The Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) Scholarship Program

Disclaimer: The following outlines the HOPE Scholarship information currently provided to institutions by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC). Information is subject to change as additional regulatory guidance and interpretations are provided by the GSFC.

Major Changes to the HOPE Scholarship Program Effective Fall 2011

• The HOPE Scholarship covers only a portion of tuition. Funding for student fees and the book allowance has been eliminated!
• The HOPE Scholarship Award Amount is now calculated on a per credit hour basis. Payment is capped at 15 hours per semester for UGA students charged the Flat Tuiton Rate and is capped at the maximum Award Amount applicable to 12 hours per semester for UGA students still charged a Guaranteed Tuition Plan (GTP) Rate.
• These courses will not be counted when determining the number of hours in which a student is enrolled for HOPE Scholarship Award Amount purposes.  Neither will these courses be counted toward the number of HOPE Attempted Hours or HOPE Paid Hours when pursued Fall 2011 or later. 
• Once any student has 127 HOPE Attempted Hours or has accumulated 127 HOPE Paid Hours, or has earned a bachelor’s degree, he or she is no longer eligible. This now applies to all degree programs.
• HOPE Scholarship now has a 127 hour "hard" cap. When a student finishes a semester with 126 HOPE Attempted or Paid Hours, the HOPE Scholarship will only provide 1 hour of the HOPE award rate for the following semester (assuming the student continues to meet other eligibility requirements).
• Students who lose their HOPE Scholarship can only regain it one time.
• HOPE Scholarship payment for UGA students enrolling in Independent and Distance Learning (IDL) courses has been substantially reduced, and in most situations eliminated. See additional information provided on this Web page under "Independent and Distance Learning (IDL) Courses"
• HOPE Scholarship payment for UGA students attending other Georgia colleges and universities the same semester they are enrolled at UGA has been impacted as well.  See additional information provided on this Web page under "Transient Enrollment".
• HOPE Scholarship eligibility for students who received HOPE Scholarship prior to summer 2011 will expire June 30, 2015. Eligibility for students who did not receive the HOPE Scholarship prior to summer 2011 will expire 7 years from their date of high school graduation!

Major HOPE Scholarship Criteria Still in Effect:

• Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 HOPE grade point average (GPA) to remain eligible for the HOPE Scholarship.
• All college credit hours attempted since high school graduation are counted in determining the HOPE Attempted Hours and the HOPE GPA.
• HOPE Scholarship students will continue to be checked to see if they are maintaining a minimum 3.0 HOPE GPA at the end of the semesters in which they have attempted their 30th, 60th, 90th hours and at the end of every spring semester.

See more information regarding the HOPE Scholarship Program that is available on the GAcollege411 Web site

You can review the 2011-12 HOPE Scholarship regulations at the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) Web site

A link to the electronic HOPE Scholarship Application can be found here.

UGA HOPE Scholarship Award Amounts

The amount of a HOPE Scholarship is based on the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled each semester, not to exceed 12 or 15 hours as reflected below. The amount initially reflected on 2011-12 financial aid Awards assumes the maximum HOPE amount for which the student is eligible each semester.

How the HOPE Award Amount is Calculated for Students Charged a Flat Tuition Rate:

For the 2011-12 Award Year, the dollar amount of each semester's HOPE Scholarship award is determined by multiplying *$212.10 X the number of hours in which the student is enrolled.

For students charged a Flat Tuition Rate [i.e. students NOT on a Guaranteed Tuition Plan (GTP)], the HOPE Scholarship amount reflected on their financial aid Award initially assumes 15 hours enrollment in the fall and spring semesters for a maximum Award Amount of $3,181.50 per semester. The HOPE amount received cannot exceed the actual tuition charge!

Since the HOPE Scholarship amount is ultimately based on the total number of hours enrolled in the semester, the HOPE amount will be reduced when students enroll in fewer than 15 hours as reflected below. The HOPE Award Amount cannot be increased for students who enroll in more than 15 hours.

See the GSFC “HOPE Award Amounts by Institution for Fiscal Year 2012, Beginning Fall Term” at: http://www.gsfc.org/main/publishing/pdf/2011/hope_award_amounts.pdf for enrollment in 15 hours or less.

* the 2010-11 standard full-time Flat Tuition Rate of $3,535 x .90 Factor Rate/15 semester hours = $212.10 per hour

How the HOPE Award Amount is Calculated for Students Still Charged a Guaranteed Tuition Plan (GTP) Rate:

For the 2011-12 Award Year, the dollar amount of each semester's HOPE Scholarship award is based on the standard GTP tuition rate applicable to the student.

