STATE SCHOLARSHIPS

HOPE SCHOLARSHIP

The HOPE scholarship is funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education and is available only to degree-seeking undergraduate students who meet the definition of a Georgia Resident for HOPE scholarship Purposes.

Award Amounts

Award amounts vary and are determined by the State.

Length of Scholarship

For the school term in which a student reaches the attempted-hours or combined paid-hours limit of 127 semester hours, the student can be paid only for hours up to the attempted-hours or combined paid-hours limit. Example: There are no exceptions covering extra hours needed for dual-degree programs, second majors, or change in major.  

Eligibility

HOPE scholarship recipients must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA at the end of each spring semester to continue eligibility. In addition to these requirements, traditional and nontraditional students must have a 3.0 cumulative HOPE GPA after the 30th, 60th, and 90th attempted hour. If the student does not meet the GPA requirements at 90 hours, he cannot regain his eligibility.

In all cases, a student must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen and meet the requirements to be classified as a Georgia resident for either 12 or 24 consecutive months immediately prior to the first day of classes of the school term for which the HOPE scholarship is sought.

Additional eligibility requirements:

• Be enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution in matriculated status leading to a degree
• Be a legal resident of Georgia for tuition purposes
• Register with Selective Service
• Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990
• Not be in default or owe a refund on a federal or state financial aid program
• Not have a bachelor’s degree
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress

Attempted Hours Limit

All credit hours attempted after high school graduation are calculated when determining eligibility, even if Morehouse does not accept them, credits hours forgiven by the institution are included in the calculations. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that Morehouse College has transcripts from all institutions of higher learning (post high school graduation) for the Office of Financial Aid to determine the student’s eligibility accurately. Eligibility ends when a student attempts 120 credit hours.

Morehouse College has a Plus/Minus grading system, however, to calculate the cumulative GPA for HOPE scholarship eligibility only letter grades of A–F will continue to be used, and Plus/Minus will not be considered

The HOPE GPA does not necessarily match the cumulative GPA shown in Banner. Please contact Office of Financial Aid with inquiries regarding your HOPE GPA.

Once a student reaches either the attempted-hours limit or the combined paid-hours limit, they are no longer eligible for the HOPE scholarship.

Regaining Eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship

Students who lose the HOPE scholarship at a 30, 60, or 90-hour checkpoint, or an end-of-spring checkpoint may regain eligibility if they have a 3.0 at the point of attempting 60 or 90 semester hours.

After a student has attempted 90 credits, they cannot be reevaluated. Students who lost the HOPE scholarship at one of the checkpoints and now have a 3.0 at 60th or 90th check point are required to notify the Office of Financial Aid to be reviewed again for HOPE eligibility

HOPE Scholarship Application Deadlines

Students must have an application submitted by the last day of the semester in which they are seeking the HOPE scholarship. 

If additional information is required, it must be submitted within 10 days of the request.

For More Information

For more information on the HOPE scholarship, or to view the HOPE regulations, please contact the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC): 770-724-9000 or 800-505-GSFC (4732) or gafutures.org.

ZELL MILLER SCHOLARSHIP

The Zell Miller scholarship is funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education and is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. The scholarship is available only to degree-seeking undergraduate students who meet the definition of a Georgia Resident for HOPE scholarship purposes.

The scholarship is a merit-based scholarship program with specific academic and grade point average eligibility requirements. The purpose of the program is to encourage the academic achievement of Georgia’s high school students and Georgians seeking degrees from postsecondary institutions located in Georgia.

Award Amounts

Award amounts are determined by the State.

Length of Scholarship

For the school term in which a student reaches the Attempted-Hours or Combined Paid-Hours limit of 120 semester hours, the student can be paid ONLY for the hours up to the Attempted-Hours or Combined Paid-Hours limit. There are no exceptions covering extra hours needed for dual-degree programs, second majors, or change in major.
Once a student reaches either the Attempted-Hours limit or the Combined Paid-Hours limit, they are no longer eligible for the scholarship.

Eligibility

Students must meet citizenship, academic and other eligibility requirements to receive the Zell Miller scholarship. For full eligibility requirements, visit gafutures.org.

Zell Miller Scholarship Application Deadlines

Students must have an application submitted by the last day of the semester in which they are seeking the Zell Miller scholarship.

If additional information is required, it must be submitted within 10 days of the request.

Attempted-Hours Limit

All credit hours attempted after high school graduation are calculated when determining Zell Miller eligibility, even if they are not accepted by Morehouse College, taken outside of the state of Georgia or at an institution in a foreign country or unaccredited institution. Credits hours forgiven by the institution are included in the calculations. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that Georgia State has transcripts from all institutions of higher learning (post high school graduation) in order for the Office of Financial Aid to accurately determine the student’s Zell Miller eligibility. Eligibility ends when a student attempts 127 credit hours, even if Zell Miller funds did not pay for those credits.

Morehouse College  has a Plus/Minus grading system, however, for the purpose of calculating the cumulative GPA for Zell Miller scholarship eligibility only letter grades of A–F are used and Plus/Minus will not be considered. The required scholarship GPA does not necessarily match the cumulative GPA shown in Banner. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid with inquiries regarding your scholarship GPA.

Combined Paid-Hours Limit
All hours for which students received payment from Zell Miller or HOPE scholarship program are included in calculating the total Combined Paid hours.

Regaining Eligibility for the Zell Miller Scholarship
Students who lose the Zell Miller scholarship at any checkpoint may still get HOPE scholarship, assuming all requirements, including the 3.0 HOPE GPA, are met. A student may regain the Zell Miller scholarship after losing it at a checkpoint only one time. A student may regain eligibility if they have a 3.3 at the point of attempting 60 or 90 semester hours.

If a student loses the Zell Miller scholarship a second time, the student may still keep the HOPE scholarship, assuming all requirements, including the 3.0 HOPE GPA, are met. When a student loses Zell Miller and HOPE scholarship, simultaneously by dropping below a 3.0 HOPE GPA, the student would be considered as losing both Zell Miller and HOPE scholarship. If a student loses Zell Miller and retains HOPE scholarship, but then loses HOPE twice, the student would no longer be eligible to regain Zell Miller.

For More Information
For more information on the Zell Miller scholarship, or to view the Zell Miller scholarship regulations, please contact the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC): (770) 724-9000 or 800-505-GSFC (4732) or gafutures.org.