HOPE

H elping O utstanding P upils E ducationally

What is the HOPE Scholarship? A merit based scholarship program that encourages secondary and postsecondary academic achievement at Georgia institutions Funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education and administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission Covers through Summer 2011:  Tuition  HOPE-approved mandatory fees  Book allowance

In all cases, students must Not have a Bachelor’s degree Meet Georgia Residency requirements  (12/24 months prior to term HOPE is sought) Be a U.S. Citizen/Permanent Resident Alien  (12 months prior to term HOPE is sought) Register with Selective Service (males only) Not be in default or owe a refund on Federal or State programs Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990 Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Applies to all financial aid recipients…including HOPE Measures Include:  Qualitative GPA standards( A separate standard than Academic Standing)  Freshman = 1.7  Sophomore = 1.9  Junior / Senior = 2.0  Quantitative Must successfully complete 75% of course work attempted each term  Maximum Time Frame…..Sets a maximum on the number of total hours attempted toward a degree

Freshman… through Summer 2011 Georgia Resident Georgia High School 3.0 high school GPA (college preparatory diploma) -GSFC will determine the high school GPA for All- Special exceptions are possible for:  Non-residents with military tuition waivers  Out-of-state high school students  Home-Schooled students

For all other Undergrads Georgia Resident 30 or more post secondary credit hours 3.0 cumulative GPA –  At most recent Tier checkpoint (30 th, 60 th, or 90 th credit hour) Financial aid office will determine HOPE GPA using college coursework attempted since high school graduation

Application Process Step 1 Georgia Tech Application for Scholarships and Financial Aid This application is year specific and must be completed yearly by all students seeking financial aid including HOPE Priority deadline = May 1 st

Application Process Step 2 HOPE ONLY GSFAPPS One time ALL FINANCIAL AID FAFSA Yearly Priority deadline = May 1 st

Scholarship Award Amounts… through Summer 2011 Tuition- paid in full  Full time enrollment not required for any term Fees (Fall/Spring)Summer  Enrolled 1- 3 credits = $491 – 3 credits = $33  Enrolled 4+ credits = $4344+ credits = $300 Book Stipend (Fall/Spring)Summer  Enrolled 1- 5 credits = $751 – 5 credits = TBA  Enrolled 6+ credits = $1506+ credits = $75 ($150 for PELL eligible students enrolled in 6+ credits)

Length of Scholarship HOPE ends when the student either:  Receives 1 st Bachelor’s degree OR  Reaches 127 paid or attempted credit hours

Two Types of Limits Attempted Hours  College credit attempted after high school graduation Paid Hours  College credit paid by HOPE Scholarship, HOPE Grant, and HOPE ACCEL (effective Fall 2004) HOPE ends when: You are {Paid/Attempt} 127 credit hours

Example of Attempted vs. Paid Hours High School (Joint Enrollment) = 9 credits paid with ACCEL funds 1 st GT = 12 credit hours Attempted hours = 12 Paid hours = = 21

Credit Hours Attempted Hours Included in HOPE : College coursework after high school graduation Pass / Fail Learning Support Regents’ test prep Withdrawn “W” Withdrawn Failing “WF” GT Forgiven Coursework  HOPE GPA may/will vary from Tech GPA if student utilizes grade substitution Attempted Hours Excluded from HOPE: AP / IB / CLEP Joint Enrolled Hours Dual Credit Hours Audit Hours / CO-OP Hours Classes dropped during Drop / Add GSFC approved Medical and Military Withdrawn coursework

Grade Substitution Policy Impacts Freshmen effective Fall Remember: HOPE includes forgiven courses! If a student utilizes the Grade Substitution policy and repeats a course, the credits and grades issued in both occurrences are included in the HOPE attempted hours and HOPE GPA

Graduate Coursework HOPE recipients enrolled in graduate coursework  Must provide documentation from the academic advisor specifying graduate course will count towards undergraduate degree  HOPE will not pay for the graduate course without approval from academic advisor

Maintaining Your Award Your overall HOPE GPA must be 3.0 at the following checkpoints: ■ Tier Checkpoint  30 th, 60 th, 90 th attempted credit hour ■ Spring Checkpoint  Every spring term for all students  The fall GPA will count for the end of spring checkpoint for CO-OP and Intern students who did not take classes for spring

