Georgia‘s HOPE Scholarship Program
Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship is available to Georgia residents who have demonstrated academic achievement. The scholarship provides money to assist students with their educational costs of attending college in Georgia.
ELIGIBILITY
To receive HOPE Scholarship funding, students graduating from Roswell High School must:
1. Meet academic requirements:
- Graduates with the Classes of 2010 and 2011, must graduate with a 3.0 HOPE GPA for college preparatory diploma recipients or a 3.2 HOPE GPA for career technology diploma recipients. For details on how the HOPE GPA is calculated see below.
- Graduates who begin their high school careers during or after the 2008-2009 school year (Class of 2012+), must graduate with a 3.0 HOPE GPA in core subjects. For details on how the HOPE GPA is calculated see below.
2. Be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at an eligible public or private college or university or technical college in Georgia. View a list of HOPE eligible colleges and universities .
3. Meet HOPE’s Georgia residency requirements.
4. Meet HOPE’s U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen requirements.
5. Be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements.
6. Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990.
7. Not be in default or owe a refund on a student financial aid program.
8. Maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the college.
AWARD AMOUNTS
The money provided to HOPE Scholars varies and depends on the type of institution you are attending and your specific enrollment.
- Beginning in Fall 2011, students attending public colleges or universities receive a HOPE Award Amount based upon a per hour rate at the institution he or she is attending. To determine your HOPE Award Amount, please review the chart found here
. - At an eligible private postsecondary institution, For Fall 2011, Winter 2012, and Spring 2012, students attending private colleges or universities receive the following:
- Full-time students: $1,800 per semester, $1,200 per quarter
- Half-time students: $900 per semester, $600 per quarter
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
You should always check with the college you are going to attend to make sure you are completing the applications they require. In order to be considered for the HOPE Scholarship, a student must complete one of the following application forms:
- A GSFAPPS electronic application;
- A paper HOPE Scholarship and Grant Application, (printable from the GAcollege411 website), or
- A current year FAFSA (available after January 1st of the senior year). A student who applies for HOPE Scholarship by completing and submitting a FAFSA must complete and submit a new FAFSA for each Award Year.
In addition to one of these three applications, an Eligible Postsecondary Institution may require students to complete the institution’s application for student financial aid or other forms to provide supplemental information for the purpose of determining HOPE Scholarship eligibility.
WHERE TO GO FOR HELP
If you need help filling out an application or have other questions relating to the HOPE Scholarship, we suggest contacting the financial aid office at the school you plan to attend or contacting the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC).
You can contact the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) by:
E-mail: gacollege411@gsfc.org
Telephone:
Toll-Free at: 1-800-505-GSFC (4732)
In Metro Atlanta: (770) 724-9000
RELATED LINKS
- For information on the Zell Miller Scholarship Program
HOW IS THE HOPE GPA CALCULATED?
- ALL English, Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Language grades earned in high school are counted – middle school grades are not included in calculating the HOPE GPA.
- The extra Fulton County “7” points are removed from all honors, AP, and college course grades
- Numeric grades are converted to the 4.0 scale (A=4.0 points, B=3.0 points, C=2.0 points, and F=0 points)
- After additional points are removed and grade is converted, an AP grade receives an additional .5 point (not to exceed 4.0)
Example:
AP Biology = 92
92–7 extra points= 85
85 = 3.0
3.0+.5 = 3.5
