multiple universities ranked in that tier.

In the 2025 Princeton Review best colleges list, UGA ranked No. 12 among the top 50 best value public universities, reflecting its strong combination of educational achievements and return on investment.

For the first time in its history, the university hit $628.1 million in research and development expenditures, which represented a 10% increase year over year and another record high in R&D activity.

Given this extraordinary growth, it is no coincidence that UGA once again ranked No. 1 among U.S. universities for the number of commercial products brought to market that are based on university research. This marks the third consecutive year that UGA held the No. 1 spot.

Faculty honors

University of Georgia faculty also amassed an impressive list of awards and distinctions.

In the spring, professors Gerald Hart and Robert Schmitz were elected to the National Academy of Sciences, which recognizes distinguished achievements in research. With their addition, UGA now has 19 NAS members.

Three University of Georgia faculty — Gerald Hart, Karl Lechtreck and Mark Tompkins — were named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. UGA now has 53 members within this exclusive group.

Marine researcher Samantha Joye was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions for engineers and scientists.

Six UGA researchers were named Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors, an organization that recognizes those whose patented discoveries and entrepreneurial efforts may make meaningful impacts on society.

C. Robin Buell, the Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar Chair in Crop Genomics at UGA, was named the 2026 Southeastern Conference Professor of the Year. The recognition, which is the conference’s highest faculty honor, has been extended to four UGA faculty in total.

Student achievements

Demand for a University of Georgia degree has never been higher. More than 51,600 students submitted an application to UGA — including 34,000 students who applied for early action consideration, a 12.8% increase. The middle 50% of those offered early admission sported a GPA of 4.18-4.43; ACT scores of 32-35; SAT scores of 1400-1510; and 10-15 AP, IB or dual enrollment courses.

Like UGA’s faculty, students also garnered a number of prestigious awards and distinctions.

University of Georgia senior Finn Walsh was named UGA’s newest Marshall Scholar. Vaughn Frost and Annie Mehta were recognized as Barry Goldwater Scholars. Melanie Frick was recognized as a 2026 Udall Scholar, and Justin Cohen was recognized as a James C. Gaither Junior Fellow.

In addition to these accolades, alumnus Sudhan Chitgopkar was named a 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholar. And the university was once again named a top producer of Fulbright students. Eleven UGA students received Fulbright offers for the 2025-2026 academic year, marking the fourth consecutive year that UGA has received the designation of a top producer. In addition, 18 students were selected as Boren Scholars, the highest number in the institution’s history.

Major impacts

The University of Georgia generated a record $9.2 billion economic impact for the state, according to an annual study authored by UGA professor Michael Adjemian. He emphasized that the $9.2 billion figure is a conservative estimate.

The study measures the impact of UGA’s teaching mission through graduates’ increased earning potential, the research mission through external funding and startup activity, and the service mission through UGA’s support of Georgia’s communities, small businesses and farmers.

UGA was reaffirmed as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. This designation recognizes institutions that demonstrate a substantive, sustainable and institution-wide commitment to and strategy for regional economic engagement, growth and economic opportunity.

UGA was one of only 16 universities in the country to receive the initial designation from the APLU in 2013 and has maintained the recognition through rigorous five-year review processes.

At the same time, the university received an extraordinary outpouring of support from its dedicated community of alumni and friends across the state and the nation. For the first time in the university’s history, donations to UGA surpassed $300 million during fiscal year 2025.

During the 24-hour Dawg Day of Giving, more than 13,000 gifts poured in to support UGA students and programs. In total, the gifts contributed $8.5 million that will support all of the university’s schools and colleges.