The College of Engineering invited more than 930 Georgia high school seniors to join its family on Friday, Dec. 9. They were among the 2,500 admitted to Georgia Tech in Undergraduate Admission’s Early Action 1 decision release. Of the cohort, 36% plan to study engineering. They were chosen from among the 6,400 who applied.

Raheem Beyah, dean of the College and Southern Company Chair, personally delivered the good news to four students at Atlanta’s Drew Charter School. He visited the East Lake-community school Friday morning, surprising the seniors eight hours before they would have otherwise learned the news.

One of them was Nadea Davis, who said she’s been nervous for more than a week.

“My heart has been thumping with anticipation since Dec. 1, so this is a huge relief,” said Davis, who plans to major in biomedical engineering. “I’ve always had my eyes on Georgia Tech. It’s my top choice, and I’m definitely coming to Tech.”

For Beyah, the morning reminded him of his own college acceptance day when he was a senior at Atlanta’s Douglass High School.

“It was nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time,” said Beyah. “I saw the same emotions on the students’ faces during our visit on Friday. They have worked incredibly hard for this moment, and it was an honor to watch them celebrate with their parents, teachers, and classmates. I’m looking forward to seeing them on our campus next fall.”

Elsewhere on Friday, Devesh Ranjan, the Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. School Chair in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, surprised five students at Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School with admit letters.

This first round of early acceptances is reserved specifically for Georgia students. Out-of-state students will receive word in January. To date, more than 37,000 students have applied to Georgia Tech — an 8% increase from this point last year.