The Georgia HOPE Scholarship, funded by the Georgia Lottery, provides financial assistance to students attending Georgia public and private institutions of higher learning.  Students can apply for the HOPE Scholarship by completing one of the following applications:

• FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid and/or;
• GSFAPPS, electronic HOPE Scholarship and Grant application found on the GSFC Website AND;
• GPC Institutional HOPE Scholarship Request form

NOTE: Be prepared to pay for courses out-of-pocket to allow time for processing.

The HOPE Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students who meet the following criteria:

Must be a U.S. citizen or Eligible non-citizen, according to Federal Title IV Programs requirements, for a minimum of 12 months prior to beginning of semester for which state funding is sought

Must be a legal resident of Georgia for 12 consecutive months immediately prior to the first day of classes of the school term for which state funding  is sought

*NOTE:  Beginning Fall Semester 2011, a student who does not meet the Georgia Residency requirements of the Board of Regents or the Technical College System of Georgia at the time of high school graduation, Home Study program completion or successful GED test must meet such Georgia Residency requirements for 24 consecutive months immediately prior to the first day of classes of the school term for which state funding is sought

Must meet Federal Title IV  Selective Service registration requirements.

Must not have earned a Baccalaureate Degree, its equivalent or higher

Must not be in default on a Federal Title IV Programs or State of Georgia educational loan nor owe a refund on a Federal Title IV or State of Georgia student financial aid program

Must be in accordance with the Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990, he or she has not been convicted for committing certain felony offenses involving marijuana, controlled substances, or dangerous drugs

Must not be incarcerated

Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), as defined and certified by Georgia Perimeter College (GPC). SAP requirements do NOT apply to HOPE GED recipients.

HOPE recipients must meet the required reviews at the following levels for the standard HOPE scholarship program:

Freshman Level

Students must graduate from an Eligible High School with a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative grade point average on a 4.00 scale

Sophomore Level

Students must have a 3.0 GPA after attempting 30, but less than 60 semester credit hours

Junior Level

Students must have a 3.0 GPA after attempting 60, but less than 90 semester credit hours

Senior Level

Students must have a 3.0 GPA after attempting 90, but less than 127 semester credit hours

*NOTE: Students that completed an eligible home study program, must have earned a 3.0 GPA

In addition to meeting the above requirements for HOPE Scholarship:

Freshmen HOPE recipients who are enrolled in 12 or more credit hours must have a 3.0 GPA at the end of every spring semester to meet the new End of Spring check point regardless of whether the student has reached the above review level.  Freshmen HOPE recipients who are enrolled in less than 12 credit hours for three consecutive terms will be evaluated at the end of the third consecutive term and must have a 3.0 GPA to continue to receive the HOPE Scholarship.

All Sophomore, Junior, and Senior HOPE recipients must have a 3.0 GPA at the end of every spring semester to continue to receive the HOPE scholarship regardless of whether the student has reached the above review level.

• Students who fail to meet the GPA requirements at the above review points will not be evaluated again until they have reached the next review point of the normal cycle of 30, 60, and 90 credit hours or next annual review at the end of spring semester, whichever comes first.

Transient Students:  Transient students who are eligible for HOPE Scholarship must have their home institution provide a HOPE Transient Certificate to Georgia Perimeter College before receiving HOPE Scholarship funds.

Georgia Perimeter College will retrieve the data, then award and disburse HOPE funds based on your eligibility and enrollment status.

Transfer Students:  Students who enter the institution as a "Transfer Student" must provide Enrollment and Registration Services with a copy of all academic transcripts from previously attended accredited institutions. In addition, students who attended non-accredited institutions must submit those academic transcripts directly to the Office of Student Financial Services.

HOPE Award Amounts

Beginning in Fall 2011, students attending public colleges or universities receive a HOPE Award Amount based upon a per hour rate multiplied by the number of credit hours (up to a maximum of 15 credit hours) in which a student is enrolled at the institution he or she is attending. To determine your HOPE Scholarship award amount, please review page 1 of the chart found here

*New Seven Year Limit Regulation

Beginning with Fall term 2011, a student who has received HOPE Scholarship payment prior to Summer term 2011, may receive the HOPE Scholarship until June 30, 2015, as long as the student continues to meet all other eligibility requirements.

Beginning with Fall term 2011, a student who has not received HOPE Scholarship payment prior to Summer term 2011, and meets all other eligibility requirements for HOPE Scholarship, may receive the HOPE Scholarship until seven years after his or her high school graduation date, GED test date, Home Study program completion date or date the student stopped pursuing a diploma.  The seven year period ends on June 30th of the seventh full year following the student’s high school graduation date.

Ineligibility after Losing HOPE at Two Checkpoints

A student who has lost HOPE Scholarship Eligibility at two Checkpoints since Fall term 2011, cannot regain eligibility.

Book Allowance Awards

Beginning Fall 2011, Book Allowance Awards are no longer available and were only available through Summer term 2011.

Learning Support (LS) and English as a Second Language (ENSL) Coursework

LS and ENSL coursework attempted prior to Fall term 2011 must count as HOPE Attempted-Hours. Beginning Fall 2011 and later, LS and ENSL classes are not counted towards HOPE Attempted Hours.

