HOPE Scholarship
Georgia's HOPE Scholarship is available to Georgia residents who have demonstrated academic achievement. The scholarship provides money to assist students with a portion of the tuition cost at a HOPE Scholarship eligible college or university.
HOPE Scholarship is available to Georgia Residents (according to the University System of Georgia and the Georgia Student Finance Commission residency requirements) who have demonstrated academic achievement.
Basic Eligibility: The HOPE Scholarship program requires students to meet basic eligibility requirements to be awarded initially after high school graduation and maintained while enrolled in an eligible college or university (postsecondary institution). An eligible student must:
- Meet U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen requirements;
- Meet the postsecondary institutions Georgia Residency requirements;
- Be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at a USG, TCSG or eligible private HOPE eligible college or university in Georgia;
- Meet federal Selective Service registration requirements, per Georgia state law. The requirement to register applies to males who were born on or after January 1, 1960, are at least 18, are citizens or eligible non-citizens who came to the United States prior to age 26;
- Meet the Eligible Postsecondary Institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy;
- Be in good standing on all student loans or other financial aid programs;
- Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990;
- Not have exceeded the maximum award limits for any HOPE program
For more information please visit GAFutures.
Limits and Expiration of Eligibility: HOPE Scholarship has limits to how long students can receive the scholarship payments based on: expiration of eligibility, 10-year eligibility limit, and seven-year eligibility limit.
Award Amounts: Award amounts are determined annually by Georgia Student Finance Commission. The HOPE Scholarship award amount is applied towards standard undergraduate tuition, up to a maximum of 15 hours, for the specific number of hours enrolled in eligible courses, whether full time or part time.
- Step 1: Review basic eligibility requirements, academic eligibility requirements, and limits and expiration of eligibility listed above. If you believe that you are eligible, please proceed to the next step.
- Step 2: Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Complete the online Georgia Student Finance Application (GSFAPP). The FAFSA must be completed annually. The GSFAPP remains valid for 10 years. Please be mindful that if you opt to complete the GSFAPP in lieu of the FAFSA, then you can only be reviewed for the HOPE Scholarship.
- Step 3: Registers with Selective Service (if applicable)
- Step 4: Completes the electronic HOPE request form
To be eligible for the HOPE Scholarship, you must meet the following requirements:
- Must meet Basic Eligibility Requirements
- Must maintain Academic Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a final HOPE Scholar if less than 30 attempted hours. This means your GPA is an eligible GPA for the HOPE scholarship.
- Must have at least a 3.0 HOPE GPA, which includes all college level coursework attempted since high school and from any institution attended.
- Must not have reached your expiration of eligibility date. When you receive your first
HOPE scholarship payment, GSFC will determine your eligibility limit.
- Must have attempted less than 127 hours.
- Must not have reached your expiration of eligibility date. When you receive your first HOPE scholarship payment, GSFC will determine your eligibility limit.
- Must not have earned a baccalaureate (four-year) degree, regardless of whether or not HOPE funds were received while earning the degree.
- Must complete an application: FAFSA or GSFAPPS.