HOPE Teachers
While referred to as a "scholarship" because recipients have met specified academic requirements, HOPE Teacher Scholarship is in fact a student loan. You simply repay your loan by teaching in a Georgia public school after earning your advanced degree, saving you money and helping fill the need for qualified professionals in these teaching fields.
Eligible Recipients
The HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program assists a broad range of individuals, including:
Teachers without a master's degree. This includes teachers who have a Bachelor's Degree and are seeking an advanced degree in a critical shortage teaching field.
Teachers and individuals with a master's or specialist degree. This includes:
- teachers and individuals who have a master's degree in a critical shortage field and are seeking a specialist or doctorate degree in their current critical shortage field; and
- teachers and individuals who have a master's degree in a non-critical shortage field and are seeking an advanced degree in a critical shortage field; and
- teachers and individuals who have a specialist degree in a critical shortage field and are seeking a doctorate degree in their current critical shortage field
Georgians with a bachelor's degree who are not currently teaching or who have not taught. This includes individuals who have a bachelor's degree who are seeking an advanced degree in a critical shortage field.
Eligibility Requirements
A student must:
- be a legal resident of Georgia; and
- be admitted for regular admission into a graduate school and into an advanced degree teacher education program leading to certification in a critical shortage field. Students whose admission status is provisional are not eligible
Note: If you are not eligible for HOPE and you are an in-service teacher, you may wish to contact your local staff development coordinator to learn about coursework eligible for funding through your school system.
Critical Shortage Fields
The approved critical shortage fields may change each spring, based on an annual survey of teaching vacancies in Georgia.
The following critical shortage fields were approved for the 2005-2006 academic year. Teaching fields may be added or removed for the 2006-2007 academic year in May 2006
- Business Education (Grades 7-12)
- Education for Exceptional Children (Grades P-12): Behavior Disorders, Hearing Impaired, Interrelated Special Education, Learning Disabilities, Mental Retardation, Orthopedically Impaired, Visually Impaired
- English Education (Grades 7-12)
- Foreign Language Education (Grades P-12): French, Spanish
- Health Occupations (Grades 7-12)
- Mathematics Education (Grades 7-12)
- Middle Grades Education (Grades 4-8) with a primary concentration in: Math, Science, Math and Science
- Science Education (Grades 7-12): Broad Field Science, Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space, Physics
- Trade and Industrial Education (Grades 7-12)
Scholarship Amount
Maximum awards are based on the number of credit hours necessary for students to complete their program of study. Scholarship funds can be used toward any part of the student's cost of attendance. Students who attend an eligible public university receive $125 per semester hour. At an eligible private college or university, students can receive $200 per semester hour or quarter hour equivalent. Scholarship funds can be used toward any part of the student's cost of attendance.
Application Process
Applicants must complete their part of the application and obtain signatures from the institution's College of Education teacher certification official and the financial aid office. The completed application is then forwarded directly to the HOPE Scholarship Program for consideration.
Approximately 1,200 scholarships are awarded each academic year on a first-come, first-served basis. Scholarship funds are provided directly to the school's financial aid office and will be disbursed on a term-by-term basis.
Loan Forgiveness
Recipients of the HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan are granted a grace period of one year after completing their approved program. After the grace period, recipients are obligated to teach in their critical shortage field of study in a Georgia public school at the preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary level one academic year for each $2,500 awarded through the scholarship, with a maximum of four years to repay.
For example, if you receive a total of $5,000 (40 semester hours x $125) to complete your advanced degree and teach two years after graduation in a Georgia public school at the preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary level, your loan will be completely forgiven.
If the teaching/service obligation cannot be met, any outstanding loan amounts, plus interest, must be repaid to the State of Georgia.
Note: Once you have fulfilled your loan obligation, you may reapply for the HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan if you continue to meet eligibility requirements.
