Hope Scholarship Requirements
Here is a short list of requirements for the Hope Grant, Hope Scholarship, and Zell Miller Scholarship. You can find more hope scholarship information at the hope scholarship knowledge base.
HOPE Grant Requirements
The HOPE Grant is available to students regardless of high school graduation date who are pursuing a certificate or diploma program.Students who are pursuing an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree are not eligible for the HOPE Grant. To be eligible for the HOPE Grant, you must:
- be a legal Georgia resident
- be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements
- be enrolled in a certificate or diploma program
- not have obtained a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent
- be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990. A student may be ineligible for HOPE payment if he or she has been convicted for committing certain felony offenses involving marijuana, controlled substances, or dangerous drugs.
- not be in default or owe a refund on a student financial aid program
- maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the college
- have maintained at least a 3.0 HOPE grade point average at the 30th and 60th hour checkpoints.
HOPE Scholarship Requirements
HOPE Scholarship Requirements for Freshman
To be eligible for the HOPE Scholarship as a freshman student, you must:
- have graduated from a Georgia High School in 1993 or thereafter with at least a 3.0 grade point average for college preparatory diploma or a 3.2 grade point average for other diploma types
- be a legal Georgia resident
- be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- be enrolled in an associate or bachelor’s degree program
- not have obtained a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent
- be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements
- be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990. A student may be ineligible for HOPE payment if he or she has been convicted for committing certain felony offenses involving marijuana, controlled substances, or dangerous drugs.
- not be in default or owe a refund on a student financial aid program.
- maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the college.
HOPE Scholarship Requirements for Transfer/Returning Students
To be eligible for the HOPE Scholarship as a transfer/returning student, you must:
- have maintained at least a 3.0 HOPE grade point average at the End-of-Spring checkpoint AND the 30th, 60th, or 90th attempted hour including all college/university attempted hours
- be a legal Georgia resident
- be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- be enrolled in an associate or bachelor’s degree program
- not have obtained a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent
- be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements
- be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990. A student may be ineligible for HOPE payment if he or she has been convicted for committing certain felony offenses involving marijuana, controlled substances, or dangerous drugs.
- not be in default or owe a refund on a student financial aid program.
- maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the college.
Students who have attempted 127 hours or more (including all college/university credit hours), OR who have already completed a baccalaureate (four-year) degree are not eligible for the HOPE Scholarship or HOPE Grant.
Zell Miller Scholarship Requirements
To be eligible for the Zell Miller Scholarship, you must have graduated from an eligible Georgia high school and meet ONE of the following academic requirements:
- graduate from a HOPE-eligible high school as the Valedictorian or the Salutatorian. These students are eligible for the Zell Miller Scholarship without consideration of the GPA or ACT/SAT requirements OR
- graduate from an eligible high school with a minimum 3.7 GPA combined with a minimum score of 1200 on the math and reading portions of the SAT or at least a 26 composite ACT score in a single test administration OR
- Complete a HOPE eligible home study program with a 3.7 grade point average combined with a minimum score of 1200 on the math and reading portions of the SAT test or at least a 26 composite score on the ACT test in a single test administration OR
- Graduate from an ineligible high school or complete an ineligible home study program with a minimum score of 1200 on the math and reading portions of the SAT test or a 26 composite score on the ACT test in a single test administration, and then earn a 3.3 grade point average on 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of college degree-level coursework taken after high school graduation or home study completion. This option allows for payment of the first 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours after they are taken OR
- Have first enrolled in an eligible post-secondary institution between 2007 and 2010, meeting one of the academic qualifications listed above and having earned a 3.3 cumulative grade point average at the most recent HOPE Scholarship checkpoint.
Zell Miller Scholarship Requirements Award Guidelines:
- Percentage for academic year 2011-2012 will be 100% of the standard tuition rate charged in 2010-2011.
- No Book Allowances
- No payment of Mandatory Fees
- Remedial classes are not covered by the Zell Miller Scholarship.
You must also:
- be a legal Georgia resident
- be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- be enrolled in an associate or bachelor’s degree program
- not have obtained a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent
- be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements
- be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990. A student may be ineligible for HOPE payment if he or she has been convicted for committing certain felony offenses involving marijuana, controlled substances, or dangerous drugs.
- not be in default or owe a refund on a student financial aid program.
- maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the college.
- maintain a 3.3 GPA in college
I am writing on behalf of my son Daniel. He graduated from my home school program two years ago and began classes at Georgia Perimeter as well as starting a full time job in August, 2012. He completed 28 hours as of December, 2013, with a 3.78 gpa. He is presently taking 15 hours, but he completed 3 of those hours in March with an A; therefore, he has completed 31 hours with a better than 3.78 average. Because he was home educated, he has not received any financial help from HOPE. What does he need to do to be reimbursed for these last two years of school? Daniel is paying for his schooling on his own. Any help would be so appreciated. Thank you, Sandy Freeman
Your son should see the admissions and financial aid office for Georgia Perimeter. He can also contact the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
I am writing for my granddaughter. She will be attending Augusta Regents (?) beginning with the Fall semester. She recently received her Financial Aid information — the Hope Scholarship was not listed, nor the Zell Miller Scholarship. She would qualify for both. Why would this have not come through based on her FAFSA information and how can she get this?
Check with her high school guidance counselor to make sure that her information has been recorded to the university. Also, check with the financial aid office of the university. Many times hope awards do not show up until closer to start of the Fall semester.
I’m I egilbile for a Hope Grant I’ve been a resident for 3yrs and I;m a fulltime student at Strayer University working on A Bachelors Degree I’m in my freshmen year and my GPA is higher than a 3.0.
At the end of my son’s freshman year, he will have accumulated 27 credit hours at a 3.2g[a. He did not get hope at the High school level. missing the required gpa by one tenth of a point. He believes that his hope gpa will be checked at the end of spring semester and as long as he has 24 earned credits at a 3.0 gpa, he will be eligible for hope. I believe he is wrong. He not only needs to achieve the 3.0 on the 27 credit hours, but he must also earn 3 more credits at a 3.0 gpa in order to be eligible for hope. Is he right, or am I correct? Please let me know
if i graduate from a hope approved school with a 2.9 but am in the 92nd percentile for the sat, can i still get hope?