(1) Who qualifies for HOPE?
(a) Eligibility for the current HOPE Scholarship remains for students who graduate high school with a GPA of 3.0 as calculated by GSFC and maintains a 3.0 college GPA.
(2) Who will be classified as a Zell Miller Scholar? What are the eligibility requirements for the Zell Miller Scholarship?
(a) Incoming Freshman entering Fall 2011 graduating from an eligible high school with a GPA of 3.7 and a score of 1200 on the critical reading and math section on a single test administration of the SAT or received an ACT composite scale score of 26 on a single test administration.
(b) Valedictorian and Salutatorian graduates from an eligible high school that also meet the HOPE Scholarship GPA requirement of 3.0 as reported to GSFC.
(c) Currently enrolled students must have meet one of the above requirements at the time of high school graduation and have a 3.3 college GPA at the most recent checkpoint (end of spring or 30th, 60th, 90th checkpoint) to qualify for the Zell Miller Scholarship starting Fall 2011.
(3) How is the Zell Miller Scholarship different from the HOPE Scholarship in terms of maintaining eligibility?
(a) Zell Miller Scholars must maintain a 3.3 college GPA to remain eligible for the Zell Miller Scholarship award and HOPE Scholars must maintain a 3.0 college GPA to remain eligible for the HOPE Scholarship award.
(4) How many hours must a student enroll to be eligible for the full scholarship award amount offered?
(a) HOPE and Zell Miller scholarship amounts are paid on a per-hour basis. Charts have been provided to assist with payment information.
http://www.finaid.gatech.edu/hopezell/hope_rates.jpg and http://www.finaid.gatech.edu/hopezell/zell_rates.jpg
(5) What charges will HOPE/ZELL cover starting Fall 2011?
(a) HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship applies toward tuition payment only--based on hours enrolled.
(b) The book stipend and fee allowance has been eliminated for all students beginning Fall 2011.
(6)At what point will student's eligibility for either scholarship be checked.
(a) Required cumulative GPA 3.0 (HOPE) or 3.3 (Zell Miller) at the 30th, 60th, and 90th credit hour and at the end of every spring term.
(b) If you lose HOPE or Zell Miller, you can only regain eligibility at the 30/60/90 credit hour checkpoints ONE time
(c) If you lose Zell Miller at a checkpoint but maintain a 3.0 you can still qualify for HOPE
(7) How long can a student receive HOPE/Zell scholarship?
(a) A student may receive the HOPE/Zell Miller scholarship up to a total of 127 attempted and/or paid hours (no exception for minors or majors requiring more than 127 hours.)
(b) HOPE will end for all students at 127 credit hours regardless of credit hours enrolled
(1) If you Begin Fall 2011 semester with 126 credit hours HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarhship will only pay for 1 credit hour at which point you will have attempted 127 HOPE credit hours
HOPE Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions
I am a HOME schooled student. Am I eligible to receive the HOPE/Zell Miller scholarship?
I am a Georgia resident, but I graduated from an out of state high school. Am I eligible for the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship?
I was accepted as an out of state resident and I graduated from a Georgia high school. Am I eligible for the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship?
My major requires more than 127 hours, will HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship pay?
If HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship 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/Zell Miller Scholarship?
Do I have to be enrolled full time to receive HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship?
Can a Co-op student receive HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship?
I will be a Transient student at an out of state institution, will HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship 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/Zell Miller Scholarship?
If a student is correctly determined to be a Georgia resident for purposes of the HOPE/Zell Miller 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/Zell Miller Scholarship Program?
I am a HOME schooled student. Am I eligible to receive the HOPE/Zell Miller scholarship?
A Georgia residentstudent who graduates from a home study program may be eligible to receive HOPE or Zell Miller at the first tier if an evaluation of the student's transcript and SAT/ACT determines such student to be a HOPE Scholar or a Zell Miller Scholar.
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 as a freshman will be reevaluated after attempting 30 college credit hours.
I am a Georgia resident, but I graduated from an out of state high school. Am I eligible for the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship?
Georgia residents that graduated from an out of state high school must forward their final high school transcript and SAT/ACT scores to Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) to be evaluated for eligibility as an entering freshman.
Upon approval by GSFC, the student should should submit the approval letter to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA).
A student who is not eligible as a freshman will be reevaluated after attempting 30 college credit hours.
I was accepted as an out of state resident and I graduated from a Georgia high school. Am I eligible for the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship?
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 or Zell Miller 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 or Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility.
My major requires more than 127 hours, will HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship pay?
The HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship will not pay beyond 127 hours attempted even if your major requires additional hours.
If HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship did not pay for a semester will those hours count against my attempted hours?
Degree credit hours are counted as attempted hours regardless of whether the student receives payment for those hours from the HOPE/Zell Miller program.
I am a Georgia resident and have a status as an eligible Permanent Resident Alien, can I receive HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship?
A student may be eligible for HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship 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 or Zell Miller 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/Zell Miller Scholarship?
A student is not required to be enrolled full time to receive the HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship.
Can a Co-op student receive HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship?
If a student is enrolled in the Co-op program and registers for additional credit hours, the HOPE or Zell Miller 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/Zell Miller Scholarship pay?
No, the HOPE or Zell Miller 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/Zell Miller Scholarship?
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 if he or she met the requirements to be classified as a Georgia Resident on the day of high school graduation or completion of a Home Study program and has meet such Georgia residency requirement for 12 consecutive months immediately prior to the first day of class.
Students were not determined to be 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/Zell Miller 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/Zell Miller Scholarship Program?
Yes, a student can retain his/her Georgia residency for purposes of the HOPE or Zell Miller 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 and Zell Miller Scholarship, or to view the HOPE Regulations, please visit the web site of the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
This website last updated on 06/15/11