UWG News Item
Contact: UWG Public Relations Office
Phone (678) 839-6464, FAX (678) 839-6645
ucm@westga.edu
Enrollment report for fall semester
August 27, 2005
CARROLLTON, GA - Enrollment at the University of West Georgia will decrease slightly for the Fall 2005 semester, largely as a result of increased admissions standards. The tentative enrollment count of Aug. 23 reports a total enrollment of 10,174 students. Enrollment for Fall 2004 was 10,216 students.
According to the Registrar’s Office, headcount reports are not final and the numbers will continue to fluctuate over the next several weeks. Enrollment comparisons to the same day of Fall 2004 show a decrease in new undergraduates and an increase in continuing undergraduates.
According to Dr. Melanie McClellan, vice president for student services, a 10 percent increase in freshman applications from the Fall 2003 class reflects a greater interest in UWG, and increased admissions standards may play a role in that interest.
“UWG has become an increasingly competitive institution in the last few years,” McClellan said. “After an extensive analysis of the success rates of our students, increased admissions standards were fully in effect for this fall. As a result, we accepted 55 percent of applicants, as compared to 61 percent the previous year.”
Admission is based on a formula that includes high school grade-point average and SAT scores. So, a student can qualify for admission based on significant increases in either or both of these dimensions. Just as an example, for a student who might have been admitted prior to the standards increase, if his or her high school grades did not change, the SAT score would now have to be 110 points higher to qualify for admission to UWG. Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna, UWG president, noted that an increase in admissions
standards helps pave the way for all enrolled students to be ready for the college academic experience and to successfully culminate that experience with graduation.
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has launched a year-long push to enhance the success of students as they progress toward graduation, and Sethna is proud that UWG has already put in place multiple initiatives and support systems to help students, which, when combined with the new standards, will lead to higher retention and graduation rates.
McClellan noted that as a result of increasing standards, UWG anticipates a slightly smaller enrollment than last year. Fall enrollment numbers will not be final until the University System of Georgia’s reporting date of Oct. 19.
-30-