The University of Georgia jumped three spots to No. 13 in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 ranking of the nation’s best public universities.
This is the highest ranking in UGA’s history. It’s also the third consecutive year the university’s ranking has risen in the U.S. News ranking.
“The University of Georgia is reaching new heights of excellence in virtually every measure, and I am pleased that national recognition of the quality of our academic programs is on the rise,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead.
“I want to commend our faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends for their hard work and dedication in making the University of Georgia, the birthplace of public higher education in America, one of the very best public universities in the nation.”
A key factor in the improving ranks was a lowered student-to-faculty ratio, which dropped from 18 students per faculty member to 17-to-1.
Other factors included the quality and performance of the student body, as well as the subjective “reputation” category based on feedback from college presidents, provosts and admissions directors.
This comes as UGA continues to set records in the quality of its student body. This fall saw the class of 2022 enroll with an average high school GPA of 4.04, an average ACT score of 30 and average SAT score of 1365.
Demand for a UGA degree seems to have grown, with undergraduate applications increasing 30 percent over the last 5 years.
The Georgia Institute of Technology was the other appearance from the state of Georgia to be ranked among the top 15 in the nation. Georgia is one of only three states to have more than one institution in the top 15, California and Virginia being the other two.
UGA and the University of Florida are also the only two public institutions from the Southeastern Conference in the top 20.