Georgia State University continues to attract bright new stars, which is displayed by the incoming freshman class’ collective average GPA of 3.42, according to a university press release.
For the 2015 fall semester, approximately 3,800 freshman entered Georgia State. In addition to their GPA, the new students boasted the highest ACT scores in Georgia State’s 102 year history, according to the press release.
Georgia State Enrollment Services reviews each student’s high school record and test scores during the application process. This year’s incoming freshmen were the first class required to complete an admissions essay, according to Timothy Renick, Vice Provost and Vice President for Enrollment Services and Student Success.
“Georgia State is increasingly becoming a first rate destination for our applicants,” Renick said.
He said the requirements for admission did not shift dramatically, but Enrollment Services received 1,000 more applications than last fall.
Renick also said Georgia State will host incoming students from all of Georgia’s 50 counties and more than 150 countries this fall.
“The biggest increases in out-of-state students are from New York, California and Florida,” he said. “The biggest increases in international students are from India, China and Nigeria.”
He also said out of more than 13,000 fall applications, 7,836 students were accepted for fall semester.
Amber Moon, incoming freshman and pre-nursing major, said a change in environment attracted her to Georgia State.
“I come from a country side of town, so I just wanted to experience the city,” she said.
Asian-American student enrollment went up 18 percent this year, surpassing last year’s freshmen class by 2 percent, according to the press release.
Incoming freshman Katherine Nguyen is currently undeclared, but enrolled at Georgia State for the business program.
“It has one of the best business schools,” she said. “I really like the diversity, it’s close to home, and you can network with people who share your interests.”
The vice provost also said Georgia State is accepting more applicants, because more candidates are qualified to apply.
“Georgia State set new records for the number of freshman applications,” he said. ”The size of the enrolled freshman class is higher including the 250 plus freshmen who got a head start by enrolling this summer, and are the most academically accomplished freshman class in Georgia State history.”
Larry Berman, founding dean of the Honors College, said he has high expectations for the incoming class to take advantage of the school’s recent expansions.
“We expect that our recent expansions of curriculum and co-curricular programming will offer incoming students greater access to seminars, core classes, internships and events,” he said.
