HOPE FAQ
- How do I apply for HOPE?
- How often is HOPE eligibility checked?
- Can I receive HOPE and Pell Grant at the same time?
- What is maximum number of hours HOPE will pay for?
- Do Postsecondary Option hours count toward HOPE eligibility?
- Who can I call if I have questions regarding my HOPE eligibility?
- Is there a family income cap to receive HOPE?
How do I apply for HOPE?
Freshmen: initial HOPE is determined based on your graduation from a Georgia high school as a resident and meeting academic requirements. If you are a Georgia resident that graduated from an out-of-state high school and are entering as freshmen, you need to contact us for additional information. Non-traditional: you may become eligible later for HOPE Scholarship if you first entered a postsecondary institution in Georgia as a resident and demonstrate a 3.0 grade point average at the term you complete either 30, 60 or 90 attempted credit hours.
How often is HOPE eligibility checked?
Entering Freshmen Students Effective Summer Term 2004
The Hope Scholarship Program is available only to degree-seeking undergraduate students. Freshmen recipients who are enrolled for 12 or more hours at least on school term of the 2004-2005 year must have at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA at the end of spring semester in order to continue their eligibility beyond spring semester. Freshmen recipients who were enrolled for less than 12 hours for three (3) semesters in a row must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 at the end of the third term to continue eligibility. If the student maintains eligibility after this first checkpoint, the student is then eligible for all additional hours attempted through the semester in which the 30th hour is attempted. If, after the 30th hour is attempted, the student has a 3.00 CGPA, the student remains eligible through the 60th hour attempted. If the student has a 3.00 CGPA after the 60th hour is attempted, eligibility continues through the 90th hour attempted. If the student has a 3.00 CGPA after the 90th hour is attempted, eligibility continues through the 127th hour attempted.
Eligibility ends with the semester in which the 127th hour is attempted, regardless of whether or not the student ever applied for or received this scholarship. An exception to the 127 hour cap is made for a student enrolled in specific undergraduates degree programs designed to require more than 127 hours.
In such instances, if the student has a 3.00 GPA after 127 hours, eligibility will end with the semester in which the student has cumulatively attempted the number of hours listed in the Georgia State University catalog as required for graduation in the student's major field of study. There are no exceptions covering extra hours needed for dual degree programs or second majors.
Credit hours attempted or earned while in high school, including advanced placement credit hours, do not count as hours attempted. At the college level, hours of "W" do count, as do transient hours attempted at other institutions and developmental study hours, including English as a Second Language if the student has been fully admitted as an undergraduate student.
Eligibility for Continuing Recipients
The HOPE Scholarship is a renewable scholarship provided a recipient meets the Institutional financial aid recipient's Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements and has a CGPA of not less than a 3.00 at the different checkpoints. The student's CGPA will be checked for continued eligibility at the end of the semesters in which the student cumulatively attempts the 30th, the 60th and 90th hours.
All attempted hours count toward a student's eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship. An attempted hour is defined as an hour for which the student is registered at the end of the registration process each term, regardless of whether the student earns the hour or completes the course. Attempted hours include hours of "W" and hours attempted at other institutions, whether or not credit for such hours transferred to Georgia State University.
Can I receive HOPE and Pell Grant at the same time?
Yes, if you are eligible you may receive funds form both programs.
What is maximum number of hours HOPE will pay for?
HOPE will pay for 127 attempted hours unless your approved program of study requires more.
Do Postsecondary Option hours count toward HOPE eligibility?
Generally, college coursework attempted prior to high school graduation is not counted as attempted-hours for purposes of HOPE and the grades are not included in the HOPE grade point average. However, a provision exists for students who participated in the Postsecondary Options program allowing such hours and grades to be included in the HOPE calculation.
Who can I call if I have questions regarding my HOPE eligibility?
You may call the Office of Financial Aid at (404)413-2400 or the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC), at 1-800-546-HOPE. Complete HOPE regulations are also found at the GSFC web site at http://gacollege411.org
