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re: What % of your school’s enrollment comes from inside the SEC footprint?
Posted on 12/12/25 at 7:27 am to Doak Walker
Posted on 12/12/25 at 7:27 am to Doak Walker
I work for an Atlanta based technology company with hundreds of college graduates, dominated by hires from Tech and Auburn. We seek out these people because of the high hit rate of coming in prepared, working hard, and retention.
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Posted on 12/12/25 at 9:01 am to Gunga Din
Good question - a few reasons. My son was HS Class of 2021 and was really fricked by COVID (went to Woodrow). He was in IB but a late bloomer academically and kind of did the bare minimum to get good grades (but not top 6%). Applied to OU, KS, LSU, and Texas - got into to first 3 with lots of scholarship money to the first two. But he just wasn’t enthusiastic about college until he visited LSU with a Jesuit buddy and as soon as he returned from that trip we knew that’s where he would end up. I was so impressed with OU that I both called and wrote our admissions contact to thank them and to this day encourage families to look at the school. For lack of a better way to express it, they seemed to truly care about the kids more than any school we’ve dealt with before or since. Also - I went to Saint Mark’s and David Boren’s daughter was a boarder at Hockaday when I was there and I was really impressed with what he did as college president. And my grandfather played OL for OU in the leather helmet days, so while I still hate y’all for one day in October each year I don’t hate y’all as much as a lot of Texas fans.
My daughter is HS class of 2023 and I always thought she would end up at Texas. Should have but didn’t get in, and I didn’t want to do the CAP program (provisional admission with a lot of restrictions). Really thought she’d go to Colorado (admitted with scholarship) but she is close to her brother and wanted an SEC environment even more than skiing. She’s in the Honors College and fortunately did get a generous scholarship (thankfully since OOS tuition ain’t cheap). LSU is certainly not perfect but like most SEC schools the academics are getting better, was very satisfied with my son’s upper division courses (finance major, works in the investment group at Bank of America), and very happy with the Honors College (great teachers, small classes). We also love Louisiana culture and had a lot of friends from New Orleans and South Louisiana.
Sorry for the TL:DR - college decisions are tough. Good luck against Bama.
My daughter is HS class of 2023 and I always thought she would end up at Texas. Should have but didn’t get in, and I didn’t want to do the CAP program (provisional admission with a lot of restrictions). Really thought she’d go to Colorado (admitted with scholarship) but she is close to her brother and wanted an SEC environment even more than skiing. She’s in the Honors College and fortunately did get a generous scholarship (thankfully since OOS tuition ain’t cheap). LSU is certainly not perfect but like most SEC schools the academics are getting better, was very satisfied with my son’s upper division courses (finance major, works in the investment group at Bank of America), and very happy with the Honors College (great teachers, small classes). We also love Louisiana culture and had a lot of friends from New Orleans and South Louisiana.
Sorry for the TL:DR - college decisions are tough. Good luck against Bama.
This post was edited on 12/12/25 at 9:03 am
Posted on 12/12/25 at 1:00 pm to TheePalmetto
quote:
But all this can frick right off:
Well, the G&T Initiative focuses on taking only the creme dela creme from those states and was implemented in an effort to bring new blood into the state and for ling term gift giving from alumni.
Those who graduate and move on often achieve high levels of financial excess and, in return, they give back. They also become good alumni representatives.
It's already paying off. A number of the first recipients have donated generously to the cause and they're spreading the word.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 1:15 pm to scrooster
quote:
You are claiming that only 381 of SC's enrollment hail from SEC states?
No, fool.
quote:
Absolutely positively 100% guaranteed wrong. But lemme get this right - please correct me if I'm wrong because my brain misfires from time to time.
Consider yourself “corrected”, fool.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 2:04 pm to scrooster
quote:
Well, the G&T Initiative focuses on taking only the creme dela creme from those states and was implemented in an effort to bring new blood into the state and for ling term gift giving from alumni. Those who graduate and move on often achieve high levels of financial excess and, in return, they give back. They also become good alumni representatives. It's already paying off. A number of the first recipients have donated generously to the cause and they're spreading the word.
