About the Application Review Process
Your admissions application is reviewed jointly by Graduate Admissions and the academic department to which you have applied. Part of your materials should be sent to Graduate Admissions and part to the academic department:
To Graduate Admissions
- Application form, submitted online
- Application-processing fee, non-refundable
- Domestic applicants: One unofficial transcript/academic record from each institution attended
- International applicants: One unofficial academic record from each institution attended
- Official test scores submitted from the testing agency directly to us
- Additional materials required of international applicants
To the Academic Department
- Letters of recommendation (submitted electronically as part of the online application process)
- Supplemental materials required by the department
Notification From Graduate Admissions
Applicants must provide an email address on the application materials. Email accounts set up through the Internet; e.g., Hotmail or Yahoo, are preferable because they do not change. The email address is used by Graduate Admissions and the academic department for the sole purpose of communication during the application phase.
We will notify you by email when your file is first reviewed. You are responsible for assuring that all materials are received by the deadline. You will receive e-mail notifications when supporting documents are received. You may make an inquiry to gradadm@uga.edu.
Review
Once your file is complete, the application is given careful consideration by the academic department. The timing of the review varies from department to department. Some departments accept new applicants only at the beginning of a specific semester; other departments accept applicants to begin each semester. You should contact the academic department for information about the matriculation date and the timetable for decision-making within the department. All applications are reviewed carefully and in entirety. Recommendations for admission are made by the academic department based on all materials in the file, not just test scores and previous grade-point averages. Some departments weigh certain criteria more heavily than others.
Admission for graduate study is competitive. Departmental decision-making is based on the overall merits of the application. Other factors that are often considered are the overall quality of the applicant pool and the available space for accepting new graduate students into a given program. Once the department makes a recommendation for admission, Graduate Admissions is notified and the final review of the applicant’s file is conducted. The final decision on admission is made in the Graduate School.
The review of graduate applications and recommendations regarding admission are part of the academic administration of graduate programs and the responsibility of graduate program faculty. As such, current graduate students may not serve as members on graduate admissions committees. Graduate students may participate in other roles in the graduate recruitment process, including interacting with prospective students at recruitment events. A graduate student serving in a non-voting support role on a program admissions committee must complete FERPA training.
Academic departments may refuse admission to applicants whose files are incomplete after the beginning of the semester of expected matriculation and when the applicants have not requested deferrals to future semesters.
