<p>[exerpt: news story - March 30, 2005]</p>
<p>"The 7,825 students who will receive acceptance letters from the University of Georgia this week are more diverse and more academically qualified than their predecessors, officials say.</p>
<p>About 12,300 students applied this year for a chance to be part of the Bulldog nation, and those who were accepted had an average grade point average of nearly 3.8 and an average SAT score of 1268 - academic records that would have qualified them for the honors program just a few years ago.</p>
<p>The overall applicants had an average GPA of more than 3.5 and an average SAT score of 1218.</p>
<p>The students offered acceptance also are more diverse than in previous years - more than 20 percent identified themselves as non-Caucasian.</p>
<p>The number of black students accepted is up to 570 this year from 418 last year, while 167 are Hispanic, up from 151 last year. Another 262 students identified themselves as multiracial.</p>
<p>"We are excited about the quality and the diversity, but the bad news is there are some very qualified students that we just don't have room to accommodate," said Nancy McDuff, associate vice president for admissions and enrollment management. "It's a hard set of decisions and it makes the conversations (with the families) difficult."</p>
<p>Because not all students offered admission choose to enroll at UGA, admissions officials must estimate the number of students who will enroll, then base admissions decisions on the target enrollment. This year, the goal is a freshman class of 4,600, up 100 students from last year's target.</p>
<p>To stay as close to that goal as possible, about 500 students were placed on an unranked waiting list, and will wait until May to hear whether they will be asked to enroll in the class of 2009. Here is a look at the racial makeup of the accepted students.</p>
<p>Total admitted students 7,825</p>
<p>Total non-Caucasian students 1,600</p>
<p>Black students 570</p>
<p>Hispanic 167</p>
<p>Multi-racial 262</p>
<p>Did not report 57</p>