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“Georgia’s HOPE scholarship is one of the largest merit-based college scholarship programs in the United States, but it could be so much more. By rewarding both good grades and volunteer service, the HOPE scholarship could teach the rest of the nation how to produce educated, engaged citizens who know how to give back.

By requiring service, the HOPE scholarship would build on the legacy of the G.I. Bill, arguably one of the most successful and popular government programs in U.S. history. By the end of 1956, roughly 2.2 million World War II veterans used G.I. benefits to attend college. Giving veterans an education in return for their service helped create the “greatest generation,” building our country’s unparalleled economic strength and enriching our communities.

We recently increased the academic requirements for the HOPE scholarship in response to our state’s fiscal constraints. Today, high school students in Georgia earning a 3.0 grade point average or better qualify for scholarships to colleges in the state. That’s a great reward for academic performance. But if we’re eager to turn out good citizens, we have to do more.

Since 1993, Georgia has awarded HOPE scholarships worth almost $7 billion to more than 1.6 million students. Think of the impact on our communities and our students if each of them contributed by serving others. Tying service to scholarships would teach students that citizenship is a two-way street – benefits, yes, but responsibilities, too.

The value of student service time would add up in many ways, not the least of them economic. Last year, 203,000 students received HOPE scholarships. If we required each of these young people to spend just 100 hours volunteering while they were in high school, they would provide time worth nearly $150 million. Add a requirement to volunteer 50 hours each year during college, and we’d see an additional economic impact of $74 million.

Today, local governments and nonprofits face the challenge of providing more services with fewer resources. Student volunteers would bring energy and enthusiasm. And who knows, maybe some of these young people will come up with innovative solutions to community problems.

Research shows that service requirements benefit students in a host of welcome ways.

• Students who participate in community service are 22 percent more likely to graduate from college.

• Students who volunteer just one hour a week are 50 percent less likely to abuse drugs, alcohol or cigarettes.

• Youth who serve develop social and civic responsibility and are more likely to become lifelong volunteers, and to vote and participate as active citizens.

In addition, service learning motivates students to achieve and helps them develop leadership skills and self-confidence. Students who serve find mentors or career interests, encounter new worlds, beef up their resumes, and improve their chances of being accepted into the most competitive colleges and getting jobs.

Over the past few years, our legislators have been forced to change the HOPE scholarship’s eligibility requirements to maintain its economic viability. If we need to increase the requirements for eligibility again, let’s add a service requirement rather than continuing to increase the GPA. We need students who are committed to academic excellence and giving back to our state.

A service requirement for the HOPE scholarship would cultivate the next generation of civic leaders by keeping not only the brightest but also the best kids in Georgia.”

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This is an easy recommendation to make but a hard recommendation to follow for most 14 year old high school Freshman. It takes a creating a strategy by the parents and the student, a desire to follow the strategy, along with the willingness and ability to prioritize homework, test study, projects, and reading over sports, video games, and watching TV. In other words, it takes hard work. However, the work is well rewarded. In the state of Georgia, there are two version of the Hope Scholarship — the Hope Scholarship and the Zell Miller Scholarship. The regular Hope awards a portion of tuition while the Zell Miller awards 100% of tuition to the student.

As an example, the Hope Scholarship maximum for the University of Georgia is $3181.50 per semester. Over the course of 8 semesters, or 4 full years of college, this adds up to a healthy $25,452. The Zell Miller paid $3461 in 2011. Assuming flat tuition, which will never happen, this equates to $27,688 over 8 semesters. It will actually be higher since the Zell Miller rises with tuition rates. Lets look at one way to value the Hope. Take $25,452 over 4 years in high school. This is $6363/year non-taxed. This would be equivalent to about $8000/year of taxed income. If we assume 5 academic classes a semester or 10 academic classes a year, this equates to about $800/academic class over each year in high school. The average class will have a combination of, perhaps, 6 tests and 10 homework or other graded assignments for a total of 16 gradable events giving an average of $800/16 or $50 per event. So, every homework assignment, every test, every project that your Freshman grumbles about, or you grumble about when helping, is worth about $50 to you. However, the Hope Scholarship Requirements are hard and fast. If you slack off on a test here or a project there, you run the risk of not just burning up a $50 opportunity on that assignment but a catastrophic loss of the whole $25,452 if you drop below the minimum GPA.