Regaining HOPE  HOPE can be REGAINED!  If your overall HOPE GPA is 3.0 at the 30 th, 60 th, or 90 th credit hour checkpoint …  Effective Fall…  If HOPE is lost at any checkpoint students will have only one chance to regain HOPE eligibility at the 30 th, 60 th, or 90 th credit hour checkpoint  More information to come as regulations are finalized Special Note: The 90 th credit hour checkpoint is the last checkpoint to regain HOPE…

Example of Regaining HOPE FallSpringSummerFall Have HOPE?Yes NoYes Attempted Hours Etc. Overall GPA Etc. Eligibility OK for Spring Lost for Summer Regained for Fall Etc.

Attending Another School Study Abroad Foreign Exchange Cross Enrollment Transient  Transient students must complete a HOPE Scholarship Transient Form to receive HOPE payment at the host institution ….These credit hours count toward the HOPE GPA and HOPE attempted hours.

Remember! If you register through another school  (Transient Study, Foreign Exchange or Cross Enrolled) you must request to have a transcript sent to the Office of the Registrar at end of the term  HOPE will not pay for the next term of enrollment until a transcript has been received and processed by the Office of the Registrar If we do not have all your transcripts ■ We may award a “Predicted” HOPE award to allow time to have your transcripts received and processed by the Registrar’s Office  Defers your tuition and fees up to 30 days

Buzzport HOPE Eligibility Status Accessing HOPE GPA and hours via Buzzport  Log into Buzzport  Select the "Home" Tab  Select "Registration - OSCAR" within the "Registration and Student Services" box  Select "Student Services & Financial Aid"  Select "Financial Aid"  Select "My HOPE Eligibility Status“ HOPE Status HOPE Attempted Hours HOPE GPA

Eligibility Status Example…

Updates! The law has been passed to make changes to HOPE, however rules and regulations of these changes are not yet published It is important to understand the information on the next four slides is our interpretation of the changes  We anticipate the release of final rules and regulations to be released in May 2011 Check for updated information on our website ( when we have all the final informationwww.finaid.gatech.edu/hope

Fall 2011 HOPE Changes HOPE Scholarship  Students who graduate high school with a GPA of 3.0 and maintain a 3.0 college GPA The HOPE Scholarship award amount for students in the fall of 2011 will pay 90 percent of the tuition charged for The scholarship amounts paid will be based on full-time tuition rate for 15 hours  If a student takes 14 hours, they are eligible for 14/15ths of the HOPE awarded amount The book stipend and fee allowance is eliminated for all students

Fall 2011 Zell Miller Scholarship Begins Zell Miller Scholarship  Will pay full tuition for students who graduate from high school with a GPA of 3.7 Score 1200 combined Critical Reading and Math Score on the SAT or Score 26 on the ACT composite  Both of these are for one sitting of a test instance, it is not a super score  Students must maintain a 3.3 in college to keep the scholarship The scholarship amounts paid will be based on full-time tuition rate for 15 hours The award pays tuition only and students will not receive a book stipend or fee allowance

Fall 2011 Checkpoint Changes Check Points  Required 3.0 (HOPE) or 3.3 (Zell) GPA is checked at Every 30, 60, and 90 credit hours and At the end of every spring  You can only regain HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship at the 30, 60, or 90 credit hour checkpoint A HOPE Scholarship recipient or a Zell Miller Scholarship student who loses eligibility are only eligible to regain eligibility for the scholarship one time

Fall 2011 Length of Scholarship Changes A student may receive either scholarship until the first of these events:  The student has earned a baccalaureate degree or  The student has attempted at any postsecondary institution a total 127 semester hours No exception for majors requiring more the 127 hours No exception for minors HOPE will end for all students at 127 credit hours regardless of credit hours enrolled for the semester  Example: If you Begin Fall 2011 semester with 126 credit hours HOPE will only pay for 1 credit hour for Fall 2011 at which point you will have attempted 127 HOPE credit hours

Additional Financial Aid Options… Financial Aid Information Session Tuesday, April 19 th Clary Theatre 11:00-12:30pm

Contact Info Office of Student Financial Planning & Services (404) Hours: M-F 8:00am – 4:30pm Georgia Student Finance Commission

Questions?