HOPE Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions
I am a HOME schooled student. Am I eligible to receive the HOPE scholarship?
I am a Georgia resident, but I graduated from an out of state high school. Am I HOPE eligible?
I was accepted as an out of state resident and I graduated from a Georgia high school. Am I HOPE eligible?
My major requires more than 127 hours, will HOPE pay?
If HOPE did not pay for a semester will those hours count against my attempted hours?
I am a Georgia resident and have a status as an eligible Permanent Resident Alien, can I receive HOPE?
Do I have to be enrolled full time to receive HOPE?
Can a Co-op student receive HOPE?
I will be a Transient student at an out of state institution, will HOPE pay?
How do I know if I am a Georgia Resident? If I am not a Georgia Resident, when will I become a Georgia Resident and be eligible to receive HOPE?
If a student is correctly determined to be a Georgia resident for purposes of the HOPE Scholarship Program, then the student's parents leave the state after the student has begun his/her post-secondary coursework, can the student retain his/her Georgia residency for purposes of the HOPE Program?
I am a HOME schooled student. Am I eligible to receive the HOPE scholarship?
A student who graduates from a home study program may be eligible to receive HOPE at the first tier if an evaluation of the student's transcript determines such student to be a HOPE Scholar or the student scores in the eighty-fifth percentile or higher on a standardized college admission test, such as the SAT or ACT.
Please submit a copy of your final transcript and ACT or SAT scores to the Georgia Student Finance Commission for evaluation.
A student who is not eligible for HOPE as a freshman will be reevaluated after attempting 30 hours and may become eligible with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
I am a Georgia resident, but I graduated from an out of state high school. Am I HOPE eligible?
Georgia residents that graduated from an out of state high school must forward their final high school transcript to Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) to be evaluated for the HOPE Scholarship eligibility as an entering freshman. Upon approval by GSFC, the student should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) to apply for the HOPE Scholarship. A student who is not eligible as a freshman will be reevaluated after attempting thirty (30) hours and may become eligible with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.
I was accepted as an out of state resident and I graduated from a Georgia high school. Am I HOPE eligible?
If the institution grants a Military Personnel Out-Of-State tuition waiver for a First-Tier student and that student has graduated from an eligible High School as a HOPE Scholar, then the student meets the Georgia Residency requirements as a First-Tier student. No Out-Of-State tuition waiver, other than for Military Personnel and their dependents, qualify students for HOPE Scholarship eligibility.
My major requires more than 127 hours, will HOPE pay?
The HOPE Scholarship will pay beyond 127 hours attempted, if your major requires additional hours and you have a minimum GPA of 3.0 at 127 attempted hours. Such students must also have not reached the combined Paid-Hours limit.
If HOPE did not pay for a semester will those hours count against my attempted hours?
All hours attempted after high school graduation will count against the student's total attempted hours with the exception of audit hours and credit hours earned through examination.
I am a Georgia resident and have a status as an eligible Permanent Resident Alien, can I receive HOPE?
A student may be eligible for HOPE if he/she has held the status of permanent resident alien for 12 months prior to the first day of the term he/she is seeking the HOPE scholarship. The student must submit to the OSFA documentation of eligible non citizen status before a final determination can be made.
Do I have to be enrolled full time to receive HOPE?
A student is not required to be enrolled full time to receive the HOPE Scholarship. The HOPE Scholarship will prorate based on the number of hours the student is enrolled.
Can a Co-op student receive HOPE?
If a student is enrolled in the Co-op program and registers for additional credit hours, the HOPE scholarship will pay for the eligible credit hours enrolled excluding Co-op hours.
I will be a Transient student at an out of state institution, will HOPE pay?
No, the HOPE Scholarship is awarded based on your enrollment at a HOPE eligible institution within the state of Georgia .
How do I know if I am a Georgia Resident? If I am not a Georgia Resident, when will I become a Georgia Resident and be eligible to receive HOPE?
Georgia residency is determined by the Office of Admissions governed by the Board of Regents University System of Georgia in-state tuition policy.
In general a first-tier student meets the Georgia residency requirements for purposes of HOPE Scholarship eligibility if he or she met the requirements to be classified as a Georgia Resident at the day of high school graduation or completion of a Home Study program.
Effective July 1, 2008- Students who graduate from high school on or after July 1, 2008, and who were not Georgia residents on the day of their high school graduation or completion of a Home Study program, such student must meet the Georgia residency requirements for 24 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of class of the school term for which the HOPE Scholarship is sought.
If a student is correctly determined to be a Georgia resident for purposes of the HOPE Scholarship Program, then the student's parents leave the state after the student has begun his/her post-secondary coursework, can the student retain his/her Georgia residency for purposes of the HOPE Program?
Yes, a student can retain his/her Georgia residency for purposes of the HOPE Scholarship program, even if the student's parents leave Georgia if the student was correctly determined to be a Georgia resident at the time of admission to the university and the student has begun his/her post-secondary coursework
For more information:
For more information on the HOPE Scholarship, or to view the HOPE Regulations, please visit the web site of the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
This website last updated on 08/01/08