I don’t think your major influences it. Scholarships are given by the admissions office and seem more holistic rather than stats based. Only 4 percent of out of state students receive a scholarship per the admissions blog and while UGA gives more merit money than other public institutions (like Ga Tech, UVA, UNC, Michigan, etc) there still is a limited amount and they in no way rival Alabama, Clemson, etc. with the amount of merit money received.
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That is crazy! Congrats to your daughter on making it into the Stamps selection process. That is a huge honor!
My daughter will have completed 4 AP’s and 15 dual enrollment classes, just in core subjects but the way the recalculate GPA it drops significantly.
@stellardawg, mine is in much the same boat. UGa doesn’t give any boost for DE classes (much less honors) when they recompile GPA. Unfortunate, since at our school, the DE classes are considered more difficult than the AP classes.
What do you all feel about Honors. My daughter will apply but wasn’t auto admitted. Say she gets rejected in application. She was tonight admitted to South Carolina’s Honors Program. We are OOS - I know U of SC is cheaper with the more aggressive scholarship - but pedigree wise, do you feel UGA (even without Honors) is superior to U of SC with Honors whereas many believe U of SC is the top program in the nation? I guess I’m asking - in the grand scheme of things, what’s the value of Honors?
Honestly, I know my company wouldn’t care if someone went to Oklahoma, UGA, UCLA, etc. or even Ga Southern. I know as a parent we’re all into it…just curious to get folk’s thoughts on UGA regular vs. U of SC Honors. Thanks
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I would the choose school that has the best program for her major/field of study and the best job placement stats, without regard to an honors program. Honors programs can provide additional opportunities while in college, but I don’t think they carry significant weight after they graduate. She can always graduate “Cum Laude” or “Summa Cum Laude” regardless of being in an honors program.
@tsbna44 In terms of public school rankings, UGA is 15 and USC is 54. I don’t think an Honors program makes up for that. I’m not saying rankings are everything or that’s how you should make a decision, but you mentioned rankings. I would say UGA definitely has a better national reputation, but see where your daughter is more comfortable and run the financials. Good luck!
I’m in the same exact situation! I am majoring in Biology but I’m not sure which is the better college to attend (if I were to get into UGA Honors). However, I know that UGA has a more competitive honors program, has more diversity, and is nationally recognized. On the other end, U of SC has an Honors College (not just program) with a closer community and is #1 in public college honors colleges.
I have a current junior at UGA who despite his high scores and grades out of a very rigorous private out of state school was never admitted to honors at UGA. He still chose UGA because their program for what he wanted to study was very highly ranked. I don’t think honors is a big deal at UGA. He has had a 4.0 his entire time at Georgia and will graduate most likely with summa cum laude. I think this is more prestigious than honors. You just have to maintain a 3.4 for honors. That isn’t all that impressive to me. The only benefit I see to honors at UGA is the early registration. My son has had access to small classes, mentoring, career services and internship placement etc all without being in honors.
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There are definitely opportunities at UGA (elite internships, jobs, scholarships, ECs, etc) that are not available to non-honors students regardless of a high GPA. While a 3.4 won’t get an honors student those opportunities, the non-honors student is out of the running from day one. But if your kiddo isn’t interested in those opportunities, that shouldn’t be a deciding factor.
There are certain programs that are stronger at USC than at UGA. Not many, but a few. Consider the strength of the program your student is considering.
There are no true rankings for honors programs/colleges so I wouldn’t give much credence to those “rankings.” UGA honors is every bit as strong as USC’s and the honors community is strong at both for those who want that.
I would agree. A 4.0 is much more impressive than an honors designation from an employers standpoint. I seriously doubt any employer knows any difference between honors colleges at various schools and don’t think the ranking of the USC honors college is on most people’s radar. At Georgia Tech, the honors college is just a LLC and employers do not care. Priority registration to me is the biggest benefit of honors. My son was not auto admitted and will apply but won’t be a determining factor.
As far as internships go, you would not be able to participate in the formal honors program internships (none of which are business related so would likely not appeal to my son) but comparable internships are certainly out there for someone who is willing to put in the effort to find one.
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It’s not just the formal honors program internships. There are companies that only recruit UGA honors students - eg, MBB and banks for high-finance roles. If your kid isn’t in honors, they won’t even realize when those companies are recruiting on campus because they only recruit honors students, ie, they only invite honors students to their recruiting events. Certain federal/non-profit positions - same thing. Interested in a major post-grad scholarship and not in honors … won’t get sponsorship. (My DD is a senior honors student and FF at UGA).
Interesting. That is in line with what we were told about Georgia Tech business versus UGA business: internship placement at Tech for business majors (and engineering and CS majors) is extremely strong. We were told you could end up with the same internship from UGA but it would take more effort/determination/hustle on the part of the student. Most sophomores who want internships at Tech are able to get one. Tech is a higher target for finance in particular from what I understand.
@itsgettingreal21 do you know what the honors criteria is?
It’s holistic. Stats and rigor need to be high, however, as the average stats for students in the honors program is very high. Students need to also demonstrate that they will be engaged members of the UGA community.
@itsgettingreal21 She was admitted already. What is very high? She has a recalculated gpa 4.2 and 30 act.
Admission to honors seems unlikely. See honors profile here. First Year Experience - UGA Morehead Honors College
@itsgettingreal21 thanks.
I’m not sure if anyone has any knowledge of this from prior years and it may be different this year due to the timing shift with honors/scholarship announcements from UGA…
Do you know if students who applied to/were being considered for Foundation Fellows awarded scholarships in the first round of awards or did they hold those until after the FF process? The reason I’m asking is there are a lot of tip top stats kids who were direct admits into honors who I’m hearing received no money and then a lot of slightly below but still high stats kids who received money but not direct honors. I know the scholarships are holistic, but it seems to be a relatively consistent trend. TIA.
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Also, I just started a thread for those who applied to Foundation Fellows here: UGA Foundation Fellows Class of 2025