UGA’s Complete College Georgia plan is part of a statewide project originated by the University System of Georgia in 2012 to improve student access to college and increase retention and graduation rates among the system’s institutions. UGA routinely appears in the top 20 public universities in the nation in the U.S. News and World Report Rankings, due in large part to  retaining 94%-96% of first-year students and a six-year graduation rate that is just under 90%. In addition, 95 percent of UGA students are employed or enrolled in a graduate or a professional school within six months of graduation.

UGA has launched a number of initiatives in recent years to promote student learning and success to impact student retention and graduation rates. UGA was the first large public institution in the nation to require hands-on learning to all undergraduate students as part of the experiential learning initiative. The experiential learning requirement, approved in 2015, ensures that every underdgraduate student has at least one hands-on experience, usually outside the traditional classroom, that deepens individual development of academic knowledge, skills, and abilities. UGA’s campus-wide entrepreneurship program aims to inspire and equip the next generation of innovative leaders and to prepare students to start their own businesses. In 2017, UGA unveiled the Double Dawgs program to give students the opportunity to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in five years or less, saving time and money. And 2022 saw the creation of an ambitious plan to create a culture of active learning across campus.