Yeah frick all that. I want to keep the South Carolina in the University of South Carolina.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 2:33 pm to TheePalmetto
quote:
Yeah frick all that. I want to keep the South Carolina in the University of South Carolina.
It wouldn't work.
The state only produces X number of qualified applicants.
Some of those go to Clemson, some go out of state to various other places. We take all of those in state applicants who meet the minimum criteria and above, who wish to further their educations at the UofSC.
Clemson is going to get their fair share given their different majors that we either do not offer or for which we have newer, start up, school ... such as some of the engineering disciplines.
If you want to be shocked, check out how many Indians (Dots) and Chinese are enrolled at Clemson.
Lesser qualified in state students have Coastal ... but Coastal's New Jersey and New York enrollment numbers are insane.
SC State is basically a high school. It's academics are a joke.
A large portion of in state kids also have Winthrop, Newberrt, CofC (females), The Citadel, Chas So, Presbyterian, Wofford, etc., to choose from.
The UofSC is getting more than it's fair share. In-state Undergraduate Enrollment went up by more than 400 just this semester alone.
We're doing very well. And as state population continues to boom so will the talent pool we're pulling from.
We turn down 1000s of out of state applicants every year.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 2:37 pm to AUTiger789
Crazy that we have 33K+ students now. I think we had 19K when I graduated in ’92.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 2:57 pm to FlyDownTheField83
quote:
Such a stupid take. There are two very simple more reasonable explanations for Auburn having so many Georgia students 1-Distance -Auburn about a two hour drive from Atlanta, and less than an hours drive to the GA state line, 2-Strength of certain areas of study at the schools; Auburn has engineering, architecture, agriculture, pharmacy; Georgia has legal, literature, NASCAR prep program, and advanced hand gestures (how to not call timeout after you called for a timeout).
This is the trope that insecure UGAy fans use to prop up their fragile self-esteem.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 4:19 pm to slobhorn
Thanks for the reply. I enjoyed it and I'm sure LSU is a good place to go and provides a lot of opportunities for food and fun.
It is interesting that you had a good experience at OU because one of my college buddies' wife was in charge of student recruitment. She just retired.
If I see her I will relate your comments.
The thing I like about OU is that it provides a "college town" experience despite being in a 1.5 million metro. If you never drove north out of Norman....you'd feel sort of like you were in Tuscaloosa, or Gainesville or someplace like that. But you are twenty minutes from an entirely different scene. And OKC has multi nodal entertainment districts that all have their own vibe. Norman is just one of those.
It is interesting that your grandfather played for OU. In 1991 I won a contest and got 50 yard line tickets to the Red River game. Low and behold I sat right next to the Texas fans as that section was split. And I ended up sitting right next to Robert Brewer who was the Texas QB in the early '80s. He was telling me that his dad played for Texas... but that he had uncles who played for Texas Tech and OU.
It is interesting that you had a good experience at OU because one of my college buddies' wife was in charge of student recruitment. She just retired.
If I see her I will relate your comments.
The thing I like about OU is that it provides a "college town" experience despite being in a 1.5 million metro. If you never drove north out of Norman....you'd feel sort of like you were in Tuscaloosa, or Gainesville or someplace like that. But you are twenty minutes from an entirely different scene. And OKC has multi nodal entertainment districts that all have their own vibe. Norman is just one of those.
It is interesting that your grandfather played for OU. In 1991 I won a contest and got 50 yard line tickets to the Red River game. Low and behold I sat right next to the Texas fans as that section was split. And I ended up sitting right next to Robert Brewer who was the Texas QB in the early '80s. He was telling me that his dad played for Texas... but that he had uncles who played for Texas Tech and OU.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 5:14 pm to scrooster
I’m fine with us lowering our standards for in state a bit too.
But really, at least 70-75% of our enrollment needs to be from SC/NC/GA. For NC, we have a ton of kids applying from right across the state line and have tens of thousands of alumni and fans in the Charlotte area. We also have a sizable pool in the Savannah area and of course we have our chunk of Atlanta too.
We need to cultivate generational Garnet and Black, not just one and done Johnny Come Latelies. You do that by prioritizing your own backyard and then your neighborhood, not going a few towns over.
