Attempted-Hours Limit.
A student is ineligible to receive HOPE Scholarship payment once he or she reaches the Attempted-Hours limit of 127 semester or 190 quarter hours.
Students Enrolled in specific Undergraduate Degree programs of study designed to require more than 127 semester or 190 quarter hours of coursework for graduation or First Professional Degree Programs are eligible for HOPE Scholarship payment for a maximum of 127 semester or 190 quarter Attempted-Hours.

First Professional Degree Program.
A student enrolled in a First Professional Degree program may receive HOPE
Scholarship payment until such student has attempted 127 semester or 190
quarter hours.

You’ll notice that the term “first professional degree program” is used in the regulation wording.  It is important to understand the definition of this term:
“First Professional Degree Program” means a non-undergraduate program of
study that: (1) Accepts students after the completion of two or three years of
postsecondary study; (2) Results in the award of a non-undergraduate degree;
and (3) Has been specifically approved by the Commission for inclusion as a
First Professional Degree Program. For the 2012-2013 Award Year, Doctor of
Pharmacy Degree Programs, Masters of Health Science with a major in
Occupational Therapy Programs, Doctor of Chiropractic Degree Programs, and
Doctor of Physical Therapy Programs offered by Eligible Postsecondary
Institutions are approved by the Commission, and therefore considered First
Professional Degree Programs. Regardless of approval by the Commission as a
First Professional Degree Program, no student is eligible to receive HOPE
Scholarship payment once he or she has earned a Baccalaureate Degree of any
type, from any postsecondary institution, at any time.

This is very clear wording with respect to the eligibility of the Hope Scholarship for graduate degree study.  The last sentence clearly states that no student is eligible to receive HOPE Scholarship payment once he or she as earned a bachelors degree of any type, from any institution, at any time.

So, not only is a graduate degree not eligible, but a second bachelors degree is also not eligible, and any coursework beyond the bachelors degree is not eligible.

The post Can Hope Scholarship be Used for Graduate Degree or Graduate School? appeared first on Hope Scholarship.

The HOPE Scholarship is a reward for scholastic achievement and an incentive to continue working hard in school. If your cumulative grade point average is below a 3.0 at the end of Spring term, or after your first three terms of enrollment for less than 12 hours per term, or after attempting 30 semester or 45 quarter hours, you may regain HOPE at a future time. Re-entry checkpoints are after attempting 30 semester or 45 quarter hours, 60 semester or 90 quarter hours, and 90 semester or 135 quarter hours of study. To regain HOPE, you must have a 3.0 cumulative grade average at the re-entry checkpoint. You cannot regain HOPE eligibility at the end of Spring term, unless that term is also when you have attempted 30 semester or 45 quarter hours, 60 semester or 90 quarter hour, or 90 semester or 135 quarter hours with a 3.0 cumulative grade average.

How To Reapply for HOPE Scholarship

Depending on your personal circumstances or the institution you attend, one of several different forms can be used to reapply for the HOPE Scholarship each year. Contact the Financial Aid Office at the institution you will attend for specific application instructions that best suit your situation. You must complete the application process through the institution’s Financial Aid Office on or before the last day of the academic term (semester or quarter) or your withdrawal date, whichever comes first, in order to be paid for that
academic term.
The postsecondary institution you are attending may also require that you complete the institution’s application for financial aid or Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Please contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Filing Appeals and Exceptions

In order for an appeal or exception to be considered, the student must file a written appeal or request an exception, with supporting documentation, within 45 days of receiving notice of denial. Please address correspondence to:

Compliance, Georgia Student Finance Commission, 2082 East Exchange Place, Tucker, GA 30084.

This information sheet highlights Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program. For the complete HOPE Scholarship Program Regulations, visit there Web site at www.gacollege411.org or call for more information in metro Atlanta at (770) 724-9000 or toll-free in
Georgia at 1-800-505-GSFC (4732).

