Georgia State freshman’s class has record grade-point average

After Parker “Pete” Petit donated $10 million to Georgia State University’s athletic program, the school’s new football field was named for him. In this photo, undergraduate students enter the field for a commencement ceremony in May. REANN HUBER / REANN.HUBER@AJC.COM

After Parker “Pete” Petit donated $10 million to Georgia State University’s athletic program, the school’s new football field was named for him. In this photo, undergraduate students enter the field for a commencement ceremony in May. REANN HUBER / REANN.HUBER@AJC.COM

Georgia State University’s freshman class had the best high school grades of any incoming class since the university began tracking such data.

This semester’s first-year students had a 3.5 grade-point average, officials said in its annual report released Wednesday of the freshman class. Average SAT scores for incoming students have increased by 20 points, to about 1100.

It’s also the largest freshman class. More than 4,600 first-year students enrolled at the university’s Atlanta campus, an increase of 700 students. Georgia State’s Perimeter College campuses are welcoming 3,200 new freshmen, an increase of 300 over the fall of 2017.

Check out this video showing the emotional goodbyes between Georgia State freshmen students and their parents:

Georgia State has 52,000 students, the largest enrollment of any University System of Georgia campus. Georgia State which, according to some reports, graduates more African-American students than any university in the nation, has a record number of non-white students, university officials said.

The University of Georgia reported earlier this week its freshman class has a 4.04 grade-point average, also a record, and just one in five students who initially applied are beginning classes there this semester.