GT admissions does not mess around

InPursuit
Tue, 22 Jan 2019 20:54:25 +0000

@threeofthree Georgia Tech has responded to this issue by implementing a variety of pathway programs, including the Regents’ Engineering Pathway Program (REPP), that allow for in-state students to start their college career at another in-state school where their HOPE scholarship can be used and then transfer into Tech after meeting certain requirements. There are also other in-state ABET accredited engineering bachelor degrees offered through the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University, and Kennnesaw State University. Many students who get rejected by Tech are also eligible for strong scholarship offers from state schools in nearby states, which can help equalize the loss of in-state status and the availability of the HOPE scholarship.

Please keep in mind that the State of Georgia only provides 16% of Georgia Tech’s annual funding. It also only provides about 25% of annual funding for UGA and both of these numbers are down significantly after steep legislative cuts starting in the early 2000s. In dollar terms the state provides about $266 million annually to Tech and $436 million to UGA. If Georgia residents really want Tech to increase the number and ratio of in-state students they admit, that effort needs to start at the ballot box, by electing politicians who value increased funding higher education, which could include higher taxes. At least for the last 15 years, funding higher education has not been a priority for Georgia’s state government and Tech should not have to reduce the quality of its student body or research initiatives because the state repeatedly chooses to scale back funding for higher education.