But really, at least 70-75% of our enrollment needs to be from SC/NC/GA. For NC, we have a ton of kids applying from right across the state line and have tens of thousands of alumni and fans in the Charlotte area. We also have a sizable pool in the Savannah area and of course we have our chunk of Atlanta too.
We need to cultivate generational Garnet and Black, not just one and done Johnny Come Latelies. You do that by prioritizing your own backyard and then your neighborhood, not going a few towns over.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 5:20 pm to TAMU-93
I thought A&M and the sips had to give 90% of the spots to in-state applicants. Is that not the case?
Posted on 12/12/25 at 5:42 pm to Gunny Hartman
No. At Texas, only the top 5% of Texas High School graduates get automatic admission, Dow from the original 10%, to 7%, now to 5%, not sure what those numbers are at A&M. Texas kept raising it because automatic qualifiers were taking almost all of the freshman slots. I believe now 75% are automatic qualifiers, 10% international, 15% admitted under other qualifications.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 5:45 pm to Sus-Scrofa
Arkansas recruits Texas kids hard (not just athletes, and not just DFW).
We have a messed up situation in Texas where many kids prefer to leave the state if they cannot get into the two big state schools. Tech needs to step up and get serious - a state this large cannot get by on just two well-regarded public schools and a handful of small private schools like Rice & SMU. The opportunity is wide open for Tech if they would make it their main priority. They need to be known more for academics and less for partying.
We have a messed up situation in Texas where many kids prefer to leave the state if they cannot get into the two big state schools. Tech needs to step up and get serious - a state this large cannot get by on just two well-regarded public schools and a handful of small private schools like Rice & SMU. The opportunity is wide open for Tech if they would make it their main priority. They need to be known more for academics and less for partying.
This post was edited on 12/12/25 at 5:46 pm
Posted on 12/12/25 at 6:02 pm to TAMU-93
quote:
Texas A&M Fall 2025 Enrollment for SEC footprint. Texas - 64,341 (86.47%)
That is staggeringly high and the percentages form others schools is incredibly low. Does aTm simply not recruit out of state kids?
Posted on 12/12/25 at 6:52 pm to Oilfieldbiology
Texas's Top 10% rule requires public universities like Texas A&M to automatically admit in-state high school graduates in the top 10% of their class. With about 400,000 annual high school graduates in Texas, this yields roughly 40,000 auto-eligible students. The policy fills most spots with Texans before out-of-state applicants can be considered.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 7:42 pm to slobhorn
Thanks for sharing the LSU experience of your kids.
As a Tiger engineering grad, I can assure you the academics there are far better than any rankings would ever reflect & have been overshadowed by the athletic successes, particularly this century.
LSU has been quietly focused on continuing to improve academics & it is showing. My company has recruited the campus for 3 years now & the competition for LSU grads among employers remains fierce.
Best of luck to your future Tiger alums. My son got his MS there & is now a hospital executive, still being recruited due to his UTA & LSU academic credentials.
As a Tiger engineering grad, I can assure you the academics there are far better than any rankings would ever reflect & have been overshadowed by the athletic successes, particularly this century.
LSU has been quietly focused on continuing to improve academics & it is showing. My company has recruited the campus for 3 years now & the competition for LSU grads among employers remains fierce.
Best of luck to your future Tiger alums. My son got his MS there & is now a hospital executive, still being recruited due to his UTA & LSU academic credentials.
This post was edited on 12/12/25 at 7:44 pm
Posted on 12/12/25 at 8:07 pm to Henry Jones Jr
quote:
don’t know the percentage but I know a frick ton of people from Georgia and Texas go to Ole Miss
The ones who can’t get into UGA, Texas, or Texas A&M flock to ole Miss
Posted on 12/12/25 at 8:28 pm to TheePalmetto
There are too many students at South Carolina right now. The enrollment has nearly doubled since I was a freshman 22 years ago. I get wanting to make your school more prestigious, but its purpose is to educate the citizens of the state of South Carolina. Maybe if we weren't supporting 7 branch campuses in such a small state we could invest in attracting more highly qualified students from SC and border counties in NC and GA. But therein lies another problem: our General Assembly has their hands in the pie given how our BOT members are appointed.
