Georgia Tech Enrollment: A Comprehensive Overview

Georgia Institute of Technology, a public research university with a strong emphasis on science and technology, has experienced significant enrollment growth and diversification in recent years. This article delves into the enrollment statistics of Georgia Tech, exploring its undergraduate and graduate student populations, diversity initiatives, and factors contributing to its increasing popularity.

Historical Context and Mission

Founded in 1885, Georgia Institute of Technology was established as part of Reconstruction efforts aimed at building an industrial economy in the Southern United States following the Civil War. Initially known as the Georgia School of Technology, the institution's curriculum has expanded to include electrical, civil, and chemical engineering programs. Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. As a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), Georgia Tech seeks to influence major technological and policy decisions. The Institute is consistently rated among the top universities in the nation for the graduation of underrepresented minorities (URM) in engineering, computer science, and mathematics.

Overall Enrollment Trends

Georgia Tech has witnessed substantial enrollment growth in recent years. In fall 2022, the Institute attained a record high enrollment of 17,379 degree-seeking undergraduates, with 83% enrolled in STEM majors. In addition to its undergraduate population, the Institute had a fall 2022 enrollment of 26,868 graduate students for a total enrollment of 44,247. Between fall 2013 and fall 2022, the Institute experienced a 26% increase in undergraduate enrollment. Data indicate that enrollment growth continued in fall 2023 with a total enrollment of almost 48,000 students, including 18,260 undergraduates. The Spring 2025 Semester Enrollment Report from the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia shows strong enrollment growth at Georgia Tech. This spring, Georgia Tech’s total enrollment is 53,067 students, an 11.4% increase from Spring 2024. Graduate students make up the majority of the student body, with 33,802 enrolled this semester. Georgia Tech’s full-time enrollment is 42,872, a 24.6% increase from last year; 45% of Tech students are enrolled full-time.

Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

Georgia Tech values the diversity of its student population and is committed to expanding access to underrepresented students. In fall 2022, the Institute achieved a historic high in its undergraduate female enrollment of 6,920 students, representing a 42% increase from fall 2013 when undergraduate female enrollment was 4,873. In the overall undergraduate class, women represented 40% of undergraduates in 2022-23, an increase from 33% of undergraduates in 2013-14.

Georgia Tech is involved in an array of outreach activities specifically designed to attract K-12 students. The Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) conducts a comprehensive summer program to expose K-12 students to STEM topics and careers. CEISMC, the Office of Undergraduate Admission, and the Office of Undergraduate Education’s First-Generation Student Initiatives hosts a First-Generation College Institute (FGCI) each summer. FGCI aims to amplify the Institute’s impact by identifying and preparing first-generation and limited income 8th through 12th grade students for the transition from high school to college and cultivating interest in STEM fields. Additional K-12 outreach programs are conducted by the Center for Engineering Education and Diversity (CEED) and Women in Engineering (WIE), both units within the College of Engineering. Through the School of Mathematics, the College of Computing, and GT Professional Education (GTPE), Georgia Tech offers distance mathematics and computer science courses to dual enrolled high school students.

Read also: Enrollment at Notre Dame

Retention and Graduation Rates

As of fall 2023, Georgia Tech achieved a first-to-second-year retention rate of 98% for the first-time, full-time freshman 2022 cohort, sustaining an Institute record high, and a six-year graduation rate of 93% for the 2016 cohort. Further, the four-year graduation rate for the 2018 first-time, full-time cohort was 64%, a record high and an increase from the 2017 cohort’s four-year rate of 57%. Given Georgia Tech’s commitment to expanding access and diversity within its student population, disaggregating success metrics by race/ethnicity is crucial. As of fall 2023, the first-to-second-year retention rate for underrepresented minority (URM)* students in the fall 2022 cohort was 97%, a percentage point lower than overall first-to-second year retention rate for the cohort referenced above. The six-year URM graduation rate for the 2017 cohort was 88% (compared with a 92% overall rate). While, URM six-year graduation rates have improved from 72% for the 2006 cohort to 86% for the 2015 cohort, closing this gap is an Institutional priority.

