Academic Requirements for 4-Year Colleges

USG Staying_on_Course.pdf

The University System of Georgia (USG) is the government agency that runs all 26 public colleges and universities in Georgia. In order to apply to a USG college, students must meet the academic requirements listed below. USG requires students to complete the following 17 Required High School Curriculum (RHSC) to apply to their colleges. Many of these credits overlap with class required to graduate, but not all:

4 units of English
4 units of mathematics
4 units of science
3 units of social science
2 units of the same foreign language, American Sign Language, or computer science

In addition to the RHSC, students must take the SAT/ACT. USG is not test optional for students applying for Fall 2023. Colleges will also list their minimum GPA and SAT/ACT requirements on their websites. These requirements are similar for private and out-of-state colleges.

Freshman Index

In addition to meeting the Required High School Curriculum (RHSC), high school GPA, and SAT/ACT score requirements, students must meet the minimum Freshman Index (FI) for the college. The FI is calculated using the student’s GPA and SAT/ACT scores. The formulas for Freshman Index are below:

ACT: FI = 500 x (GPA) + (ACT Score x 42) + 88
SAT: FI = 500 x (GPA) + 1.06 x (SAT score) - 74

*The Freshman Index formula may be different at non-USG institutions.*

Additional Requirements

Some colleges may have additional requirements to apply depending on the major. For example, KSU requires higher SAT/ACT scores for students applying to the architecture program. Nearly all nursing programs require higher SAT/ACT scores than what was required for the college, so it’s important for students to see if there are additional requirements for what they want to do.

Common Additional Requirements

Additional application for the program/major once admitted
Higher SAT/ACT scores based on the program/major
Additional foreign language requirements for the college/program/major
Additional fine arts requirements for the college/program/major

Academic Requirements for Technical College/Trade School

The Technical College System of Georgia is the government agency that runs all 22 public technical colleges/trade schools in Georgia. These technical colleges offer:

88 Locations
Trade School Programs
Tuition Free Programs
Transfer Pathways to USG Schools

These colleges may be called “junior colleges” or “community colleges,” but Ms. Berry will be calling them by their official names: technical colleges.

There are fewer academic requirements for technical colleges. Students need a high school diploma and qualifying placement tests. Students with lower GPAs who want to go to a 4-year school, but are academically ineligible their senior year of high school, are able to go to technical college for one year of classes and then transfer to a 4-year college.

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