Overview

Thrive at Georgia is a summer program designed to foster a smooth transition from high school to college. Thrive participants emerge from the program confident in their ability to successfully navigate the campus and meet the academic challenges in their first year at UGA.

Thrive classes will be in session from July 8th to August 2nd, 2024. Participants will live in Russell Hall during the program and must remain in their Russell housing assignment during the fall and spring semesters.

Thrive course requirements are rigorous and challenging and the pace of Thrive moves very quickly. For example, one class meeting during Thrive is the equivalent of one week of classes during a regular semester. Please visit the Classes & Beyond page for detailed information on the available courses.

Participants also attend Beyond Class programs designed to provide academic support to enhance student learning and success, introduce students to various campus and community resources, and provide opportunities to socialize and interact with other participants and program staff.

Why should students participate?

Participants will transition from high school to college in a more structured environment.
Participants will live on campus while they study and experience the University with a cohort of first-year students in a smaller setting. They will get to know UGA’s campus and the city of Athens.
Participants will receive guidance from University faculty, graduate students and staff while exploring the educational and cultural opportunities available on campus and in the Athens community.
Eligible participants can gain an early start in one of UGA’s competitive majors (within the College of Engineering, Terry College of Business, Grady College of Journalism or the College of Public Health).
Many participants will fulfill their Experiential Learning graduation requirement.
Class sizes are small to encourage an engaging learning environment and high impact, student-faculty interactions.

Important Dates

March 15, 2024

The application process opens

March 22nd, March 29th, April 5th, April 12th, April 19th, and April 26th, 2024

Application decisions released

May 15, 2024

The Thrive application process closes at 5pm
UGA commitment deposit due

May 22, 2024

Reply form due by 5 PM: Deadline to indicate whether or not you will participate in Thrive (see instructions in your acceptance notification or Welcome Packet)

May 24, 2024

Thrive deposit due by midnight
- You cannot attend if a deposit has not been received by this date. No exceptions.

June 17-18, 2024

In-person UGA Orientation Session for Thrive participants.
Advising and course registration for Thrive and Fall 2023 will take place during this orientation session.
- All participants must attend this orientation session in order to attend Thrive. If you are not able to attend orientation on these dates, you will not be able to attend Thrive.

June 30, 2024

Complete the 2023-24 FAFSA by this date to apply for federal financial aid for the program. Please note the U.S. Department of Education will not process any 2023-24 FAFSAs submitted after this date.

July 5, 2024

Participants move into Russell Hall

July 7, 2024

Mandatory Thrive Program Orientation (students only)
- This is a Thrive-specific orientation for enrolled participants that is separate from UGA’s orientation session on June 17-18. Students must attend both.

July 8, 2024

Classes begin
Tuition and fees due

August 2, 2024

Final exams

August 3, 2024

Students must leave residence hall by noon

Costs

The University of Georgia requires admitted first-year students to indicate their intention to enroll by paying a non-refundable $300. This $300 commitment deposit will apply toward your student account balance and orientation fee and is not included in the Cost of Attendance below.

Thrive at Georgia participants are responsible for all costs associated with participation in the program including: the Thrive program fee ($646.74) and University tuition and fees for the 6 credit hours that each student enrolls in for online Thrive courses.

Federal Student Aid

To apply for federal financial aid for Thrive, you must complete the 2023-24 FAFSA in addition to the 2024-25 FAFSA you may already have completed for Fall 2024. This is because the Summer term during which Thrive takes place is considered part of the 2023-24 Academic Year. The 2024-25 Academic Year, for which the 2024-25 FAFSA applies, begins in Fall 2024.

Please note that the last day to submit a 2023-24 FAFSA is June 30, 2024. The U.S. Department of Education will not process any 2023-24 FAFSAs submitted after this date.

Estimated Cost of Attendance

Note that the Thrive Program Fee totals $646.74, and students are responsible to ensure this total amount is paid for program participation. A portion of the Thrive Program Fee ($287) is included below in the Estimated Cost of Attendance, as Federal Financial Aid can only be applied to this partial amount and the Estimated Cost of Attendance. Participants will be required to pay out of pocket the remaining portion of the Thrive Program Fee amount not included in the Estimated Cost of Attendance. The out of pocket Thrive Program Fee portion is $359.74.

Cost for Georgia Residents

Tuition*: $1,956
Fees*: $428
Program Fee: $287
Books/Supplies: $251
Personal Expenses: $438
Housing**: $740
Transportation: $191
Food (Meal Plan)**: $617
TOTAL: $4,908

Cost for Non-Residents

Tuition*: $5,766
Fees*: $428
Program Fee: $287
Books/Supplies: $251
Personal Expenses: $438
Housing**: $740
Transportation: $371
Food (Meal Plan)**: $617
TOTAL: $8,898

*For the Summer 2024 semester, In-State (Resident) Tuition is $326 per hour, Out-of-State (Non- Resident) Tuition is $961 per hour, and Fees are $878 for students on the Athens campus. For the 2023-2024 academic year and the Thrive program, the HOPE Scholarship pays eligible students $1,536 toward tuition costs and the Zell Miller Scholarship pays eligible students $1,956 toward tuition costs. (Please note that the HOPE Scholarship and Zell Miller Scholarship are only available to in-state students and the amounts are subject to adjustment at any time by the Georgia Assembly.)

**Fees for 2024 are subject to change and will be updated accordingly.

Students will be able to see their bill for University tuition and fees when they register for classes. The payment will be due the first day of classes on Monday, July 8th. All payments will be made in Student Accounts via Athena.

Zell Miller Scholarship / HOPE Scholarship Recipients

The Zell Miller and HOPE scholarships can be applied to courses taken in Thrive at Georgia. Please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid’s (OSFA) website for instructions on the Zell Miller Scholarship/HOPE Scholarship application process.

Questions?

For all questions related to cost of attendance and financial aid, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid by calling 706-542-6147 or emailing osfa@uga.edu.

Orientation

Thrive participants are required to attend the in-person UGA Orientation session on June 17-18th. You will not be able to attend a different Orientation session if you are participating in Thrive. Registration for summer orientation sessions will open in early May. You are strongly encouraged to register as soon as you receive the information from the New Student Orientation office.

For more information on UGA Orientation, please click here.

If you have questions about UGA Orientation, please email orientation@uga.edu or call 706-542-8776.