For the eighth consecutive year, applications to Georgia Tech are up — significantly. 

For this year’s Early Action undergraduate admission deadline in October, over 15,700 students applied for admittance to the 2017 class — more than a 5 percent increase over Early Action applications last year. Among Georgia residents, applications are up 25 percent over the past six years.

In ever-increasing numbers, students are applying, enrolling, and staying at Georgia Tech. A recent Complete College Georgia report shows that Tech’s freshman-to-sophomore retention rate is at an all-time high of 97 percent.

With the deadline approaching for Regular Decision admission on Jan. 1, 2017, Rick Clark, director of Undergraduate Admission, talks about how his team is holding up this admission cycle.

This is a busy time for your staff. How do you handle the ever-increasing volume? 

The increased applications over the past few years, for freshman, transfer, and dual enrollment students, has been a challenge. While a few years ago we employed just a handful of seasonal readers, this year we have 15, and that’s been a huge help to our team. We are also implementing a new file review system that will enable much-needed efficiencies in our process.

What are your top priorities when building the next class? 

We are committed to helping Georgia Tech be recognized among the world’s premier institutions. Our goal is to enroll classes that are both balanced and academically elite across all six colleges.   

What’s been the biggest challenge this fall? 

Not only does the number of applications continue to go up, but the quality does as well. Our applicant ACT average is 32 (SAT in high 1400s), and most have taken nine AP/IB/college-level courses. This is the scholarship profile at many schools, and we are basically only admitting a small fraction. So, the challenge is basically selecting between amazing and ridiculously talented students.  

How are applications looking for Regular Decision? 

We moved our deadline to Jan. 1, but it’s still a little early to say for sure. Currently, we are running ahead by about 4.5 percent. An interesting point is that with nearly 18,000 already submitted, we’ve already exceeded the total number of apps received for the class that began in 2013 [current fourth-year students]. 

How can the campus community help or be part of the process? 

This year, faculty members from each of our six colleges will participate in committee review prior to decision release. Also, any faculty or staff member who knows a student in the applicant pool can put in a good word for those students by completing a Faculty/Staff Recommendation Form, which will go into the applicant’s file.  

Where we really need the campus community support is in yield. As we compete financially and in prestige with other schools, we need the power of our collective voice in convincing students to choose Tech. This spring, we’ll be hosting a number of admitted student days, so whether it be reaching out directly to a student you know who has been admitted or simply welcoming those who are here for a visit, we deeply value campus support and assistance.

Early Action applicants will receive their admission decisions on Jan. 14, and Regular Decision admissions will be issued in March. 

Undergraduate Admission also expects approximately 255 new transfer students to enroll in Spring 2017. Transfer students interested in applying for Summer 2017 have until Jan. 15, 2017, to apply.