FAQ

Admission FAQs

The 2024-25 FAFSA is available now online. Federal Student Aid has estimated that colleges will start gaining access to completed FAFSAs in early February. Oglethorpe aims to use your completed FAFSA to send you a completed award letter as soon as possible, which we hope is late February.

Federal Student Aid has put together resources to help students and families through the 2024-25 FAFSA. For a searchable collection of help articles, please visit StudentAid.gov. You can also follow Federal Student Aid on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for short, helpful messages and videos.

If you’d prefer to talk with someone directly who can access your 2024-25 FAFSA, please call Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-800-433-3243 or initiate a Live Chat.

And certainly, once colleges gain access to look at submitted FAFSA in mid-March, please contact our Financial Aid Office for help at 404-504-1500 or [email protected]. See our updated resources to help you navigate the 2024-2025 FAFSA.

The Office of Admission staff conducts a thorough and holistic review of every application. There is no number that will get you in, or keep you out of Oglethorpe, and we do not have absolute minimums for test scores or GPA.

Yes! Oglethorpe offers direct admission for Georgia residents applying as first-year students for Fall 2024. You must have a qualifying GPA and apply by December 1. Visit here for more information.

No, applying Early Action is not financially or otherwise binding.

Upon submitting your application and all necessary materials, you will be automatically considered for a merit scholarship. In order to receive need-based financial aid, you must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The FAFSA is available on October 1, and our priority filing date is February 15th. Oglethorpe University’s FAFSA code is 001586.

Students completing the Oglethorpe Application, available at apply.oglethorpe.edu/apply, will enjoy a free Early Action application if you apply before November 1. After November 1, please contact the Office of Admission if you are in need of a fee waiver.

Students completing the Common Application can request a fee waiver at any time if they meet the requisite criteria listed on the Common Application. Early Action applicants who do not meet the Common App fee waiver criteria can request reimbursement after submission.

Official transcripts are required for admission. You can request from your high school counselor that your official transcripts be sent via GA Futures, Parchment, eScrip or Naviance to Oglethorpe University. High school counselors can also send official transcripts directly to [email protected]. If needed, transcripts can also be mailed or hand-delivered in a sealed envelope to the following address:
Office of Admission
Oglethorpe University
4484 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA, 30319

Official test score reports are required for admission. You can request that an official score report be sent to Oglethorpe. See this section of the ACT website for more information on sending ACT reports, SAT reports, or TOEFL reports. Our ACT Code if 0850, our SAT Code is 5521, and our TOEFL code is 5521.

Oglethorpe FAQs

Oglethorpe University is incredibly diverse in a variety of ways. Our student body is made up of scholars from 35 states and 30 countries. More than half of our students identify as non-white, and nearly 40% of our total population are the first in their family to attend college. Furthermore, 21% of OU students are varsity athletes and around one quarter participate in Greek Life activities.

While the Core Curriculum may be similar to other institutions’ general education classes in that both are required for graduation, Oglethorpe’s Core is unique in several fundamental ways. Unlike many general education classes, Core classes are taken throughout a student’s time at Oglethorpe, not only during the initial semesters. Accordingly, students are able to take major and minor classes during their first year on campus. Furthermore, Core classes are interdisciplinary and serve as a shared intellectual experience for the entire OU community, allowing students with varied personal and academic backgrounds to engage in critical dialogue.

Oglethorpe offers over 60 student-led clubs and organizations, all of which offer valuable opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, connect with the community, and experience OU life outside the classroom! Clubs and organizations include academic and honorary societies, fraternities and sororities, volunteer and service groups, multicultural and international organizations, political and advocacy groups, recreation and interest-based clubs, and many more. Whether you’re interested in the Debate Council, the Outdoors Club, the Tower Literary Magazine, or keen on starting your own student organization, OU Student Activities has something for every student.

Fully enclosed and closely monitored by 24/7 Campus Safety officers, Oglethorpe University is an extremely safe environment for students and visitors. The OU Campus Safety Department consists of 10 officers who protect and serve the campus community. Officers perform rotating campus patrols and respond to security/safety concerns and campus needs to make OU a safe place to live and learn. Additionally, through RAVE OU Alerts, our emergency notification system, and our Student Safety Advisory Committee, Oglethorpe students, faculty and staff are kept abreast on safety and awareness issues.

Are internships required for graduation? 
While internships are not required for graduation, they are highly encouraged! The vast majority of students have at least one internship during their time at OU.

Are internships paid, not paid, or for academic credit?
Some internships are paid, some are unpaid, some are seasonal, and some last the full year. It all depends on your field and your level of availability!

Where do OU students intern? 
Oglethorpe students have recently completed internships at The Carter Center, CNN, UPS, Walt Disney Company, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Third Rail Studios, Georgia Pacific, Atlanta Magazine, Zoo Atlanta, the Atlanta History Center, and the Georgia State Legislature, to name only a few. In addition to these Atlanta-based internships, Career Development has resources and affiliations with nationwide opportunities, such as the Washington Center in Washington, D.C. For more information and a complete listing of internships, visit our Career Development site.

Today’s Oglethorpe students are tomorrow’s attorneys, educators, consultants, physicians, and entrepreneurs. OU grads are employed at countless private and public sector businesses and organizations across the U.S. and the world. Several of OU’s top employers include corporations such as The Coca-Cola Company, SunTrust Bank, AT&T, IBM, ADP, Siemens, Delta Airlines, Porsche Cars North America, and Turner Broadcasting, accounting firms such as Ernst & Young and Morgan Stanley, medical and research outlets such as Emory Healthcare, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and the CDC, and education institutions such as Gwinnett County Public schools, the Galloway School, Georgia Tech, and Emory University.