HOPE Scholarship
Based on information provided by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) May, 2011. Additional details available at GAcollege411
HOPE is a merit based scholarship program available to students who have met the University System of Georgia and GSFC's residency requirements and are enrolled in an undergraduate degree seeking program.
Eligibility
In all cases, students must:
1. Be a legal resident of Georgia for tuition purposes. Georgia Residency Requirements for HOPE :
A. A student entering the HOPE Scholarship Program who meets the Georgia Residency requirements of the Board of Regents at the time of high school graduation, or equivalent, must also meet such Georgia Residency requirements for 12 consecutive months immediately prior to the first day of classes of the school term for which the HOPE scholarship is sought.
B. A student who graduated from high school, or equivalent, on or after July 1, 2008 who does not meet the Georgia Residency requirements of the Board of Regents at the time of high school graduation, must meet such Georgia Residency requirements for 24 consecutive months immediately prior to the first day of classes of the school term for which the HOPE Scholarship is sought.
C. A student, who was correctly determined to meet the Georgia Residency requirements for purposes of HOPE Scholarship eligibility and began receiving HOPE Scholarship payment, will continue to meet the Georgia Residency requirements for HOPE, unless the student has a break in enrollment of two or more consecutive semesters and resides outside of Georgia for 12 or more consecutive months.
2. Be a U.S. citizen or national of the U.S. or a Permanent Resident Alien. All students must hold this status for 12 months prior to the first day of class of the school term for which they seek this award.
3. Register with Selective Service (men only).
4. Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Post secondary Education Act of 1990.
5. Not be in default or owe a refund on a federal or state financial aid program.
6. Not have a bachelor's degree or higher.
7. Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (www.finaid.gatech.edu/policies/sap).
High School Academic Requirements
1. Graduated from an Eligible High School:
Generally, students who graduate from an eligible high school with a GPA of 3.0 or higher are considered HOPE Scholars and qualify for this award as entering freshmen. For more details regarding eligible high schools and the definition of a HOPE Scholar, please visit: www.gacollege411.org
2. Graduated from High School Prior and were Academically Ineligible at High School Graduation:
Students who were not academically eligible at the time of their high school graduation, may apply for this award after attempting 30 credits of post secondary undergraduate coursework with a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
3. Graduated from an Ineligible High School or were Home-Schooled:
Students who graduated from an ineligible high school, or were home-schooled, may be eligible to receive the HOPE Scholarship retroactively after attempting 30 credits of post secondary undergraduate coursework, earns a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and meets all other HOPE Scholarship requirements. The student must also have met the Georgia Residency requirements at the time of Home Study completion or high school graduation.
Or
Students can be eligible to receive HOPE as a freshman if such student scores in the 85th percentile on a single test administration of the SAT or ACT and has these scores sent directly to the Georgia Student Finance Commission for evaluation.
4. GED Recipients
Students who earn their GED diploma may apply for the HOPE Scholarship after attempting 30 credits of post secondary undergraduate coursework with a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
or
Students can be eligible as a freshman if such student scores in the 85th percentile on a single test administration of the SAT or ACT and have these scores sent directly to the Georgia Student Finance Commission for evaluation.
Application Process
1. Complete the Georgia Tech Application for Scholarships and Financial Aid
AND
2. a. Complete the HOPE application at GAcollege411
OR
b. Complete the FAFSA
Enrollment
Students must be enrolled in a degree-seeking undergraduate program. Full-time enrollment is not required. If a student already has a bachelor's degree or higher, then he or she is not eligible for this award.
Award Amounts
Tuition
For 2011-2012, the HOPE Scholarship pays up to 90% of the total cost of in-state tuition for the 2010-2011 academic year. This is a maximum of $6363 based on two semesters of enrollment in 15 HOPE eligible credits per term for students who do not qualify for a prior "guaranteed tuition" rate.
Note: Beginning Fall 2011, there are no awards for fees or books through this program.
Maintaining the HOPE Scholarship
Students are evaluated for their continued eligibility in the HOPE Scholarship program at various checkpoints throughout their academic career. At each checkpoint a cumulative 3.0 GPA must be earned, or the award will be lost.