For seniors still subject to the Summer/Fall 2007 GTP rate, their HOPE Scholarship Award Amount is $188 per credit hour up to a maximum Award Amount of $2,248 for 12 hours.

For seniors still subject to the Summer/Fall 2008 GTP rate, their HOPE Scholarship Award Amount is $203 per credit hour up to a maximum Award Amount of $2,428 for 12 hours. These same HOPE Award Amounts are also applicable to GTP 07 and 08 students in the BLA and Forestry programs.

Additional UGA Specific HOPE Scholarship Information

HOPE Grade Point Average (GPA) and HOPE Attempted Hours

The University of Georgia implemented a Plus/Minus grading system in the summer of 2006. However, for the purpose of calculating the cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) for HOPE Scholarship eligibility, regulations recognize only letter grades of A through F so any Plus or Minus will be disregarded.

The GPA and HOPE Attempted Hours used in HOPE eligibility calculations often do not match the cumulative GPA and attempted hours on official UGA transcripts/OASIS.

Independent and Distance Learning (IDL) Courses

UGA HOPE Scholarship students must initially pay for their IDL courses.  Students wishing to enroll in IDL should first check with the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) to confirm if they have any remaining HOPE award eligibility for the semester. As previously stated, the HOPE Scholarship is awarded on a per credit hour basis and payment is capped at 15 hours per semester for students charged the Flat Tuition Rate. For students charged a Guaranteed Tuition Plan (GTP), HOPE payment is capped at their applicable maximum Award Amount reflected above. 

Example 1: a UGA student charged the Flat Tuition Rate enrolls in 14 hours of         classroom/internship/UGA study abroad, etc. in the fall semester. She also enrolls in an additional 3 hours through IDL which cost her $729. Her HOPE Scholarship Award Amount can be increased by only 1 hour, which for fall 2011 would equal an additional $212.10.

Example 2:  a UGA student charged a Guaranteed Tuition Plan (GTP) enrolls in 11 hours of classroom/internship/UGA study abroad, etc. in the fall semester.  He also enrolls in an additional 3 hours through IDL which cost him $729. His HOPE Scholarship Award Amount can be increased by the Award Amount for 1 hour because he is already enrolled and awarded HOPE for 11 hours. 

Any HOPE funds for which UGA students may be eligible based on any IDL enrollment cannot be disbursed by Student Accounts earlier than 10 days before the start of the regular UGA semester to which the IDL course(s) is assigned. Eligible students enrolled in IDL will be awarded HOPE Scholarship on a weekly basis once their IDL classes are entered into the University’s student system. Students are no longer required to provide OSFA a copy of their IDL receipt in order to be awarded any additional amount of HOPE Scholarship for IDL courses.

HOPE Regulations require OSFA to look at grades in the semester in which the course(s) was taken. If a student takes longer than the length of the traditional semester to complete the IDL course OSFA must go back to the semester in which the course was registered and recalculate their HOPE GPA. This may cause a repayment of HOPE funds for subsequent semesters if the grade causes their HOPE Scholarship GPA to fall below the required 3.0.

Transient HOPE Scholarship students from other colleges enrolled in IDL courses must pay for their IDL courses. Students receiving the HOPE Scholarship at their college should first contact the financial aid office at their college to determine if they have remaining HOPE eligibility for the term. If a student's home institution is not a HOPE eligible institution, the student cannot receive HOPE at UGA.

Study Abroad/Student Exchange

The HOPE Scholarship Award Amount for UGA students enrolled in UGA study abroad programs and approved non-UGA study abroad or exchange programs cannot exceed the HOPE Award Amount payable to students for the same number of hours of on-campus coursework at UGA (not to exceed the maximum HOPE Award Amount for 12 or 15 total hours).

HOPE eligible students attending UGA study abroad programs will be awarded their HOPE Scholarship on a weekly basis once the courses are entered into the student registration system.

HOPE eligible UGA students who are attending approved non-UGA study abroad programs through non-HOPE eligible institutions will be awarded the HOPE Scholarship once they complete the UGA Study Abroad Credit Approval Form process with the Office of International Education (OIE).

Eligible UGA students attending study abroad programs through other HOPE eligible institutions must complete the UGA HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship Transient Form.

Transient Enrollment

Eligible UGA students attending other HOPE eligible institutions as transients must complete the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship Transient Form.

Students from other colleges enrolled at UGA as a transient student and are receiving the HOPE Scholarship at their home college should contact the financial aid office at their college about certifying their HOPE Scholarship eligibility for the UGA Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA). Once the certification is posted to the state Web site, OSFA can then award the HOPE Scholarship for the UGA course(s).