As a word of warning and just something to think about, the Hope Scholarship Requirements will probably become more difficult as time passes. This is due to the reduced funding from the Georgia lottery along with increasing tuition rates and more students utilizing in state colleges. In other words, the money is not keeping up with demand so either the funding needs to increase (probably not going to happen), or the demand needs to decrease. The only way to decrease demand is to tighten down on the requirements which means increasing the minimum GPA. So, work as hard as you can your Freshman year and keep it up throughout your tenure in high school. You may be rewarded well for your efforts.

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They are coming…. the new requirements that is.  Tennessee and Georgia are both once again “tweaking” their respective programs due to shortfalls in lottery based funding and increases in tuition along with increases in student in-state enrollment.

The good news is that the legislative sessions for 2012 are about to come to a close.  This will shed light on what the final new requirements will be for school year 2012-2013.  What is apparent is that at a minimum, the aid amounts will cover a smaller percentage for the next school year than for the current.  There are some worse case scenario proposals being tossed around that would totally eliminate scholarship eligibility for some students.  One proposal would put a financial cap on the eligibility effectively eliminating any students above the cap.  Another proposal would once again make the filter finer for academic requirements.  The requirements would be tightened by increasing the minimum GPA (Grade Point Average) to receive a scholarship.  It seems like hope scholarship changes each year have become the norm.

Do Hope Scholarship Changes need Changing?

From most news accounts that I’ve been watching, the Tennessee legislature has better addressed the issues of funding (revenue) vs tuition costs (expenses) whereas the Georgia legislature has, for the most part, waited and waited hoping for a funding turnaround to solve the problem.  Since this has not happened, Georgia has started extreme tightening which has led to difficulty for students and parents that must budget for colleges costs.  It is interesting to me that in a country where the rule of law and contracts is constitutionally mandated that the citizens of these states allow the legislatures to run willy-nilly each year changing what was promised the previous year.  There should be some consideration to holding the new hope scholarship requirements stable for each entering freshman class for their four year college career, or, at least, hold the requirements steady for 2 year periods for everyone.

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Click here for Georgia Hope Scholarship Requirements.  If you are interested in Tennessee Hope Scholarship Requirements, then this will help you.  As the legislatures in Georgia and Tennessee pass laws in the 2012 sessions, they will undoubtedly make changes to the hope scholarship.  These changes can be tracked by reading the news channel on the home page.  We will also keep up with hope scholarship changes for you.  But, whatever the changes are, the hope scholarship requirements for 2012 must be met with respect to deadlines.  Remember, the key requirement is your GPA.  Keep your GPA above the 3.0 or 3.3 level.  Second, you must complete the FAFSA and/or the Hope Scholarship Application.  If changes are made for award amounts, they will probably be retroactive to all of those already in the program since this is what was done when changes were made for the 2011-2012 school year.  So, keep in mind that even if you currently qualify for the hope scholarship, your award amount may be lower than you currently expect.

If you would like to have some influence on the hope scholarship 2012 requirements, then you, your parents, grandparents, and other family and friends of voting age should contact your legislature and let them know your opinions on changes to the hope scholarship that will affect the requirements for the 2012-2013 school year and beyond.

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A HOPE-eligible high school or HOPE-eligible home study program must be accredited by one or more of the accrediting agencies list below.

If the high school or home study program is located in the state of Georgia:

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• Georgia Accrediting Commission;
• Georgia Association of Christian Schools;
• Association of Christian Schools International;
• Georgia Private School Accreditation Council; or
• Southern Association of Independent Colleges.

If the high school or home study program is located outside the state of Georgia:

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools;
• New England Association of Colleges and Schools;
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools;
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools;
• Northwest Accreditation Commission;
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges; or
• Alabama Independent School Association.

