<p>I heard they would cut it by 20%. Does this mean it would be worth starting at GT as a freshman than starting at some place else local with the intention of transferring after two years to GT?</p>
<p>Let me give you some background…</p>
<p>The state of Georgia has a $1.1 billion budget deficit. By law, the legislature needs to cut funding or raise taxes to cover that deficit (GA must balance it’s budget). The legislature is run by Republicans that have no interest in raising taxes, so the must cut spending.</p>
<p>Of that $1.1 billion, $300 million has already been cut from the University System of Georgia’s budget (roughly $38 million from GT’s budget). To find the remainder of the cuts, the legislature asked several departments to prepare contingency plans if they had to increase their cuts (in the case of the USG, if they had to cut an additional $300 million). This was a worst-case scenario for the departments to see if cuts could be made without decreasing the quality of their work (through hiring freezes and employee furloughs, USG was able to cut the initial $300 million with no impact to students). The schools came back with their plans, which included massive layoffs, program cuts, and enrollment cuts. This is where you’re seeing the reduction in admissions.</p>
<p>Are the cuts going to take place? In April, the legislature will decide where to make cuts. Most people believe that the USG will not be asked to make severe cuts, as the Governor has asked not to have that department’s funding reduced any more. But, until April, we do not know.</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, Admissions has not spoken out about the potential impact. jim1980 found a one line quote from Rick Clark (Director of Admissions) in the Technique stating that they’ve decided not to reduce freshman admissions. However, there has been no other official comments, I haven’t seen anything regarding transfer admissions. Since the lion’s share of Tech’s reduction is based on reduced staff/students, I am not sure if there is a backup plan if the cuts are requested, if they’ve received word that the cuts won’t come, or if they were just puffing up their chest with that report to threaten the legislature not to cut funding. One other option: apparently the reduction in enrollment was to “avoid major quality reductions.” Perhaps they just plan to let quality reduce.</p>
<p>As I’ve said, until there is an official announcement by Admissions, Tech, the USG, or anyone regarding this matter, we just don’t know.</p>