University of Georgia

The University of Georgia (UGA), located in Athens, is the oldest and largest school in Georgia. Founded in 1785, the university was the first public, state-supported school in the country. The urban setting, on 750 acres of land, caters over 29,000 undergrad and 9,000 postgraduate students. The school is both a land and sea grant university, and conducts a high amount of research. It has well-known graduate programs through the College of Education and the Law School. The university also has Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), which is the official officer training and commissioning program. It was founded in 1801, and is one of the oldest programs of its kind in the country.

There are 100 majors to choose from at UGA. The most popular are psychology; biology/biological sciences; finance; marketing/marketing management; and English language and literature. The student to faculty ratio is 17 to 1, and about 48% of classes have less than 20 students. Over 2,000 (or 7%) of students participate in one of the 100 study abroad programs available as part of the undergraduate program. UGA is one of the top five schools with students enrolling in programs abroad in over 60 various countries.

With over 700 clubs, UGA students can participate in a wide variety of organizations. There is a very active Greek presence, with 26 fraternities and 17 sororities on campus. About 20% of men are affiliated with a fraternity and 31% of women are affiliated with a sorority. A unique aspect of the Greek organization is the school’s secret society called the Order of the Greek Horsemen, which consists of about five specially selected fraternity men each year. The women have a secret society as well called the Trust of the Pearl. Some popular student organizations include charity groups like UGA Heroes, UGA Habitat for Humanity, UGA Miracle, and UGA Relay for Life.

The location of the campus has been named one of the ‘best sports towns’ in the US by ESPN, so the sports scene is very active. The Bulldogs compete in the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference (SEC). Other popular sports include women’s gymnastics, women’s equestrian, baseball, tennis, golf, and women’s swimming and diving. The long history and traditions of the University of Georgia provide undergrad and graduate students with a unique educational experience.