Transcript and Grading Requirement

A student who graduates from a HOPE-eligible high school or completes a HOPE-eligible home study program must earn a 3.00 cumulative GPA on all core coursework. The grade point average calculation for the HOPE Scholarship is unique (Georgia HOPE GPA calculation).

• If you graduate from a HOPE-eligible high school located in Georgia, your high school should automatically send your transcript data to the Georgia Student Finance Commission for calculation of your HOPE grade point average. This process is electronic.
• If you graduate from a HOPE-eligible high school located outside the state of Georgia or if you complete a HOPE-eligible home study program, you must have an official transcript sent to the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Your high school should be sure to include information on its accreditation, grading scale, and course or grade point average weighting. Also, be sure to include your current name, former name if applicable, date of birth, current mailing address, and phone number. Submit the official transcript and documentation to:Georgia Student Finance Commission
  2082 East Exchange Place, Suite 100
  Tucker, Georgia 30084

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The South Carolina HOPE Scholarship Program was established under the South Carolina Education Lottery Act during the 2001 legislative session.  The program is a merit-based scholarship created for students attending a four-year institution who do not qualify for the LIFE or Palmetto Fellows Scholarship.  The scholarship is awarded during the freshman year of attendance only.   Funding for the program is included in the annual appropriation to the Commission on Higher Education and will be dependent upon the annual proceeds generated by the South Carolina Education Lottery.

Award Amount and Renewal

• Up to $2,800 towards the cost of attendance. This amount is based on the previous year’s funding and is determined each year by the S.C. General Assembly

Renewal Requirements:

• The HOPE Scholarship is for the first year only.
• Students must earn a cumulative 3.0 GPA and 30 credit hours (excluding Foundations classes) to receive the SC LIFE Scholarship for subsequent years.

How do I apply for the SC HOPE Scholarship?

There is no application required for the SC HOPE Scholarship. The college or university will determine
eligibility based upon the final official high school transcript and will notify students if eligible to receive the
scholarship. If you believe that you are eligible, but have not received information from the college or
university, please contact the financial aid office at the college to inquire about your eligibility.

How long can I receive the South Carolina HOPE Scholarship?

Students are eligible to receive the HOPE Scholarship for no more than two terms (or its equivalent) during
the first year of attendance only. The maximum number of terms of eligibility is based on the student’s
initial college enrollment date with the exception of credit hours earned during the summer session
immediately prior to the student’s initial college enrollment. For example, if a student enrolls in college in
Fall 2005, the last term of eligibility to receive the HOPE Scholarship will be Spring 2006.

Can I qualify for the SC HOPE Scholarship if I graduated from a high school outof-state or completed an approved home school program as prescribed by law?

Yes, as long as you can provide verification to the college that you were a dependent of a South Carolina
resident at the time of high school graduation and at the time of college enrollment and you met all other
eligibility criteria.
If you were home schooled, this information must be provided by the approved home school association or
the parent. If you attended an out-of-state high school, then the information must be provided by the public
high school you would have attended if you did not attend an out-of-state high school. An official letter on

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The South Carolina Hope Scholarship is a merit based scholarship.  It is for first year college students at eligible institutions (see below…)

Eligibility requirements and eligible institutions for South Carolina Hope Scholarship Program

Institutions Eligible to Participate in the
SC HOPE Scholarship Program

P = Public Institutions;           R = Independent Institutions

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When you are complete the requirements, you may want to know the fees that available for you. As long as this program run, the students will get $4.000 for four years study, but the other students who take only two years for their study will get the fees up to $2.000. It is important for you to complete the HOPE Scholarship Requirements before you move on the next step to get you dream scholarship. As the one of famous program on helping the society to tackle the education program, HOPE Scholarship requirements could be the one of your choice that very easy to complete. Do not worries about you will receive it or not, at least, you can complete HOPE Scholarship requirements as well as you plan.

HOPE Scholarship requirements may take many of your time, so make sure that you can finish preparing for it before the deadline come. It is worst when you still have one of the HOPE Scholarship requirements that you didn’t get it yet and you have to apply for the application in the day. You can contact for the office of HOPE’s program if you have some questions about the requirements. You will get the benefits of this scholarship. Now, complete your HOPE scholarship requirements.

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