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• Students must keep a minimum 3.0 HOPE grade point average (GPA) to stay qualified for the HOPE Scholarship.
• All college credit hours taken (attempted) since high school graduation are used in calculating the HOPE Attempted Hours and the HOPE GPA.
• HOPE Scholarship students are monitored to see if they are maintaining a minimum 3.0 HOPE GPA at the end of the semesters where they have attempted their 30th, 60th, 90th hours and at the conclusion of each spring semester.
• The HOPE Scholarship Award Amount is based on a per credit hour basis. Payment is maxed out or capped at 15 hours per semester.
• Once a student has 127 HOPE Attempted Hours or he/she has a total of 127 HOPE Paid Hours, or has earned a bachelor’s degree, the student is no longer eligible. This is applicable to all degree programs.
• HOPE Scholarship has a 127 hour “hard” maximum cap. As an example, if a student ends a semester with 126 HOPE Attempted or Paid Hours, the HOPE Scholarship will only pay for 1 hour of the HOPE award rate for the following semester (as long as the student satisfies other eligibility requirements).  However, if the degree program requires more than 127 hours, the HOPE Scholarship will cover the hours that are required for the degree program.
• Students who lose their HOPE Scholarship are only allowed to regain qualification one time.
• HOPE Scholarship eligibility for students who received HOPE Scholarship before summer 2011 will end June 30, 2015. Eligibility for students not receiving the HOPE Scholarship before the summer of 2011 will expire 7 years after the date of the students’ high school graduation.

See more information regarding the HOPE Scholarship Program that is available on the GAcollege411 Web site.

You can review the 2013-14 HOPE Scholarship regulations at the Hope Scholarship Knowledgebase.

Example HOPE Scholarship Award Amounts for the University of Georgia

The dollar amount of each semester’s HOPE Scholarship award is determined by multiplying $218.46 X the number of hours in which the student is enrolled, up to 15 hours.

Since the HOPE Scholarship amount is based on the total number of hours enrolled in the semester, the HOPE amount will be less when students enroll in fewer than 15 hours as reflected below. The HOPE Award Amount cannot be increased for students who enroll in more than 15 hours.  The award assumes that all tuition above 15 hours is actually capped at a 15 hour rate; that is, 15 hours and above is considered a full time rate and is charged at 15 hours.

See the GSFC “HOPE Award Amounts by Institution for Fiscal Year 2014, Beginning Fall Term” at here for enrollment in 15 hours or less.

Additional UGA Specific HOPE Scholarship Information

HOPE Grade Point Average (GPA) and HOPE Attempted Hours under at +/- system

As an example, the University of Georgia implements a Plus/Minus grading system; however, not all schools have a +/- system; therefore, for the purpose of calculating the cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) for HOPE Scholarship eligibility, only letter grades of A through F are recognized so any Plus or Minus will be disregarded.

2013-14 HOPE Amounts (Maximum $218.46 per Credit Hour)

The Zell Miller Scholarship Program

For a student to qualify for the new Zell Miller Scholarship, the student must graduate from an eligible high school 2007 or later with at minimum 3.7 grade point average (GPA) as calculated by HOPE Scholarship regulations and the student also must have scored at least a 1200 on the SAT (Math and Verbal) or a 26 on the ACT Composite, in a single test administration prior to high school graduation or be their high school Valedictorian or Salutatorian.

Initial eligibility for the Zell Miller Scholarship is determined by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC). Students determined eligible for the Zell Miller Scholarship are subject to all the HOPE Scholarship eligibility requirements except they must maintain a minimum 3.3 grade point average (GPA) on all coursework attempted since high school graduation instead of the minimum 3.0 gpa required for HOPE Scholarship recipients.

You can review the 2013-14 Zell Miller Scholarship regulations at the Hope Scholarship Knowledge base.

Zell Miller Scholarship Award Amounts

For 2013-14 the Zell Miller Scholarship provides a maximum Award Amount of:

• $4,014 to students enrolled in 7 or more hours, and
• $2,385 to students enrolled in 6 or fewer hours.

Returning Students and the Zell Miller Scholarship

The Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) has provided colleges and universities the names of students who graduated from a Georgia high school prior to 2011 with at least a 3.7 grade point average (GPA) and (prior to high school graduation) scored at least a 1200 on the SAT or a 26 on the ACT in a single test administration or were their high school valedictorian or salutatorian. The Zell Miller Scholarship will be awarded to these students instead of the HOPE Scholarship if they are currently eligible for the HOPE Scholarship and their college HOPE Grade Point Average (GPA) at their most recent HOPE Scholarship checkpoint was at least 3.3.

Maximum 127 Attempted or Paid Hours

The Zell Miller Scholarship has a 127 Attempted Hour and Paid Hour hard cap. All college credit hours attempted since high school graduation are counted in determining the number of Zell Scholarship Attempted Hours. If the student finishes a semester with 126 HOPE and/or Zell Miller Scholarship Attempted or Paid hours, the Zell Miller Scholarship will only pay for 1 hour the following semester (assuming the student continues to meet other eligibility requirements).

Zell Miller Scholarship Grade Point Average (GPA) and Attempted Hours

As with the HOPE Scholarship, Plus/Minus grades are not used for calculation of the Zell Miller Scholarship GPA.  For the purpose of calculating the cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) for HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility, regulations recognize only letter grades of A through F so any Plus or Minus will be disregarded.

