Initial Academic Eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship
The HOPE Scholarship program requires students to meet academic eligibility requirements in addition to the basic requirements. The type of high school or home study program a student graduates from determines the evaluation process and the HOPE Scholarship eligibility requirements.
Types of high schools for HOPE Scholarship
An eligible high school or an accredited home study program is one which is accredited by at least one of the approved accrediting agencies listed below; this is true even if the high school or home study program is located outside the state of Georgia or outside of the United States.
A high school not accredited by one of the approved accrediting agencies as listed below is considered an ineligible high school.
A home study program which is not accredited by one of the approved accrediting agencies as listed below is considered an unaccredited home study program.
Below are the approved accrediting agencies for high schools and home study programs
High schools and home study programs located in Georgia must be accredited by one of the following approved agencies:
- Cognia (SACS)
- Georgia Accrediting Commission
- Georgia Association of Christian Schools
- Association of Christian Schools International
- Georgia Private School Accreditation Council
- Southern Association of Independent Schools
- Georgia Independent School Association
High schools and home study programs located outside of Georgia must be accredited by one of the following approved agencies:
- Cognia (SACS)
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- Northwest Accreditation Commission
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Alabama Independent School Association
- Southern Association of Independent Schools.
The high school or home study program must be accredited by an approved accrediting agency as listed above at the time of the student’s graduation or completion. The accrediting agency should be listed on their website.
A home study program is an arrangement whereby a school-aged child is involved in a course of study in which instruction is carried out at the direction of the parent rather than in a traditional classroom setting and is governed by and operating in accordance with the requirements of Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) §20-2-690(c).
*Students must meet all program eligibility requirements.
Student Academic Eligibility Requirements
Initial academic eligibility for students is based on the high school or home study program the student graduated or completed.
Select from the list below which best describes your status then read the requirements to determine how initial academic eligibility is made.
- Graduate from an eligible high school
- Completer of an accredited home study program
- Graduate from an ineligible high school
- Completer of an unaccredited home study program
- Earned a High School Equivalency diploma (HSE) from the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)
- Earn eligibility while in college
*Students must meet all program eligibility requirements.
Graduates of an Eligible High School & Graduates of an Accredited Home Study Program
HOPE Scholarship Academic Eligibility Requirements as an entering freshman at an eligible college or university in Georgia (after high school graduation or home study completion)
Meet the following criteria:
- Graduate with a minimum 3.0 calculated HOPE GPA.
- Earn a minimum of four full rigor credits from the Academic Rigor Course List.
Georgia High School Reporting
If you graduate from a Georgia eligible high school your high school is required to submit your transcript data to GSFC for the calculation of your HOPE GPA.
This is a secure electronic process. Once your HOPE GPA is calculated, finalized, and verified by your high school, you can view it through your GAfutures account at My High School HOPE GPA.
Out of State High School Process
After graduation from an eligible high school located outside of Georgia, if you believe you meet the HOPE Scholarship GPA and rigor requirements as listed above, your eligibility must be calculated manually.
Follow the instructions on the Out-of-State High School Transcript Evaluation state program request form and submit all of the required documents through Document Upload.
*Students must meet all program eligibility requirements.
Graduates of an Ineligible High School or Unaccredited Home Study Program or Earned a High School Equivalency diploma (HSE)
HOPE Scholarship Academic Eligibility Requirements as an entering freshman at an eligible college or university in Georgia (after high school graduation or home study completion) or earned an HSE diploma from a TCSG institution.
Initial Academic Eligibility
Meet the following criteria:
- Graduate from an ineligible high school or complete an unaccredited home study program or earn an HSE.
- Earn a qualifying test score on a single national or state/district administration of the ACT or single national administration of the SAT prior to high school graduation or home study / HSE diploma completion. An initial academic eligibility determination is based on the single highest qualifying score received and recorded in GSFC’s system.
A minimum composite score of 24 is required for the ACT.
A minimum score of 1160 is required for the SAT.
Initial Academic Eligibility Process
After graduation from an ineligible high school or completion of an unaccredited home study program or HSE, if you believe you meet the HOPE Scholarship ACT or SAT score requirement as listed above, your eligibility must be evaluated manually.
Follow the instructions on the Unaccredited Home Study Programs or HSE diploma state program request form and submit all of the required documents through the Student Document Upload.
Retroactive Academic Eligibility
Students who graduated from an ineligible high school or completed an unaccredited home study program but were not initially academically eligible may receive the HOPE Scholarship retroactively, if they earn a 3.0 postsecondary calculated HOPE GPA after attempting 30 semester or 45 quarter hours of college degree-level credit. Credit hours earned by examination or coursework taken prior to high school graduation or home study completion cannot be used to gain HOPE Scholarship eligibility.
Meet the following criteria:
- Attempt 30 semester or 45 quarter hours of college degree-level credit after high school graduation or home study completion and
- Earn a minimum 3.0 postsecondary calculated HOPE GPA
Retroactive Academic Eligibility Process
If you graduated from an ineligible high school or completed an unaccredited home study program and believe you meet the HOPE Scholarship GPA requirement after attempting 30 semester or 45 quarter hours, your eligibility must be evaluated manually.
Sign in to your GAfutures account to access My College HOPE Profile and verify your Checkpoint History prior to requesting retroactive academic evaluation. Follow the instructions on the Unaccredited Home Study Programs or HSE diploma state program request form and submit all of the required documents through the Student Document Upload.
Retroactive Academic Evaluation and Application Deadlines
Retroactive evaluation requests should be submitted by the last day of the semester or quarter immediately following the semester or quarter in which you reached the 30 semester or 45 quarter attempted-hour checkpoint (excluding summer semester).
The FAFSA or GSFAPP application deadline for HOPE Scholarship retroactive payment is the last day of the semester or quarter immediately following the semester or quarter in which you reached the 30 semester or 45 quarter attempted-hour point (excluding summer semester).
*Students must meet all program eligibility requirements.
Earn Eligibility While in College
A student who was not academically eligible for the HOPE Scholarship as an entering college freshman may become eligible for the HOPE Scholarship. The college/university you are attending will determine your eligibility after you have attempted the required hours.
Meet the following criteria:
- Attempt 30, 60, or 90 semester hours or 45, 90, or 135 quarter hours of study and
- Earn a minimum 3.0 postsecondary calculated HOPE GPA
Credit hours earned by examination or coursework taken prior to high school graduation or home study completion cannot be used to gain HOPE Scholarship eligibility.
*Students must meet all program eligibility requirements.
