Four-year colleges in the University System of Georgia are designated as research universities if they perform a substantial number of grant-funded research projects every year. As of 2010, three Georgia universities qualify for this designation: University of Georgia (UGA), Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University. UGA requires a minimum combined SAT score of 1150. Georgia State requires a minimum Reading score of 430 and a minimum Math score of 400. Georgia Tech has the highest minimum score requirements among the public schools and will only accept students with a Reading score of 590 and a Math score of 650. Georgia Tech is also the only public college in Georgia to set a higher minimum score for Math than for Reading.
Regional universities are major four-year public universities that serve as the primary four-year college in a large geographic region. Georgia Southern University serves the mid-eastern region of the state, including Savannah. Valdosta State University services the southern half of the state. Georgia Southern requires a combined score of 1000. Valdosta requires a Reading score of 440 and a Math score of 410.
The University System of Georgia classifies all other public four-year colleges as state universities. As of 2010, there are 13 state universities in Georgia. Georgia College & State University, the state's only public four-year liberal arts college, requires a minimum combined score of 1050. North Georgia College & State University requires a minimum combined score of 1020. While the requirements vary from school to school, all other state universities require at least a minimum score of 400 in each area. Most require a score of at least 430 in Reading. Southern Polytechnic State University has the highest state college requirements and demands a minimum score of 500 in each area.
The University System of Georgia administers a number of two-year colleges throughout the state. The Technical College System of Georgia operates nearly 50 technical colleges. Neither public two-year colleges nor public technical schools require SAT scores for admission. However, students applying for academic scholarships at these schools may still need to provide SAT scores.
Private colleges are privately owned and operated; they are not run by the state. Each private college establishes its own admission requirements. Most do not publish this information. However, private four-year colleges traditionally implement stricter admissions guidelines than do public schools. Students applying to a private university should ask their admissions counselor about SAT score requirements.