<p>Georgia Tech Student Deposits (Total)
Summer and Fall 2009- 2,821
Summer and Fall 2010- 2,842
Summer and Fall 2011 - 2,768 (so far)</p>
<p>It’s pretty evident that 2,650 is not the Summer and Fall goal, since that number has already been surpassed. Besides, if that was the Summer and Fall goal, Tech would be gunning for a smaller class this year. That would definitely be bucking the trend, and given the economics, it would be self-defeating, not to mention counter-intuitive. In Georgia, state schools are more dependent on tuition dollars thna ever, given the General Assembly’s 350 million dollar cutback to system schools. Higher tuitions and more students are two ways to make ends meet, and that’s what’s happening. UGA is shooting for a larger Freshman class size, and I’d be willing to bet Tech is doing the same.</p>
<p>By May 3, Tech had admitted 120 more students for Fall 2010 than in the previous year. Since then, they’ve added 159 students (deposits). I think it’s evident that the 2,650 number is the fall class target (and the fall class is a statistical grouping, upon which the school is judged, by the way—hence the higher stats than summer enrollees). So I think they still have about 150 slots to fill to reach that goal. </p>
<p>Also, I wouldn’t say the playing field is exactly level. Consider these admissions factors: On Georgia Tech’s Common Data Set, “Geographical Residence” and “State Residency” are IMPORTANT, while “Racial/Ethnic Status” and “Alumni Relations” are CONSIDERED.</p>
<p>In fact, it’s been reported this year that there was a three percent decline this year in Georgia applicants, but Tech plans to ENROLL the same number as last year. And of course, as the stats above show, women would appear to get a bump. </p>
<p>If there was any doubt, there’s this, from The Daily Beast:</p>
<p>“So who does make it off the List of Limbo? Interviews with a handful of admissions officers show that the lucky few tend to be just that—lucky. Almost every admissions officer The Daily Beast spoke with responded that no, they don’t rank the waitlist. Rather, after the deposits come in on May 1, they take stock of the class and look to fill in obvious gaps. ‘We look at this as an opportunity to shape the class and fill holes that didn’t come through originally in the class,’” says Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions at Georgia Tech. ‘For instance, we usually need more girls, so we may use more of our admits off the waitlist for girls.’”</p>