2013-14 Zell Miller Scholarship Amounts

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According to the regulations from the Georgia Student Finance Commission dated July 1st, 2013, the first tier Zell Miller Scholarship Regulations are:

1. Graduate from an Eligible High School as the Valedictorian or the Salutatorian; or
2. Graduate from an Eligible High School with a minimum of a 3.70 Cumulative Grade Point Average on a 4.00 scale as calculated by GSFC for Zell Miller and HOPE Scholarship purposes; and
a) Receive a composite scale score of 26 on a single administration of the ACT on a test administration by the time of high school graduation; or
b) Receive a minimum score of 1200 combined critical reading and math on a single National Administration of the SAT on a test administration by the time of high school graduation.

The key requirement is “single administration” and “National administration”.  The definition of “National Administration” is:

“National Administration” means an administration of the SAT by the College Board on one of the regularly scheduled dates that it is administered in the United States or internationally. An administration of the SAT through the College Board’s SAT On-Campus Program is not considered to be a National Administration for purposes of these regulations.

The GSFC also defines academic eligibility of the Zell Miller Scholarship as:

“Academically Eligible” means the student entered an Eligible Postsecondary Institution in 2007 or later as a freshman with a high school Grade Point Average of 3.70 or higher as calculated by GSFC, and received a minimum score of 1200 combined critical reading and math on a single National Administration of the SAT on a test administration by the time of high school graduation; or received a composite scale score of 26 on a single administration of the ACT on a test administration by the time of high school graduation; or having graduated high
school being named the Valedictorian or the Salutatorian.

So, it is clear that the SAT Score Calculation for Zell Miller Scholarship is based on the combined math and critical reading scores from a single attempt at the SAT and not from the best math and critical reading scores from multiple SAT attempts.

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However, In July, 2008, House Bill 152 in Georgia passed 43-2 allowing home school graduating seniors to be eligible for the Hope Scholarship as long as they score in the 85th percentile on the SAT or ACT standardized test.  The bill was signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue.

As a reminder, The Hope Scholarship (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) is a program in the state of Georgia that gives Georgia students financial assistance in achieving college degrees and post high school certificate programs. To receive the scholarship, students must go to an eligible Georgia public or private college, university, or technical college. The Hope program was started in 1993 and has given more than 3 billion dollars to more than 900,000 students.

Prior to HB 152, in order for homeschoolers to receive the Hope Scholarship they would need to earn a B average in their first year of college.  They would then retroactively qualify for the award. The change in the law ensures that one student population is not penalized for a home school education versus a student attending public or private school.  The standardized test scores are a good way to set a standard for home school students.

If you live in Georgia and have (or are) a college bound high school student, you can apply for the Home Scholarship by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the Hope Application. You can get these forms at Colleges, Universities, Technical Colleges, and online at http://www.gsfc.org/HOPE.

The post Are Homeschoolers Eligible for Merit Based Awards in Georgia? appeared first on Hope Scholarship.

There are a number of hard and fast rules in the legislation which specifically answers the question concerning “Can I use the Hope Scholarship for Graduate School?”

According to the regulations, regardless of the number of Attempted-Hours or Combined Paid-Hours a student has accumulated, such student is ineligible for HOPE Scholarship payment if he or she has attained a Baccalaureate Degree of any kind, at any time, from any post-secondary institution, including the equivalent of a Baccalaureate Degree from a foreign institution as indicated by the foreign academic transcript and/or foreign academic transcript translation.

There is also a paid hours limit: A student is ineligible to receive HOPE Scholarship payment once he or she reaches the Combined Paid-Hours limit of 127 semester or 190 quarter hours from any combination of Zell Miller or HOPE Scholarship Paid-Hours, plus HOPE Grant Paid-Hours.  The limit can be extended if the course of study actually requires more hours than these to complete the degree requirements for the course of study.  In this case, the minimum hours are extended to meet the course of study requirements.

Finally, there is a time limit of seven years to use the hope scholarship: a student  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.

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In general, the answer is yes. However, there are a few requirements that must be met before the student is eligible to receive a hope scholarship or tuition equalization grant.

First, and most important, being a child of a military parent stationed in Georgia does not remove the requirement that the student must graduate from a Georgia high school to be eligible for an award during the Freshman year at a qualified Georgia public or private institution.  If the student did not graduate from a Georgia high school, the student will need to establish and fulfill the residency requirements after the Freshman year in order to then be considered for a hope scholarship or equalization grant.

Second, the student must fulfill the academic requirements with a minimum 3.0 GPA on qualified classes and, for Zell Miller Scholarship, the ACT and/or SAT scores are also important as well as class rank.