Focus on STEM Enrollment and Degrees

As a science and technology-focused institution, the enrollment and degree progression of STEM majors are central to our mission. The sustained economic impact made possible through a better-prepared STEM workforce is significant, and graduating a larger number of STEM students to meet workforce needs is a high priority for Georgia Tech. One measure of progress is the number of students enrolled in STEM majors. Tech has achieved an increase in STEM enrollment from 11,699 undergraduate students in 2013-14 to 14,443 undergraduate students in 2022-23. Efforts to engage and retain more undergraduate women represent one of our best opportunities for increasing the number of STEM majors and degrees awarded. Since fall 2013, the number of women enrolled in STEM majors at Georgia Tech increased from 3,478 (30% of undergraduate STEM enrollment) to 5,313 (37% of undergraduate STEM enrollment) in fall 2022. Data from fall 2023 suggest that the number of women seeking an undergraduate STEM degree will exceed 5,500 for the first time. Once enrolled, women at Georgia Tech consistently graduate at a higher and faster rate than men. For the 2016 cohort, the six-year graduation rate for women was 94% compared to 92% for men; these statistics held true when disaggregated by STEM majors. Georgia Tech continues to be a national leader in the number of STEM students enrolled and the number of degrees conferred each year. In 2022-23, 3,329 undergraduate STEM degrees were awarded.

Enrollment and Financial Aid Statistics

Georgia Institute of Technology is ranked No. #32 in National Universities. It's also ranked No. #3 in Most Innovative Schools. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 20,592 (fall 2024), its setting is urban, and the campus size is 400 acres. The student-faculty ratio at Georgia Institute of Technology is 21:1, and it utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Georgia Institute of Technology accepts the Common Application. The school's in-state tuition and fees are $12,008; out-of-state tuition and fees are $35,092. Thirty-one percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $14,588. The four-year graduation rate is 64%. Six years after graduation, the median salary for graduates is $89,432.

In 2023, the median undergraduate tuition at Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is $10,258, which is $−20,745 less than the national average for Doctoral Universities ($31,004). After taking grants and loans into account, the average net price for students is $15,901. In 2023, 70% of undergraduate students attending Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus received financial aid through grants. Comparatively, 19% of undergraduate students received financial aid through loans. In 2022 the default rate for borrower's at Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus was 0%, corresponding to 0 out of the 2,052 total borrowers.

Admissions and Application Trends

Georgia Tech welcomed approximately 4,050 summer and fall first-year students, and 1,365 spring, summer, and fall transfer students to campus this year. “Expanding access to a Georgia Tech education remains a top priority because we understand the transformative impact it can have on students and their communities,” said Mary Tipton Woolley, executive director of the Office of Undergraduate Admission. “Under the leadership of President Cabrera and our strategic plan, we’ve grown not only in size, but also in experiences, perspectives, and interests among our students. Enrolling first-year students hail from 115 Georgia counties, 49 states (plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico), and 86 countries outside of the United States. Over 12% of first-year students identify as first-generation college students. Rural enrollment among Georgia students increased 66% from last year, with rural students making up 14% of this year’s class. “We saw more applications from Georgia students this year than ever before, and we continue our commitment to serving those students,” said Woolley. Undergraduate Admission received a record-high number of 66,912 first-year applications in the 2025 application cycle, a 12% increase from the previous year and a 64% increase from 2020. Beyond first-year students, approximately 1,365 transfer students enrolled at Tech across the spring, summer, and fall terms. The transfer team received applications from 6,383 students, admitting 1,541 of those. The first-year application for 2026 is now available via the Common App.

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus received 52,377 undergraduate applications in 2023, which represents a 3.49% annual growth. Out of those 52,377 applicants, 8,622 students were accepted for enrollment, representing a 16.5% acceptance rate. There were 47,946 students enrolled at Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus in 2023. 77% of first-time enrollees submitted SAT scores with their applications. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus has an overall enrollment yield of 43.6%, which represents the number of admitted students who ended up enrolling.

Campus and Facilities

The Georgia Tech campus is located in Midtown, an area slightly north of downtown Atlanta. The campus is organized into four main parts: West Campus, East Campus, Central Campus, and Technology Square. West Campus is occupied primarily by apartments and coed undergraduate dormitories. East Campus houses all of the fraternities and sororities as well as most of the undergraduate freshman dormitories. Central Campus is home to the majority of the academic, research, and administrative buildings. Since the late 2010s, Technology Square has continued to expand as a mixed-use innovation district.

Global Engagement

Georgia Tech also operates a campus in Metz, in northeastern France, known as Georgia Tech Europe (GTE). Opened in October 1990, it offers master's-level courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering and Ph.D. Georgia Tech and Tianjin University cooperatively operated a campus in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China - Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute, Tianjin University.

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