The Zell Miller Scholarship Program

To qualify for the new Zell Miller Scholarship, students must graduate from an eligible high school 2007 or later with at least a 3.7 grade point average (GPA) as calculated by HOPE Scholarship regulations and must have scored at least a 1200 on the SAT or a 26 on the ACT, in a single test administration prior to high school graduation or be their high school Valedictorian or Salutatorian. Only 2011 high school graduates had until June 30, 2011, to re-take the SAT and/or ACT for Zell Miller Scholarship consideration purposes.

Initial eligibility for the Zell Miller Scholarship is determined by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC). Students determined eligible for the new Zell Miller Scholarship are subject to all the HOPE Scholarship eligibility requirements except they must maintain a minimum 3.3 grade point average (GPA) on all coursework attempted since high school graduation instead of the minimum 3.0 gpa required for HOPE Scholarship recipients.

You can review the 2011-12 Zell Miller Scholarship regulations at the GSFC Web site.

A link to the electronic Zell Miller Scholarship Application can be found here.

Zell Miller Scholarship Award Amounts

The Zell Miller Scholarship award cannot exceed the student's current UGA standard Undergraduate tuition amount on a per hour basis. It does not pay for student fees and there is no book allowance. The Zell Miller Scholarship amount initially reflected on UGA 2011-12 financial aid Awards assumes the maximum amount for which students are eligible for the semester. Please see the GSFC Zell Miller Scholarship Rates.

UGA Students Charged a Flat Tuition Rate

For fall 2011 and spring 2012, the Zell Miller Scholarship provides a maximum Award Amount of:

• $3,641 to students enrolled in 7 or more hours, and
• $2,163 to students enrolled in 6 or fewer hours.

UGA Students Still on a Guaranteed Tuition Plan (GTP)

For the 2011-12 Award Year, the maximum dollar amount of each semester's Zell Miller Scholarship award is based on the standard GTP tuition rate applicable to the student.

• For seniors still subject to the Summer/Fall 2007 GTP rate, their Zell Miller Scholarship Award Amount is $188 per credit hour up to a maximum total Award Amount of $2,248 for 12 hours.

• For seniors still subject to the Summer/Fall 2008 GTP rate, their Zell Miller Scholarship Award Amount is $203 per credit hour up to a maximum total Award Amount of $2,428 for 12 hours.

These same Zell Miller Award Amounts are also applicable to GTP 07 and GTP 08 students in the BLA and Forestry programs. 

Returning UGA Students and the Zell Miller Scholarship

The Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) has provided colleges and universities the names of students who graduated from a Georgia high school prior to 2011 with at least a 3.7 grade point average (GPA) and (prior to high school graduation) scored at least a 1200 on the SAT or a 26 on the ACT in a single test administration or were their high school valedictorian or salutatorian.  The Zell Miller Scholarship will be awarded to these UGA students instead of the HOPE Scholarship if they are currently eligible for the HOPE Scholarship and their college HOPE Grade Point Average (GPA) at their most recent HOPE Scholarship checkpoint was at least 3.3.

2011 High School Graduates (New Freshmen) and the Zell Miller Scholarship

The GSFC began providing Georgia colleges and universities the majority of the names of incoming HOPE Scholarship eligible freshmen who qualify for the Zell Miller Scholarship after July 2011. However, beginning June 16, OSFA initially awarded incoming freshmen students the Zell Miller Scholarship by reviewing the preliminary HOPE Scholarship high school student eligibility data sent to OSFA by GFSC and identified those students with a 3.7 or higher high school Grade Point Average (GPA). OSFA then used student SAT and ACT test score data available in the UGA student system to identify these students who also had the required SAT or ACT test scores in a single test administration.

It is very important for incoming freshmen students to note that the HOPE Scholarship high school GPAs GSFC sent to colleges prior to July 2011, do not include their final semester of high school grades. Once GSFC began providing colleges the final high school GPAs in July, if a student’s high school GPA is then reported to be less than 3.7, the student’s Zell Miller Scholarship was/will be cancelled and (if otherwise eligible), he or she will be awarded the HOPE Scholarship in its place. The student will be required to repay to UGA Student Accounts any amount of the Zell Miller Scholarship he or she received that is greater than his or her HOPE Scholarship.

Additional UGA Zell Miller Scholarship Information

Maximum 127 Attempted or Paid Hours

The Zell Miller Scholarship has a 127 Attempted Hour and Paid Hour hard cap. All college credit hours attempted since high school graduation are counted in determining the number of Zell Scholarship Attempted Hours.  If the student finishes a semester with 126 HOPE and/or Zell Miller Scholarship Attempted or Paid hours, the Zell Miller Scholarship will only pay for 1 hour the following semester (assuming the student continues to meet other eligibility requirements).