This post was edited on 12/12/25 at 8:50 pm
Posted on 12/12/25 at 8:37 pm to Henry Jones Jr
quote:
Ole Miss
When you couldn’t get into uga or Auburn.
Posted on 12/12/25 at 8:54 pm to TailbackU
Across the board, UGA is objectively a better school than Auburn.
Georgia is the flagship of a state that ranks "top ten" in GDP output, higher education, and was one of the original colonies. Auburn is effectively the agriculture and mechanics school of Alabama.
There's a reason why UGA is ranked as a top 10 public school, enjoys a top 20 law school, top 25 business school, etc. Outside of select programs such as agriculture and, apparently, their vet school, Auburn pales in comparison.
However, this conversation seems to regard admissions standards (i.e., Auburn fans claiming that GA students admitted to their higher ranked flagship in Athens would rather pay out-of-state tuition and drive further to attend school in Auburn, Alabama). This debate is easily ended if you care for facts --
Admissions statistics for the Class of 2028:
UGA:
-- 37% admit rate
-- Average GPA range: 4.05-4.33
-- Average SAT range: 1280-1470
-- Average ACT range: 29-34
Source: LINK
Academic Peers based on objective admissions stats: UNC, UF, UT-Austin
Auburn:
-- 46% admit rate
-- Average GPA: 4.2 (no range provided)
-- Average SAT range: 1250 - 1400
-- Average ACT: 28.7 (no range provided, but obviously lower than UGA)
Source: LINK (I could not find an actual source from Auburn University, so feel free to rebut with a better source)
Academic Peers based on objective admissions stats: NC State, Florida State, Texas A&M
Auburn is a great school. However, given the above, no student from GA interested in business, law, politics, etc. is going to an inferior, out-of-state school if admitted into UGA. Atlanta private schools are laden with UGA rejects who, with good stats, attend Auburn. For those more math / science / engineering oriented, Georgia Tech (who enjoys only slightly higher admissions stats than UGA at this point) is obviously also more attractive than Auburn.
No, Auburn, you are not poaching GA students. UVA, UNC, and Vanderbilt may achieve that (though even those days may soon be gone with the wind), but not you.
Georgia is the flagship of a state that ranks "top ten" in GDP output, higher education, and was one of the original colonies. Auburn is effectively the agriculture and mechanics school of Alabama.
There's a reason why UGA is ranked as a top 10 public school, enjoys a top 20 law school, top 25 business school, etc. Outside of select programs such as agriculture and, apparently, their vet school, Auburn pales in comparison.
However, this conversation seems to regard admissions standards (i.e., Auburn fans claiming that GA students admitted to their higher ranked flagship in Athens would rather pay out-of-state tuition and drive further to attend school in Auburn, Alabama). This debate is easily ended if you care for facts --
Admissions statistics for the Class of 2028:
UGA:
-- 37% admit rate
-- Average GPA range: 4.05-4.33
-- Average SAT range: 1280-1470
-- Average ACT range: 29-34
Source: LINK
Academic Peers based on objective admissions stats: UNC, UF, UT-Austin
Auburn:
-- 46% admit rate
-- Average GPA: 4.2 (no range provided)
-- Average SAT range: 1250 - 1400
-- Average ACT: 28.7 (no range provided, but obviously lower than UGA)
Source: LINK (I could not find an actual source from Auburn University, so feel free to rebut with a better source)
Academic Peers based on objective admissions stats: NC State, Florida State, Texas A&M
Auburn is a great school. However, given the above, no student from GA interested in business, law, politics, etc. is going to an inferior, out-of-state school if admitted into UGA. Atlanta private schools are laden with UGA rejects who, with good stats, attend Auburn. For those more math / science / engineering oriented, Georgia Tech (who enjoys only slightly higher admissions stats than UGA at this point) is obviously also more attractive than Auburn.
No, Auburn, you are not poaching GA students. UVA, UNC, and Vanderbilt may achieve that (though even those days may soon be gone with the wind), but not you.
This post was edited on 12/12/25 at 8:56 pm
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