More Blacks, Hispanics Applying at University of Georgia
ATHENS, Ga.
For the second straight year, the University of Georgia is seeing more Black applicants for the fall freshman class, university officials say. Also, the number of Hispanic applicants has increased since last year.
More than 1,600 Black students applied this year, a 38 percent increase from last year. And UGA received more than 400 applications from Hispanic students, a 36 percent jump from last year.
According to UGA admissions director Nancy McDuff, the numbers are a result of increased efforts to recruit minority students.
“I think we’re beginning to see the payoff,” she says.
UGA has struggled to attract Black students in recent years as courts have repeatedly struck down race-based admissions criteria.
In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court said public universities could make special efforts to enroll minority students, provided the schools did not use any quota or point system that gave preference to students for being a minority. Since then, UGA has stepped up recruitment of Black students and has focused on programs that make the school more attractive to minorities.
Overall applications are up 27 percent. More than 15,700 students have applied for the 4,800 seats in the freshman class, according to the admissions office.
— Associated Press
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