Finally, all other requirements for the hope scholarship must also be met to obtain the scholarship as an entering Freshman at a qualified institution.

Once a student is enrolled in college, the checkpoint hours are used to determine eligibility during the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years in college. After the freshman year, the student will need to continue to show Georgia residency status either with a parent in full time military service stationed in Georgia or by meeting the normal residency requirement of establishing Georgia residency for 24 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes for the quarter or semester for which the hope scholarship is awarded.

As you can see, children of military parents stationed in Georgia are indeed eligible for the Hope Scholarship as long as you keep your GPA (Grade Point Average) above 3.0, graduate from an eligible GA. highs school, maintain or establish Georgia residency, attend a qualified institution, and meet the other requirements.

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You can regain the hope scholarship: f you are a sophomore seeking a bachelor or associate degree, you are eligible if:

A) You meet the residency requirements for the state of Georgia
B) Earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours of attempted course work.
C) Maintain satisfactory academic progress in the course of study

You can regain the hope scholarship: If you are a junior seeking a bachelor or associate degree, you are eligible if:

A) You meet the residency requirements for the state of Georgia
B) Earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of 60 semester or 90 quarter hours of attempted course work.
C) Maintain satisfactory academic progress in the course of study

You can regain the hope scholarship: If you are a senior seeking a bachelor or associate degree, you are eligible if:

A) You meet the residency requirements for the state of Georgia
B) Earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of 90 semester or 135 quarter hours of attempted course work.
C) Maintain satisfactory academic progress in the course of study.

Note, if the cumulative GPA drops below 3.0 at the end of the spring quarter/semester or at the end of three consecutive
quarters for a part time student, then the student is no longer eligible for the Hope Scholarship. The student will have to
attain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 at the 30, 60, or 90 semester hour or the 45, 90, or 135 quarter hour checkpoints to regain the scholarship.

Once a student attempts a total 127 semester or 190 quarter hours they are no longer eligible unless the degree program
requires more hours to complete. In this case, the number of hours is extended to a maximum of 225 quarter hours or 150 semester hours as long as the cumulative GPA was at least 3.0 at 190 quarter/ 127 semester checkpoint.

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According to the legislation, to be eligible for a Hope Scholarship, a new freshman student seeking an associate
or bachelor’s degree shall:

1) Meet residency requirements for the State of Georgia (for the Georgia Hope Scholarship)
2) Meet achievement standards.  These are merit based GPA and/or standardized test scores.
3) Meet enrollment standards.  These are set by the institution which the student will attend.

Item #1, “meet residency requirements” provides that the student must be a legal resident of Georgia and defines what this means.

Item #2, “meet achievement standards” provides that the student must meet minimum GPA requirements and defines the methods used to calculate the valid GPA score for the standard.

Item #3, “meet enrollment standards” provides the required standards for being admitted, enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a matriculated status and defines what this means.

These are, in total, the top level eligibility requirements to receive a hope scholarship. You will note that none of these
requirements mention financial standing of the family, income limits, other scholarships/grants/aid received, or any other indicators relating to income or finances. In fact, unless the institution that you are attending requires it, you do not have to complete a FASFA application because it is not based on financial standing.  Please make sure you check with the admission and aid requirements for your college or university so that you are following the application procedures correctly.

So, for the question “Is there a family income cap to receive the hope scholarship?”, both the short and the long answer is, No.  Since this is a merit based scholarship, the student must maintain a commitment to scholarship throughout his or her high school career starting with the Freshman year and throughout all of high school.

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Based on Georgia Code title 20, Chapter , Article 7:

With respect to eligibility requirements for the Georgia Hope Scholarship:

An eligible postsecondary institution is defined by the legislation as:

1) A unit of the University System of Georgia, or…

2) A branch of the Technical College System of Georgia, or…

3) A private nonprofit, postsecondary institution eligible for tuition equalization grants according to
provisions found in Code section 20-3-411 which says:

A nonproprietary institution of higher education located in this state which is not a branch of the university system; which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

And…

A qualified proprietary institution of higher education located in this state which is a baccalaureate degree-granting institution of higher education; which is accredited by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education; which is not a Bible school or college
The key words in the legislation being “in this state”.  Which means that any institution not “in this state” is, therefore, not eligible as a college or university for a student receiving the award.

So, there you have it the long answer to the short question is also No, the hope scholarship is only for attending eligible colleges/institutions in the state of Georgia.

For those of you in Tennessee, the answer is the same, you must attend an eligible institution in the state, but the actual law that it is based on is different, of course.

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