Ivan Allen College Applications and Enrollments Are Up

Posted February 1, 2016

A more aggressive admissions policy for students applying to liberal arts at Georgia Tech yielded a 2 percent increase in fall 2015 freshman enrollment for the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, the first increase in five years.

Undergraduate applications to the Institute were up 12 percent in 2016 versus 2015, while applications to the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts rose 28 percent. 

“Our number of applications has gone up dramatically and so has the quality of our applicants,” said John Tone, associate dean for undergraduate studies. “This has given us a larger pool of applicants who qualify for admissions.”

The change in admissions for liberal arts was also the result of an overall effort by the Institute to improve its admission rate for non-engineering students.

“When we talk about wanting to diversify a class, we don’t just mean demographically; we’re talking in terms of curriculum and major selection,” said Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions for Georgia Tech.  

For the second year, Georgia Tech Undergraduate Admission welcomed faculty from several colleges, including Ivan Allen, into the admission process, having them participate in cohort review sessions to help select the best candidates for their programs. For the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts that meant reviewing students interested in disciplines ranging from communication, digital media, economics, history, international affairs, modern languages, public policy, and several joint degree programs.

“We believe that the Institute’s focus on majors as part of the consideration of applicants will allow us to build our enrollments,” said Tone.

Shadow Day

The Ivan Allen College participates in all the recruitment efforts of the main admissions office for Georgia Tech, but its Shadow Day program has boosted visibility for the College with impressive results.

"Interested students tend to enroll after visiting with us,” said Tone. “Our distinctive programs combined with the prestige and reputation of Georgia Tech have strong appeal.”

Two Shadow Days are planned for February 12 and April 1. Students have the opportunity to attend a class matching their interests, take personalized tours, visit campus dorms, and attend sessions about study abroad and international experiences, behind-the-scenes athletics at Tech, and student life. Breakfast and lunch sessions will give students the chance to talk informally with the College deans, school chairs, faculty, advisors, and current students from each major.

Nearly 200 students are expected to attend this year’s events, including a number of out-of-state students who will make the trip.

Prospective students and their parents will get a real sense of what it’s like to be a student at Georgia Tech and within the College. They can register for Shadow Day online and select their major interests so the College can match them to the appropriate classes they’ll attend.