HOPE Scholarship
Students who are considered Georgia residents for tuition purposes and are enrolled in an undergraduate degree program may be eligible for the HOPE Scholarship. This award covers tuition, HOPE-approved mandatory fees, and a book allowance.
Eligibility
In all cases, students must:
-
Be a legal resident of Georgia for tuition purposes.
-
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.
-
Register with Selective Service (men only).
-
Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Post secondary Education Act of 1990.
-
Not be in default or owe a refund on a federal or state financial aid program.
-
Not have a bachelor's degree or higher.
-
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress ( www.finaid.gatech.edu/policies/sap ).
High School Academic Requirements
Graduated from an Eligible High School in 1993 or later:
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
Graduated from High School Prior to 1993 or were Academically Ineligible at High School Graduation:
Students who graduated before the HOPE Scholarship program was implemented, or 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.
Graduated from an Ineligible High School or were Home-Schooled:
Students who graduated from an ineligible high school, or were home-schooled in 1997 or later, may be eligible to receive the HOPE Scholarship retroactively after attempting 30 credits of post secondary undergraduate coursework with a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
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.
Application Process
Please visit: www.finaid.gatech.edu/apply
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
-
The HOPE Scholarship pays the total cost of in-state tuition.
Fees
-
Effective Fall 2004, fees are covered at their 2003-2004 rates. Therefore, mandatory fees and fee increases that were not assessed in the 2003-2004 academic year will not be paid by the HOPE Scholarship. As of the 2008-2009 aid year the amount of fees that will be paid for a Full-Time HOPE student while attending at Georgia Tech is $434. Students who opt to go Study Abroad/Foreign Exchange programs may have their fees adjusted based upon the individual program.
Book Allowance
-
Enrolled 1-5 credits = $75
-
Enrolled 6+ credits = $150
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.
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).
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.
Courses Included in the HOPE Calculations
All credit hours attempted after high school graduation are calculated when determining HOPE eligibility, even if they are not accepted by Georgia Tech. 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 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 calculations.
-
AP, IB, and CLEP courses are not included in the HOPE calculations
-
Courses dropped during the Drop / Add period are not included in the HOPE calculations 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.
However, if the undergraduate degree program requires more than 127 hours, then eligibility ends after the student attempts the number of credits required for graduation. For example, if a major of study requires 132 credits to graduate, then eligibility ends when the student attempts 132 credits. In such cases, a student must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the 127 th credit hour.
There are no exceptions covering extra hours needed for dual-degree programs or second majors.
Paid Credit Hours
Eligibility ends when a student receives 127 credits of payment from any combination of the HOPE Scholarship, HOPE Grant (effective Summer 2003), and ACCEL funds (effective Fall 2004). Again, this credit limit increases if the program of study requires more than 127 credits to graduate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please visit: www.finaid.gatech.edu/hope/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)
This website last updated on 08/01/08