How to Get into Georgia Tech: All You Need to Know
Known for its rigorous academic programs, particularly in engineering and technology, the Georgia Institute of Technology — better known as Georgia Tech — attracts applicants from around the globe. Located in the bustling city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is one of the top public research universities in the U.S. Admission is highly competitive, so prospective students need to start early to build a strong applicant profile.
Founded in 1885, Georgia Tech started out as a trade school and has grown to be a national and global leader in scientific research and technology. If you dream of becoming a Yellow Jacket, learn what it takes to be admitted.
How to Get into Georgia Tech: Table of Contents
- When to Apply to Georgia Tech
- How Hard Is It to Get into Georgia Tech: Early Prep
- How Do You Actually Get into Georgia Tech: The Application
- Class Profile
- What Makes Georgia Tech Unique?
- Georgia Tech FAQs
When to Apply to Georgia Tech
Students hoping to attend Georgia Tech should apply for admission during fall semester of their senior year of high school. Georgia Tech offers different application options that determine the deadline for submitting application materials.
Georgia Tech Deadlines
Application deadlines may change slightly from year to year, so it’s important to double-check the deadlines for your admissions cycle. For the 2023-24 admissions cycle, Georgia Tech had three application options with different deadlines.
| Early Action I (GA residents only) | Early Action II (Non-GA residents only) | Regular Decision | |
| Application | October 16 | November 1 | January 4 |
| Documents (if requested) | October 30 | November 15 | January 17 |
| Self-Reported Test Scores | November 20 | January 2 | January 17 |
Georgia residents are considered students who attend high school in Georgia or are legal residents of Georgia who live outside of the state. Non-Georgia residents include students who attend high school out of state (including international students) and are not legal residents of Georgia.
All students who want to be considered for academic scholarships — such as the Scheller Dean’s Scholarship or the Stamps President’s Scholars Program — must apply either Early Action I or II, according to their residency status. These scholarships do not require an additional application.
Early, Rolling and Regular Decision
Most colleges and universities offer more than one application option, giving students the flexibility to apply to early or regular admission rounds. These options include Early Decision I and Early Decision II, Early Action I and Early Action II, Regular Decision, and rolling admission. Early Decision is a binding option — students who choose this option must commit to attending the school if they are admitted and withdraw all other applications. Early Action is a non-binding early deadline option. Regular Decision is the standard, non-binding option. Finally, rolling admission is an option offered by some schools that allows students to apply without a strict deadline.
Georgia Tech only offers non-binding options. Students who are Georgia residents can choose to apply Early Action I. Non-Georgia residents who wish to apply early can select the Early Action II deadline. The final deadline is for Regular Decision applicants, whether they are Georgia residents or not. Georgia Tech does not offer rolling admissions.
Waitlisted Applications
If you apply to Georgia Tech Regular Decision, you can expect one of three outcomes: admitted, denied, or waitlisted. If you are waitlisted, it means that Georgia Tech would like to offer you admission, but they do not have enough space. You can accept or decline your spot on the waitlist; however, waitlist admission rates tend to be very low. For fall 2023 admissions, only 60 students were admitted out of the 5,809 offered a place on the waitlist. Learn what to do if you get put on the waitlist before you decide whether to accept or decline your spot.
Deferrals
Students applying Early Action may be either admitted, denied, or deferred. If you are deferred, it means that your application will be considered in the Regular Decision round. Georgia Tech provides instructions for what to do if you have been deferred: You must complete the Deferred Supplemental Form in the admission portal and submit your mid-year transcript or self-report your grades by the provided deadline. It’s important that you follow Georgia Tech’s instructions carefully and only submit what is requested of you.
How Hard Is It to Get into Georgia Tech: Early Prep
Georgia Tech has a low overall admission rate and prioritizes in-state students because it’s a public institution. If you want to get into Georgia Tech, it’s best to start preparing as early as possible in high school by being strategic about your course selection and activities. This is the case whether you’re a Georgia resident or not.
Build Your Profile
Colleges and universities review applicants’ academic records and extracurricular achievements starting from ninth grade. To get into Georgia Tech, it’s important to take the most rigorous courses available to you and focus on developing your skills and knowledge in your areas of interest. Your activities both inside and outside of the classroom should reflect what you’re passionate about and demonstrate to the admissions committee what you will bring to campus.
It helps to know what Georgia Tech looks for as you start building your applicant profile. The admissions committee reviews applicants holistically and wants to admit students who will succeed academically, embrace the campus culture, grow as scholars and humans, and contribute to campus and the broader community.
Visit the Campus
The best way to know whether Georgia Tech is right for you is to visit the campus. You can register for an information session, which will include either a student-led or self-guided tour, depending on the date and availability. You can also register for on-campus academic sessions to learn more about specific colleges and programs.
If you can’t make it to campus, virtual information sessions and tours can give you a glimpse of life at Georgia Tech. You can choose from live or on-demand formats. Academic sessions are also available virtually.
Connect With a Student
The easiest way to connect with a Georgia Tech student is to register for the on-campus information session and guided tour or the live virtual campus tour. Your student tour guide in both the on-campus and virtual tours will share information about campus traditions and student life and give you the opportunity to ask questions.
Learn About Any Student Experiences
While you can expect student tour guides to provide a lot of general information about Georgia Tech, you may find it more helpful to ask them about their personal experiences. If you’re on an in-person tour, don’t be afraid to walk with the tour guide and ask questions about their personal experience on campus. Some of the academic sessions — the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts webinars and the College of Engineering information sessions, for example — also give you an opportunity to speak to students.
How Do You Actually Get into Georgia Tech: The Application
Prospective students must submit the Common Application, an official transcript, and standardized test scores. The admissions office may request additional documents after reviewing your file.