Application Deadline

A student must file a GSFAPPS, FAFSA, or paper HOPE Scholarship and Grant Application on or before the last day of the school term (semester) or the student’s withdrawal date, whichever occurs first, in order to be paid for that school term. The last day of the school term is the last day of classes or exams for the institution, whichever occurs later.

Zell Miller Scholarship Program

To be a Zell Miller scholar a student must also have met all the eligibility requirements of a HOPE Scholar.

Beginning with the High School Graduating Class of 2011 and beyond, in order to meet the academic requirements of the Zell Miller Scholarship at the First-Tier a student must:

• ·        Graduate from an Eligible High School as the Valedictorian or the Salutatorian; or

• ·        Graduate from an Eligible High School with a minimum of 3.70 Cumulative Grade Point Average on a 4.00 scale as calculated by GSFC for Zell Miller and HOPE Scholarship purposes; and

• ·         Receive a minimum score of 1200 combined critical reading and math on a single administration of the SAT on a test administration at the time of high school graduation; or

• ·         Receive a composite scale score of 26 on a single administration of the ACT on a test administration at the time of high school graduation.

• Students must meet the required reviews at the following levels for the Zell  Miller HOPE scholarship program:

Freshman Level

Students must graduate from an Eligible High School as the Valedictorian or the Salutatorian; or  graduate with a minimum of 3.70 Cumulative Grade Point Average on a 4.00 scale as calculated by GSFC and; receive a minimum of 1200 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT

Sophomore Level

Students must have a 3.30 GPA after attempting 30, but less than 60 semester credit hours

Junior Level

Students must have a 3.30 GPA after attempting 60, but less than 90 semester credit hours

Senior Level

Students must have a 3.30 GPA after attempting 90, but not more 127 semester credit hours

Zell Award Amounts

The Zell Miller Award Amount at a USG or TCSG Institution is equal to the current academic year standard Undergraduate Tuition amount, on a per hour basis, at the institution in which the student is enrolled. To determine your Zell Miller HOPE Award Amount, please review page 2 of the chart found here

If a student loses the Zell Miller HOPE Scholarship due to earning a GPA lower than 3.30, the student becomes eligible to receive funds under the HOPE Scholarship program, provided that the GPA is a 3.0 or higher.

HOPE GED Grant

HOPE GED recipients who earned a General Education Development (GED/high school equivalency) diploma awarded by the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education after June 30, 1993 may receive a one-time $500 HOPE award.  This award can be used toward tuition, books, and other educational costs at an eligible public or private college, university, or technical college in a degree, diploma, or certificate program.

Recipients of this grant must provide the Financial Aid Office with the original signed copy of the HOPE GED Voucher.

Students are ineligible for HOPE GED payments if:

·         He or she began seeking a college Degree or received HOPE Scholarship payment prior to earning a GED diploma

·         He or she received a high school diploma prior to earning a GED diploma

·         He or she received payment from both the HOPE GED Grant and the HOPE Scholarship as a First-Tier student

*NOTE: Students that submit HOPE GED vouchers and have attended previous colleges are required to submit academic transcripts.

HOPE Diploma/Grant

Provided that students meet the eligibility requirements, and are enrolling in a certificate or diploma program at Georgia Perimeter College, students may be eligible for the HOPE Grant.  A FAFSA or GSFAPPS and an institutional HOPE Grant Request form must be completed and submitted to apply for this grant. Here is the link for the institutional HOPE Grant Request form

At Georgia Perimeter College, the One-Year Certificate Programs include Fire management, Library and Information Science Technology, and Sign Language Interpreting. The HOPE Grant will cover ONLY those courses listed under the curriculum for these programs. Students will be financially responsible for any charges incurring for enrolling in courses listed outside the curriculum.

Beginning Fall semester 2011, a HOPE Grant recipient who has accumulated at least 30 semester Paid-Hours, (excluding Learning Support and Dual Enrollment coursework), but less than 60 semester Paid-Hours, must have earned a Postsecondary Cumulative Grade Point Average of at least 3.00 at the end of the school term in which he or she has accumulated at least 30 semester Paid-Hours in order to be eligible for HOPE Grant payment for the next 30 semester hours.

If a student loses HOPE Grant eligibility at the 60^th  semester hour Checkpoint, for failure to earn at least a 3.00 Postsecondary Cumulative Grade Point Average, HOPE Grant eligibility cannot be regained.

Beginning Fall semester 2011, a student who has received a Baccalaureate Degree, its equivalent or higher, from any postsecondary institution is ineligible to receive HOPE Grant payment.

Beginning Fall semester 2011, the award amount is equal to the HOPE Award Rate, multiplied by the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled up to a maximum of 15 credit hours.

ACCEL Program

The Accel program is for students at eligible high schools that wish to take college level coursework for credit towards both high school and college graduation requirements. Eligible students must meet certain criteria, explained below. The program is offered only during the fall and spring terms of the school year. Please click here to read more on Accel.

HERO Program

The purpose of this program is to provide educational scholarship assistance to members of the Georgia National Guard and U.S. Military Reservists who served in combat zones, and the children and the spouses of such members of the Georgia National Guard and U.S. Military Reserves. Please click here to read more and find out how to apply for this program.

NOTE: Be prepared to pay for the courses out-of-pocket to allow time for processing.

Keep Your Grades, Keep Your Classes, and Keep Your Money.
Drop Your Grades, Drop Your Classes, and Lose Your Money.