Emory University closes most academic and administrative offices for Winter Recess, the three days between the Christmas and New Year holidays. The Office of Undergraduate Admission will be closed from Dec. 24, 2024 to Jan. 1, 2025, reopening on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. Please check our FAQs Over Winter Break blog post for additional information and resources during this time.
Emory University Remains SAT/ACT Optional for 2025-2026. Learn more here.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope these FAQs are helpful. If you need more information or have questions about your specific circumstances, please email Senior Associate Dean, Timothy Fields at tlfield@emory.edu.

LEADs Experience FAQs

The Emory Leadership, Enrichment, Advocacy, and Discovery (LEADs) Experience is designed to support the recruitment of talented, high-achieving high school seniors who are either first-generation college students and/or from a rural or lower socioeconomic background, and/or students who do not have the means to visit campus. More information can be found here: https://apply.emory.edu/leads/index.html.

The Emory LEADs Experience encompasses an in-person, three-day, Leadership Retreat that will be held on Thursday, September 25th – Saturday, September 27th, 2025, for about 100 students. In addition, all LEADs applicants –regardless of whether or not they attend the in-person Leadership Retreat –will have access to our three virtual webinars, in August, October, and December, to engage with current students and staff. All students will also receive a monthly curated newsletter beginning in August.

Yes, The LEADs Application is due Friday, August 1st at 11:59pm Eastern to be considered for the in-person Leadership Retreat.

Students who miss the August 1st deadline to apply are encouraged to utilize the four (4) LEADs Admission Guidebooks, available by late summer, as a resource throughout their college application process. In addition, students can connect with current Emory students through Welcome to College and can sign up for Emory’s virtual and in-person Information Sessions here.

Please note: We do not track demonstrated interested; Whether a student participates– or does not participate - in LEADs has no impact on a student's admission decision or scholarship opportunities at Emory University.

The Leadership Retreat is scheduled for September 25th through September 27th and participation is by invitation-only. Students will have the opportunity to explore our vibrant campus, engage in leadership development programming, as well as meet and interact with committed and diverse professors, campus life staff, and current students.

Please note: Invited students are required to attend the entire on-campus program and cannot arrive late or depart early.

No. All students who submit an Emory LEADs Experience Application by Friday, August 1st at 11:59pm ET will be considered for admission to the Leadership Retreat. However, due to budgetary constraints and hosting limitations, our goal is to bring roughly 100 LEADs students to campus for the Leadership Retreat.

Students will be notified no later than Monday, September 8th by the end of the business day. Students who are admitted to the Leadership Retreat will receive separate communications with details about the experience.

Not at all! As a reminder, acceptance to the Emory LEADs Experience Leadership Retreat is not a reflection of your admission to Emory.

The Leadership Retreat is just one aspect of our Emory LEADs Experience. There will be other ways to connect with LEADs, including attending our virtual sessions, utilizing our Admission Guidebooks (available late summer), asking your questions in the Discussion Board, and communicating with current students via Welcome to College.

The Emory Leadership, Enrichment, Advocacy, and Discovery (LEADs) Experience is designed for the recruitment of talented, high-achieving high school seniors who are either first-generation college students and/or from a rural or lower socioeconomic background, and/or students who do not have the means to visit campus. That being said, any high school senior is welcome to participate if they feel the content would be meaningful and helpful for their college application process.

Upon submitting their Emory LEADs Experience Application, students will receive an email confirmation as well as subsequent emails about programming throughout the fall semester.

Parents/guardians/advocates with questions about the college application process are encouraged to download our LEADs College Admission Guidebooks (available late summer) and review the table of contents in each to learn more about the specific topics discussed. The Guidebooks are featured in both English and Spanish.

Parents can also reach out to us directly at admission@emory.edu any time with their questions.

Please note:The in-person Leadership Retreat is for high school seniors only.

Yes! We hope students consider participating in LEADs for support in navigating the college application process, especially for first-generation students and those from rural or low-income backgrounds. As such, all high school seniors are able to participate in the program no matter their intention to apply.

All Leadership Retreat participants are provided with free on-campus housing, meals, and shuttle transportation between the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Emory University.

Invited students who live outside a 275-mile radius of Atlanta, Georgia, will also have all their travel expenses covered by the Office of Undergraduate Admission.

Invited students within a 275-mile radius are expected to drive to campus.