Admissions & selectivity
Georgia State University Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at Georgia State?
Georgia State’s reported acceptance rate is 55.4%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 55.4%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
Source: Georgia State University Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
Georgia State University admits 55.4% of applicants, a rate that sits well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 42,323 applicants, 24,217 admitted students, and 4,470 enrolled first-year students.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Georgia State students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a 3.60 average high-school GPA among enrolled first-year students, based on the 99.9% who reported a GPA. This is an average, not a cutoff.
For enrolled first-year students who submitted SAT scores, the middle half scored from 1030 to 1240; 40% submitted SAT scores. For ACT submitters, the middle half ranged from 18 to 27, with 10% submitting ACT scores.
These ranges describe enrolled students who submitted scores, not every enrolled student or a minimum for admission. Applicants can compare their results with Georgia State's own 1030 through 1240 SAT range and 18 through 27 ACT range, keeping in mind that the ranges describe recent enrolled submitters.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Georgia State. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
40% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1030
- Median
- 1140
- 75th percentile
- 1240
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
10% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 18
- Median
- 23
- 75th percentile
- 27
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: Georgia State University Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at Georgia State?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 50.7%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 28.6%
- First-year retention
- 79.9%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
Georgia State University enrolls 26,623 undergraduates in downtown Atlanta, and its student body reflects the city it serves. Pell Grant recipients make up 50.7% of undergraduates, and an estimated 28.6% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.
The campus is a destination for students who start elsewhere and for those who rely on federal need-based aid. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 42,323 first-year applicants, 24,217 admitted students, and 4,470 enrolled first-year students.
For transfer students, 3,980 applied, 1,866 were admitted, and 961 enrolled. Applicants who are Pell-eligible or considering a transfer path should review the university's articulation agreements and financial aid timelines early, as both populations are central to the campus.
The admission rate of 55.4% sits below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).
First-year retention is 79.9%, below the peer median of 83.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The six-year graduation rate is 53.1%, also below the peer median of 65.0%.
The rate for Pell recipients is 32.4%, below the overall rate by 20.7 percentage points. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Georgia State University reported 80% of the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class returned for a second year.
For the first-time, full-time fall 2019 entering class, the six-year graduation rate was 50.9%, with Pell recipients in that cohort completing at 53.1%, above the overall rate.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.