Welcome to the scholarships and athletics hub. Here students can look up information about athletic opportunities and scholarship and grant application information. Some deadlines are fast approaching, so be sure to utilize good time management skills!
Pell Grants Top Need-Based Award
The Pell Grant is, by far, the most popular need-based grant with 7.6 million students receiving a total of $28.2 billion in 2016. Pell Grants are 100% need-based. The maximum award for 2016-2017 was $5,815. It will go up to $5,920 in 2017-2018.
The parent’s income is a good starting point to determine whether you will receive a Pell Grant. If your parents combined gross income is under $50,000, you probably qualify for a Pell Grant. If it is under $20,000, you automatically qualify for a Pell Grant.
The money for Pell Grants comes from the Federal government, which uses its own formula to determine how much to give each college. Most students receive less than the maximum funding.
HOPE Grant
One of Georgia’s largest programs is HOPE: Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally. There are a few variations of this, including:
- HOPE Grant: This is open to anyone and covers partial tuition, as long as you maintain a 2.0 GPA. The amount varies for full-time and part-time recipients.
- HOPE Career Grant: If you’re eligible for the HOPE Grant, you might also qualify for the HOPE Career Grant.
- HOPE GED Grant: This is a one-time $500 award that covers tuition, books, or any other related costs. The grant must be used within two years of getting your GED.
These are different from the HOPE Scholarship, the largest state merit aid program in the country.
HOPE Scholarship
To receive HOPE Scholarship funding, students must:
Graduate from a HOPE-eligible high school with a minimum 3.0 grade point average (as calculated by GSFC). Details
- Be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at a public or private HOPE-eligible college or university in Georgia.
- Meet academic rigor requirements. Beginning with students graduating from an eligible high school on or after May 1, 2015, students must complete a specific number of academically rigorous courses, as identified on the Academic Rigor Course List, in addition to meeting the GPA requirements. This does not include students who received a high school diploma through petition of his or her local school board, in accordance with O.C.G.A. §20-2-281.1, nor does it apply to students graduating from home study programs.
Application Procedure
Students have two options when applying for the HOPE Scholarship:
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or,
- Complete the online Georgia Student Finance Application (GSFAPPS) or printable paper GSFAPPS application.
Note: The FAFSA must be completed each year.
Application Deadline
The application deadline is the last day of the school term or a student's withdrawal date, whichever occurs first. It is recommended that you submit your HOPE scholarship application as early as possible; the earlier you apply, the earlier the funds are disbursed to your school and credited to your account.
Note: Additional college-specific application and deadline requirements may be required. Check with your postsecondary institution.
AWARD AMOUNTS
file:///C:/Users/e046220/Downloads/FY2020%20Award%20Amounts%20CombineRV.6.7.2019.pdf
Zell Miller Grant
The Zell Miller Grant is a little more stringent than the HOPE Grant in requirements. You must graduate high school with a 3.5 GPA and maintain it every year throughout college to remain eligible. There’s also the Zell Miller Scholarship, which has higher standards than the HOPE Scholarship. It requires a 3.7 GPA and at least a 1200 score on the math and reading portions of the SAT.
Horatio Alger Scholarship Award
This generous need-based scholarship is geared toward students who have faced and overcome great obstacles. To be considered eligible, your gross adjusted family income must be at or below $55,000. At the national level, there are 106 $25,000 awards; at the state level, there are scholarships for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia of $10,000 each.
This one scholarship application will get you considered for many other national, state, and specialized scholarships, which means less work for you and more opportunities for scholarship funding!
- Eligibility: US high school seniors who plan on getting a bachelor's degree
- Deadline: October 25, 2019
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program
In addition to providing funding for college, this scholarship program offers personal advising on selecting a college, navigating the financial aid process, and transitioning from high school to college. Applicants are judged on academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, desire to help others, and leadership skills. Awards are given to students each year, and can be as high as $40,000 per academic year. In 2019, 121 students were accepted into the program.
- Eligibility: High school seniors with financial need who plan to attend a four-year college
- Deadline: November 13, 2019
Gates Millennium Scholars
Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Gates Millennium Scholarships reduce financial hardship for low-income minority families preparing to send members to college. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans/Alaskan Natives, and Asian Pacific Islanders are invited to apply for one of the 1000 annual Millennium Scholarships, each of which provides a full financial ride through graduation.
Candidates must be legal residents of the U.S. with cumulative high-school GPA of at least 3.3. Additionally, diverse applicants must be entering full-time programs at accredited colleges or universities. Disadvantaged students must show economic hardship to warrant consideration for the awards, and must also exhibit leadership skills through participation in extracurricular activities. Federal Pell Grant eligibility is also a prerequisite.
Each applicant must be nominated for a Gates Scholarship, by a teacher or administrator who is familiar with the student’s academic record. A recommendation which attests to the student’s extracurricular participation and exemplary leadership qualities is also required.
In addition to monetary aid, Gates Scholars are nurtured with academic support during school, as well as access to professional development opportunities through millennium Foundation leadership programs.
Students who complete an undergraduate degree program may request additional scholarship funding for graduate studies in the specific areas of education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and computer science.
Agnes Jones Jackson Scholarship
Administered by the NAACP, this $2,000 scholarship exists for members who demonstrate financial need and maintain GPAs of 2.5 or higher. Applications are due in the spring.
Jesse Jackson’s PUSH Excel Scholarship Program: The PUSH Excel Scholarship Program was created to assist young people who are qualified but lack the financial resources to attend college. The goal of the program is to develop servant leadership potential in the scholarship students and encourage a spirit of social justice and social change.