Zell Miller Scholarship Grade Point Average (GPA) and Attempted Hours

The University of Georgia implemented a Plus/Minus grading system in the summer of 2006. However, for the purpose of calculating the cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) for HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility, regulations recognize only letter grades of A through F so any Plus or Minus will be disregarded.

The GPA and the Attempted Hours used in HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility calculations often do not match the cumulative GPA and attempted hours on the official UGA transcripts/OASIS.

Important Note:  Effective Fall 2011, these courses will not be counted when determining the number of hours in which a student is enrolled for Zell Miller Scholarship purposes.  Neither will these courses be counted in determining the number of HOPE/Zell Miller Attempted Hours or HOPE/Zell Miller Paid Hours.

Independent and Distance Learning (IDL)

UGA students wishing to enroll in IDL courses should first check with the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) to confirm if they have any remaining Zell Miller Scholarship award eligibility for the semester. Students must first pay for their IDL courses.

UGA students charged the Flat Tuition Rate for non-IDL courses - As reflected under Zell Miller Scholarship Amounts, for fall 2011 and spring 2012, the Zell Miller Scholarship provides a maximum of $3,641 to students enrolled in 7 or more hours and $2,163 to students enrolled in 6 or fewer hours. Therefore, only if a student is enrolled in fewer than 7 total hours in a semester (on-campus, internships, directed study, study-abroad, etc.), will his or her Zell Miller Scholarship subsequently be increased by the lesser of either (1) his or her actual IDL tuition, or (2) $1,478 (the additional 2011-12 Zell Scholarship Award Amount for students enrolled in 7 or more hours).

Example: A student enrolls in 12 hours fall 2011, so she is already eligible for the maximum $3,641 Zell Miller Scholarship Award Amount for the fall. She also enrolls in and pays $708 for 3 hours IDL. Her Zell Miller Scholarship cannot be increased because she is already receiving the maximum Award Amount.

UGA students charged a Guaranteed Tuition Plan (GTP) for non-IDL courses - As reflected under Zell Miller Scholarship Amounts, the maximum Zell Miller Scholarship Award Amount for UGA students still on a Guaranteed Tuition Plan (GTP) is limited to the applicable maximum total Award Amount for 12 hours!

Example:  A student enrolls in 12 hours fall 2011 and is receiving the maximum Zell Miller Scholarship Award Amount for the fall.  He also enrolls in and pays $729 for 3 hours IDL.  His Zell Miller Scholarship cannot be increased because he is already receiving his maximum Award Amount.

Transient students from other colleges who wish to enroll in (IDL) must initially pay for the IDL courses. If a student is receiving the Zell Miller Scholarship at his/her college, the student should first contact the financial aid office at his/her college to confirm if he/she has any remaining Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility for the semester. If so, the student should request his/her financial aid office provide his/her Zell Miller eligibility to the UGA Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) so OSFA can award the student’s Zell Miller Scholarship for the IDL course(s). Funds cannot be disbursed by Student Accounts earlier than 10 days before the start of the regular UGA semester to which the IDL course(s) is assigned.

Study Abroad/Student Exchange

The Zell Miller Scholarship Award Amount for UGA students enrolled in UGA study abroad programs and approved non-UGA study abroad or exchange programs is equal to the Award Amount payable to students for the same number of hours of on-campus coursework at UGA (not to exceed their applicable maximum Award Amount).

Eligible students attending UGA study abroad programs will have their Zell Miller Scholarship automatically awarded on a weekly basis once the classes appear in OASIS (Online Access to Student Information Systems).

Eligible UGA students who are attending approved non-UGA study abroad programs through non-Zell Miller Scholarship eligible institutions should contact OSFA at osfa@uga.edu to have funds awarded if the Zell Miller Scholarship does not currently appear on their Award in OASIS (Online Access to Student Information Systems).

Eligible UGA students attending non-UGA study abroad programs through other Zell Miller Scholarship eligible institutions must complete the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship Transient Form

Transient Enrollment

Eligible UGA students attending other Zell Miller Scholarship eligible institutions as transients must complete HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship Transient Form.

Students from other colleges enrolled at UGA in a transient status who are receiving Zell Miller Scholarship at their school should contact the financial aid office at their college about certifying their Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility for the UGA Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA). Once certified, OSFA can then award the Zell Miller Scholarship for the UGA course(s).