On Thursday, Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced the launch of GEORGIA MATCH, one of the largest state-run direct admissions initiatives in the country.
The initiative is the “culmination of multiple state agencies working together to ease the process of connecting students with higher education opportunities, this program will engage all learners and households, including those that do not typically consider postsecondary education pathways. No other state in the country currently has a direct admissions initiative of this scope and scale,” according to a press release from Kemp’s office.
“GEORGIA MATCH is a great example of the historic success we can achieve when stakeholders across the education spectrum work together,” said Kemp. “This program will ensure that every high school student in our state knows they have options to learn and succeed here in the No. 1 state for business.”
The initiative is “an innovative education and workforce initiative developed in collaboration with the Governor’s Office, Governor’s Office of Planning & Budget, Georgia Student Finance Commission, Technical College System of Georgia, Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, Georgia Department of Education, and University System of Georgia. The number of schools listed on a GEORGIA MATCH letter is determined by the individual student’s 11th grade HOPE GPA and freshman index score. All students will receive a letter of academic eligibility for admission to the twenty-two Technical College System of Georgia institutions. Students with higher GPAs will also see up to twenty-three University System of Georgia institutions. The three USG institutions not participating in the GEORGIA MATCH program utilize a different holistic admissions process,” the press release said.
“Beginning next week, over 120,000 high school seniors in Georgia will receive a personalized letter from Governor Kemp listing the public technical institutions, colleges and universities that are holding a spot for them in the Fall 2024 semester, based on academic eligibility. The letters will provide information on next steps to claim a spot at a college on the student’s individual list,” it added.
All institutions participating in GEORGIA MATCH will waive application fees for students during November 2023 for those who apply through GEORGIA MATCH. Students can view their personalized MATCH list, request more information, and claim their spot at gafutures.org/GEORGIAMATCH beginning next week.