The University of Georgia’s final fall enrollment numbers were released last week with a total enrollment of 43,146 for the fall of 2024 across all campuses, a 3.6% increase from the previous year.  Enrollment in Athens increased 2.9%, which is in alignment with the university’s strategic enrollment plan.

The 2024 first-year cohort includes 6,169 students, which was within the university’s target of 6150-6200; 80% of these students graduated from Georgia high schools. UGA continues to be a popular destination for highly achieving out-of-state students with the largest increases in first-year students from Maryland (+28), South Carolina (+24), Texas (+15), Illinois (+13), and Massachusetts (+13).

“We are growing our enrollment within the bounds of campus resources,” said Andy Borst, vice provost for enrollment management.  “We will open a new parking deck on West Campus next year, with a new residence hall and a new dining center the following year.  We are in the process of hiring 40 of the planned 115 tenure-track faculty positions over the next five years.  We are expanding our campus capacity to ensure we can continue to provide a world-class educational experience.”

Retention of first-year students remains high this year with a rate of 94.3%.

Graduation rates up for all students

Graduation rates rose this year, and transfer students, as well as Pell recipients and first-generation students (those who report no four-year degree for either parent) all saw an increase.

Graduation rates:

• Four-year graduation rates rose from 75% to 76%.
• Six-year graduation rates rose from 88% to 89%.

Transfer students:

• Four-year equivalent graduation rates rose from 65% to 69%.
• Six-year graduation rates rose from 84% to 86%.

Pell recipients:

• Four-year graduation rates rose from 69% to 73%.
• Six-year graduation rates rose from 84% to 86%.

First-generation students:

• Four-year graduation rates rose from 68% to 72%,
• Six-year graduation rates remained the same at 81%.

“Our primary goal as an institution is to improve student success, which includes not only helping students thrive during college but after graduation as well. The overall rise in graduation rates assures me that our innovative programs combined with student resources are working,” said Marisa Anne Pagnattaro, vice president for instruction and senior vice provost for academic planning. “It means more students are crossing the graduation finish line and taking that next step toward the future.”

Transfer and graduate enrollment

Transfer enrollment is up this year, with 1,848 new students this fall, an increase of 9.2% which comes close to UGA’s goal of enrolling two first-year students to one transfer student across spring, summer and fall semesters. Beginning in spring 2025, UGA will increase admissions requirements for transfer students with a higher GPA expectation for students with less than 30-59 hours.

Popular majors for all undergraduates include finance (+465), biomedical physiology (+337), accounting (+264), management information systems (+214), and computer science (+155).

Graduate and professional enrollment also increased this year with 10,747 students enrolled, up 6.4% over last year.

Online graduate enrollment increased 34% from 1,035 in fall 2023 to 1,391 in fall 2024.

Increases in popular master’s programs include public health (+65), comparative biomedical science (+58), accounting (+25), journalism and mass communication (+20), and business analytics (+19). Popular doctoral programs include veterinary medicine (+22), computer science (+21), mechanical engineering (+20), civil and environmental engineering (+14), and regenerative bioscience (+13).

Economic and social mobility

 Despite this year’s issues with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA, the number of students eligible for federal Pell grants increased from 5,586 to 6,805, a 22% increase. UGA students received an additional $9 million in Pell grants, compared to last year, including a notable increase among middle-income undergraduate students