In line with its dedication to boosting transfer student enrollment, the University of Georgia is revising its procedure to assist students in determining their status more swiftly.
Enhancing the number of transfer students is a principal focus within the University of Georgia’s Strategic Enrollment Management Plan 2024-2028. Approximately 95% of transfer students are residents of Georgia, and these individuals are twice as likely to be first-generation students. In the coming years, UGA aims to enroll one transfer student for every two first-year students.
“Most transfer students who apply to UGA are currently enrolled in other Georgia colleges and universities or another institution within the SEC,” stated Vice Provost of Enrollment Management Andy Borst. “These students are highly motivated, strong candidates, who recognize UGA for its robust academics and opportunities and wish to complete their education here in Athens. We want these students to have the finest experience at UGA, which starts with their transfer process.”
To achieve this objective, UGA’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions began exploring new techniques to expedite transcript processing. While determining which classes can be transferred to UGA is sometimes straightforward, other transcripts can be quite intricate. According to Senior Associate Director of Admissions Seth Filkins, the University of Georgia receives around 25,000 transcripts containing hundreds of thousands of courses for interpretation annually, and the number of transfer applicants is on the rise.
After evaluating potential solutions, the Office of Admissions chose a system that employs artificial intelligence, intelligent character recognition, and machine learning to swiftly scan transcripts and accurately convert transcript data into UGA’s student information system. The team implemented this tool in late March, and it has already demonstrated its effectiveness by enabling the admissions team to process transcripts at double the speed.
Filkins assured that the Office of Admissions will continue to review 100% of the incoming transcripts and verify the accuracy of the work carried out by this program. This AI tool is not intended for nor will it be employed in the review of other application materials, such as essays and letters of recommendation, which will consistently be assessed by human staff.
“This tool is simply here for assistance,” Filkins mentioned. “It will facilitate a quicker turnaround time and allow our team to concentrate on addressing students’ individual questions and circumstances.”
As the Office of Admissions continues to utilize and assess this tool, the next step will be to incorporate an AI chatbot platform for students. This chatbot will complement UGA’s Transfer Equivalency Search and assist students in uploading their course information to observe how it aligns with UGA. This will enable students to quickly track their progress prior to beginning an application or while waiting for their transcripts to transfer between institutions.
“Transfer students are a vital part of the UGA community,” Borst remarked. “And this new tool will aid in enhancing their transition to the university.”
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