Among state flagship universities, UGA has one of the country’s largest disparities between its proportion of Black students and that of Black high school graduates from the state — second only to the University of Mississippi. “Black students admitted to UGA — they have a lot of options,” said Alton Standifer, deputy chief of staff to the university president, referring to the competition among colleges to enroll Georgia’s Black students. Still, many Black students in Georgia choose to attend more diverse institutions or opt for a historically Black college or university. A reliance on SAT scores can disadvantage Black students, whose average SAT score in 2019 was 933, more than 180 points below that of white students. Selective public universities like UGA that used the Common App have seen an increase in applicants, including traditionally underrepresented students, such as Black students.

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