In recognition of the University of Georgia’s ongoing efforts to enhance the student experience, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities named UGA a finalist for the 2026 Excellence in Student Success Award. The finalist designation, also awarded to Bowling Green State University and the University of Central Florida, is part of APLU’s ongoing support of public research universities’ efforts to increase student success.  

The annual award recognizes institutions demonstrating a comprehensive, systemic commitment to advancing student success through innovative initiatives to reduce barriers to educational attainment, increase graduation rates and improve outcomes such as time to degree, civic engagement and career readiness.

“The University of Georgia is committed to providing a world-class learning environment for students and preparing them to succeed at the highest levels,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “This recognition from APLU reflects our sustained investments in student success and dedication of the faculty and staff who advance this important work.”

UGA takes a comprehensive approach to student success, combining innovative teaching, peer support, high-impact experiential learning and career preparation. UGA’s Active Learning initiative, which has impacted more than 90,000 students since its launch in 2018, is transforming courses to strengthen analytical reasoning, collaboration and problem-solving while improving success in critical gateway courses. The initiative is supported by UGA’s Peer Learning Assistants program that places trained peer educators in courses and has reached more than 52,000 students across over 600 courses.

“Student success is at the center of everything we do at the University of Georgia. We are creating opportunities for every student to thrive through innovative teaching, meaningful experiences and strong faculty and peer support,” said Marisa Pagnattaro, UGA’s vice president for instruction and senior vice provost for academic planning. “Being named a finalist for the APLU Excellence in Student Success Award recognizes the collective work of our faculty, staff and campus partners and our shared commitment to helping more students graduate prepared to make a difference.”

UGA’s Experiential Learning requirement connects classroom learning to the world beyond campus through internships, faculty-mentored research, study abroad, service-learning, leadership, creative projects and other high-impact experiences. Since 2017, students have completed more than 228,000 experiential learning activities, and more than 70% of graduates complete two or more before earning their degrees.

UGA further supports career readiness through the Comprehensive Learner Record, or CLR, a digital credential that complements the academic transcript by documenting validated professional competencies. The CLR helps students articulate the value of their academic and co-curricular experiences to employers and graduate programs. 

These investments have strengthened student outcomes. UGA’s first-year retention rate exceeds 94%, while its four-year graduation rate increased by 14 percentage points from 2010 to 2025. The six-year graduation rate rose 8 percentage points to 90%, with particularly strong gains among first-generation and rural students.

The Excellence in Student Success Award is open to all APLU members, and the award winner will be announced at the APLU Annual Meeting from Nov. 15-17 in San Antonio, Texas.

“Congratulations to Bowling Green State University, the University of Central Florida and the University of Georgia on being named finalists for this year’s Excellence in Student Success Award,” said APLU President Waded Cruzado. “Public and land-grant universities are leaders in advancing student success for their communities and the country at large, and we’re delighted to highlight institutions making significant strides in how they serve their students.”