End-of-Spring Checkpoints
Students will be checked at the end of every Spring term, even if they were not enrolled in classes that term. HOPE can't be regained at this checkpoint unless it is also a 30/60/90th attempted hour checpoint.
EXCEPTION: Freshmen who enroll in less than 12 credits for their first three semesters will not be checked until the end of their third enrolled term.
30 th / 60 th / 90 th Credit Hour Checkpoints
Students will be checked at the end of the term in which they attempt 30 / 60 / 90 credits (respectively). HOPE can be lost or regained at these checkpoints.
Regaining Eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship
Students who lose eligibility to receive the HOPE Scholarship will be re-evaluated at the next 30 th / 60 th / 90 th credit hour checkpoint. After a student has attempted 90 credits, he or she cannot be re-evaluated. Effective Fall 2011, HOPE can be regained just once.
No gains or losses prior to Fall 2011 count.
Not having the scholarship and then earning it for the first time does not count as starting with a loss. Gains and losses start after a student earns HOPE for the first time.
Courses Included in the HOPE Calculations
All credit hours attempted after high school graduation are calculated when determining HOPE eligibility. This includes credit hours not accepted by Georgia Tech, credits hours not paid for by HOPE or credit hours taken outside the state of Georgia. Likewise, courses forgiven by the institution are included in the calculations. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that Georgia Tech has transcripts from all institutes of higher learning (post high school graduation) in order for OSFA to accurately determine the student's HOPE eligibility.
For more details on the impact of the grade substitution policy on financial aid, please visit: www.finaid.gatech.edu/policies/grades
Additionally:
Pass / Fail credits are included in the attempted hours.
Courses withdrawn (W) are included in the total attempted hours, but they are not included in the GPA calculations.
Courses withdrawn while failing (WF) count as a grade of "F" in the cumulative GPA. Therefore, they are included in the attempted hours and cumulative GPA.
Learning support credits earned through Summer 2011 are included in the attempted hours and cumulative GPA.
Courses Excluded from the HOPE Calculations
Audited / CO-OP courses are not included in the HOPE attempted hours or HOPE GPA.
AP, IB, and CLEP courses are not included in the HOPE attempted hours or HOPE GPA.
Courses dropped during the Drop / Add period are not included in the HOPE attempted hours or HOPE GPA. because they are erased from student records.
Courses withdrawn due to serious medical issues may be forgiven and exempt from consideration in the HOPE calculations. An appeal must be sent to the Georgia Student Finance Commission (www.gacollege411.org).
Courses withdrawn due to military activation are forgiven and are not included in the HOPE calculations.
Length of Scholarship
Attempted Credit Hours
Eligibility ends when a student attempts 127 credit hours, even if HOPE funds did not pay for those credits.
Effective Fall 2011, there are no exceptions covering extra hours needed for majors requiring additional hours, for dual-degree programs, or for second majors.
Paid Credit Hours
Eligibility ends when a student receives 127 credits of payment from any combination of the HOPE Scholarship, Zell Miller Scholarship, HOPE Grant (effective Summer 2003), and ACCEL funds (paid Fall 2004 – Summer 2011).
Seven Year Limit
Effective beginning with Fall 2011:
A student that received HOPE Scholarship payment at least one time prior to Summer 2011 is eligible to continue receiving the HOPE Scholarship until June 30, 2015.
-
A student receiving the HOPE Scholarship for the first time during Summer 2011 or later is eligible to receive the HOPE Scholarship through June 30th of the 7th year following the student's date of high school graduation, home school completion, successful GED test date or date the student stopped pursuing a diploma.
A student that served on active duty in the military following his or her date of high school graduation, or equivalent, may request that such active duty service time be added back to his or her 7 years of eligibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please visit: www.finaid.gatech.edu/hopezell/faq
For More Information
For more information on the HOPE Scholarship, or to view the HOPE regulations, please contact the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC):
(770) 724-9000 or (800) 505-GSFC (4732)
HOPE Information Session Powerpoint from April 2011
This website last updated on 06/01/11