UGA vs Georgia Tech looks like a choice between two similar flagships, but they review applicants very differently. Georgia Tech is a technology-focused school with six colleges and 39 majors, and it considers the major you choose when it reviews you. UGA sets no admissions limits by major and lets enrolling students switch before orientation. Both give Georgia residents a big edge, and both cost about the same for Georgians. Everything below comes from UGA's and Georgia Tech's own admissions and financial aid pages, for students applying this fall for fall 2027.

UGA vs Georgia Tech at a glance

UGAGeorgia Tech
Latest admissions data2027 Early Action: 38,100+ applicantsFall 2026: nearly 68,000 applicants, more than 8,700 admitted
Georgia residentsGoal: an enrolling class about 80% in-stateFall 2026 admit rate 28% for Georgia residents, 9% for nonresidents
Expected first-year classAbout 6,300About 4,100 (fall 2026)
Does your major matter?No admissions limits by majorYour major is a review factor
ApplicationNo UGA supplemental essay for 2027Common App only
2026-27 on-campus cost, Georgia resident$29,920$30,928
2026-27 on-campus cost, out-of-state$52,156$55,314

UGA vs Georgia Tech acceptance rate

Georgia Tech, fall 2026: nearly 68,000 students applied, a record, and Tech admitted more than 8,700. The overall admit rate was 28% for Georgia residents and 9% for nonresidents. Tech aimed to enroll about 4,100 first-year students. It says residency is "one of the biggest impacts on likelihood of admission," because it aims for Georgia students to be the majority of its enrolled students.

UGA, fall 2026 Early Action: UGA made 6,100 in-state offers from 13,530+ in-state applicants, and 4,600+ out-of-state and international offers from 20,730+ applicants. The middle half of Georgia admits scored 1370-1500 on the SAT. UGA's December post, which announced both the overall totals and the out-of-state decisions, gave 1400-1510 without saying which group it covers, and said out-of-state ranges ran somewhat higher.

UGA, this year (fall 2027): UGA's Early Action pool reached roughly 38,100+ applicants, up about 12%, and about 38% of them are Georgia residents. UGA's goal is an enrolling class that's roughly 80% in-state, so its admissions blog warns it will be "more challenging to be admitted as a non-GA resident." The applicant pool averages roughly a 31 ACT or 1350 SAT.

For the full in-state vs. out-of-state breakdown, see UGA and Georgia Tech admissions for in-state vs. out-of-state students.

The biggest difference: how your major counts

  • Georgia Tech reviews "the major you put on your application and evidence of your interest in this major" as a sign of how you'd fit in the class. Major selection is one of its listed review factors, alongside academic preparation, essays, recommendations and test scores.
  • UGA says it doesn't have "admissions limits based on different majors," because enrolling students can change their major before orientation. It does look at how you've prepared for the major you pick.

What that means for you: at Tech, choose a major you can back up with your coursework and activities. At UGA, an undecided interest won't count against you the same way. To see what Tech admits looked like, read Georgia Tech accepted vs. rejected applicants.

Applying for fall 2027

Georgia Tech's 2026-2027 dates:

  • Early Action 1 (Georgia students only): October 15, with decisions in early December
  • Early Action 2 (non-Georgia students): November 2, with decisions in late January
  • Regular Decision: January 6, with decisions in mid-March
  • Deposit deadline: May 1

Both Early Action deadlines have passed, so Regular Decision is still open. Tech accepts applications only through the Common App.

UGA: Early Action has closed. UGA plans to release in-state Early Action decisions on Friday, November 20 and out-of-state and international decisions on Friday, December 11. Its deadlines page lists the Regular Decision date without a year, so confirm it on UGA's admissions site. Two changes this year make applying simpler: UGA dropped its supplemental essay, and Georgia high school students now send their official GAfutures transcript instead of self-reporting grades.

Testing: both schools consider SAT and ACT scores. Tech lists standardized tests among its review factors, and UGA says it "does use the test scores in our admission review."

Cost: UGA vs Georgia Tech for 2026-27

These are each school's own 2026-27 first-year budgets for students living on campus.

2026-27UGAGeorgia Tech
Tuition, Georgia resident$10,134$10,618
Mandatory fees$1,494$1,516
Cost of attendance, Georgia resident$29,920$30,928
Tuition, out-of-state$31,804$34,604
Cost of attendance, out-of-state$52,156$55,314

For Georgians, the two on-campus budgets are close, with Tech's a little higher. For out-of-state students, Tech's budget is higher by a wider margin. Each school builds its budget its own way, so compare your actual aid offers.

Georgia Tech has also posted an estimated 2027-28 budget, the year this fall's applicants would start: $31,628 for a Georgia resident and $55,018 out of state, on campus.

Georgia residents should also check how the HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships apply at each school. See HOPE vs. Zell Miller and HOPE amounts by college.

Which one should you choose?

  • Choose Georgia Tech if you know you want engineering, computing, or another technology-focused major in one of its six colleges, and you can show real preparation for it.
  • Choose UGA if you aren't sure about your major yet, or want the option to switch before you start.
  • Out-of-state applicants: both are much harder to get into without Georgia residency. Tech admitted 9% of nonresidents for fall 2026.
  • Apply to both if you're a Georgian on the fence. The applications are separate (Tech uses the Common App), and Tech's Regular Decision deadline is January 6.

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