GPA Requirements
A specific GPA is not required for admission; however, Georgia Tech’s most recent Common Data Set lists the GPA data for admitted students. For the class of 2027:
- 92% had a GPA of 4.0.
- 6% had a GPA between 3.75 and 3.99.
- 1% had a GPA between 3.50 and 3.74.
- 1% had a GPA between 3.25 and 3.49.
While GPA is not the only factor for admission, it is one of the most important — along with the rigor of the courses you take in high school. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a GPA that matches the admitted student profile.
SAT and ACT Scores
Standardized test scores are required at Georgia Tech. You can submit self-reported test scores, but you will need to provide official scores if you are admitted. The admissions committee superscores the ACT and SAT, meaning they will calculate your highest section scores across multiple test dates to create a new composite score. Georgia Tech does not use the ACT writing section.
Because scores are required, it’s helpful to know what a good score is for admission to Georgia Tech. For the class of 2027, the middle 50% of students had a score range of 1330-1510 on the SAT and 28-34 on the ACT. To ensure you get the strongest score possible, start your test prep well in advance so you have time to work on any areas of weakness and retake the test if needed.
Personal Statement
All applicants must respond to one of the seven Common App essay prompts. These prompts offer enough variety for you to write practically anything. Choose the prompt that you feel best represents the aspects of you that you want to share with the admissions committee.
Essays
In addition to the Common App personal statement, applicants must respond to a short-answer question in 300 words or less. The prompt may change from year to year. The prompt for the 2024-25 admissions cycle is: Why do you want to study your chosen major, and why do you want to study that major at Georgia Tech?
Letters of Recommendation
You are not required to submit letters of recommendation with your application to Georgia Tech. That said, do not overlook this step — strong recommendation letters will further strengthen your applicant profile. Georgia Tech will accept up to four recommendation letters:
- One counselor recommendation.
- Two teacher recommendations.
- One recommendation from a clergy member, employer, or college admissions counselor.
It’s important to select recommenders who know you well and can provide further insights into who you are academically, professionally, or personally.
Admission Interviews
Georgia Tech does not conduct admission interviews. International students who are non-native English speakers can participate in an unscripted interview through the third-party InitialView or Vericant platforms, but this is not required for admission.
Contribution to the Georgia Tech Community
All the components of your application should tell a story about who you are and how you have contributed to your school and community through your academic and extracurricular activities. It’s important to demonstrate in your application — especially in your essays — how you align with Georgia Tech’s values academically, personally, and socially. This will help the admissions committee determine how you will fit in and contribute to the Georgia Tech community.
Class Profile
The college admissions landscape is more competitive than ever, so it’s important to understand how many people apply to Georgia Tech versus how many are admitted. Georgia Tech received 52,377 applications for the class of 2027 from across Georgia, the U.S., and the world. Overall, 8,622 students received offers of admission.
| Acceptance rate | Overall: 16.46% In-State: 36.60% Out-of-State: 12.53% International: 9.95% |
| Class size | 3,760 |
| Undergraduate majors | 35+ |
What Makes Georgia Tech Unique?
Located in Midtown Atlanta, the arts hub of the city, Georgia Tech is ideal for a student seeking the benefits of a public research institution combined with an education equal to elite private universities. Additionally, students have convenient access to the rich variety of professional, cultural, and recreational activities in the city.
Students can join any of the hundreds of clubs and organizations on campus and cheer for the Yellow Jackets’ 17 NCAA Division I athletic teams. Georgia Tech’s football program is especially popular, and home games are marked by the appearance of the 1930 Ramblin’ Wreck Model-A Ford (donated in 1961) on the field. Buzz, the beloved Yellow Jacket mascot, appears at nearly all sporting events. A steam whistle, which first appeared on campus in 1896 to call students to their shop classes, blows at specific times throughout the week and after touchdowns during home football games.
Despite being known for science and technology, Georgia Tech also has a vibrant arts scene. The Ferst Center for the Arts hosts performances and exhibitions throughout the year, and the annual Tech Arts Festival celebrates the arts and community. The 400-acre campus also sets the scene for several public art displays.
Graduates of Georgia Tech become part of a global alumni network and can stay connected with the university and other alumni through programs offered by the Alumni Association and the Office of International Development. Over 100 alumni clubs support the university by recruiting prospective students and raising scholarship funds.
Georgia Tech FAQs
Is it difficult to get into Georgia Tech?
The overall admissions rate for the class of 2027 was 16.46%. Because Georgia Tech is a public institution, it prioritizes admission for in-state students.
What GPA do you need to get into Georgia Tech?
While Georgia Tech does not specify what GPA you need to get in, it is useful to know that 92% of enrolled first-year students for fall 2023 had a high school GPA of 4.0.
What kind of students does Georgia Tech look for?
Students are reviewed holistically and must perform well academically, pursue their areas of interest both inside and outside of the classroom, and demonstrate how they contribute to their school and the broader community.
Does Georgia Tech look at senior year grades?
Students who are deferred in the early admission rounds or who apply via Regular Decision will be required to submit fall term senior grades.
Admission Counseling
The college admissions landscape is more competitive and complex than ever before, so students hoping to get into a selective school like Georgia Tech can benefit from working with an admissions counselor. An experienced counselor who has served on a college admissions committee understands what will make your application stand out. Additionally, they can guide you through every phase of the college admissions process, from helping you build your profile and finding your best-fit schools, to drafting and finalizing your personal statement and supplements.
While there’s no doubt that Georgia Tech is a tough school to get into, IvyWise admission counselors are experts at helping students get admitted into their top-choice programs. Take the first step toward making your academic dreams a reality.
