HOPE Scholarship Changes Bring New Financial Aid Challenges for Parents

Effective this fall, has put parents on notice in adjusting how they finance their student’s college education. Two of the most controversial changes—increased GPA and SAT scores—put most students at a disadvantaged in receiving a 100 percent full-tuition scholarship to a Georgia public college or university.

“A lot of parents are calling us,” said Dianne Thompson, Director of Advisement and Counseling for GCPS. Thompson said that parents want to know what the new HOPE scholarship eligibility requirements mean for their students.

Prior to the change, Georgia parents relied on the promise that if their student earned a 3.0 GPA they would automatically receive a free ride to any Georgia public college or university.

Governor Nathan Deal’s plan issues deep cuts to the HOPE program by raising the academic standards to get HOPE funding. Opponents believe those changes inadvertently put parents in a financial bind, even if their student is high-achieving and active on campus.

Effective for the 2011-2012 school year, students must earn a 3.7 GPA and score a 1200 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT in order to receive a full-tuition HOPE scholarship. Those students would be named Zell Miller Scholars, in honor of former governor Zell Miller, the architect of the original HOPE scholarship program.

The valedictorian and the salutatorian from every high school will automatically become Zell Miller Scholars and receive 100 percent HOPE coverage.

All other students who have received at least a 3.0 only receive 90 percent coverage under HOPE. Additionally, to spread funding to as many Georgia students as possible, the new legislation cuts book allowances, eliminates funding for remedial or developmental coursework and requires students to take academically challenging classes such as Advanced Placement.

Since last fall, GCPS administrators and counselors have been preparing for the changes.

“In December, we sent a letter to all of the seniors, with all of the scholarships through the PTA or legacy scholarships from families that were here,” said Chris Kimbro, Central Gwinnett High School counselor.

Kimbro said that Gwinnett County high schools have spent time informing parents and students about how to work around the new requirements.

“We had a yearly financial aid meeting at the Central Gwinnett campus and we went through the FAFSA worksheet,” she said.

Thompson said that GCPS schools have an annual financial aid night during senior year, where members of the Georgia Student Finance Commission explain to parents and students how to apply for loans and grants, as well as manage the costs of a college education.

In October, Gwinnett County students got a bit of “hope” in the form of the $1 million Broad Prize. GCPS won the largest education award that offers scholarships to high-achieving students.

The deadline for the scholarships was March 1. As soon as GCPS got the word, administrators notified schools of the application process, Thompson said.

Winners will receive up to $20,000 spread out over five years if they enroll at a four-year college and up to $5,000 spread out over two years if they attend a two-year college.

Kimbro said that Gwinnett students must get a head start on college planning early in their high school career.

Counselors at Gwinnett schools offer freshman guidance to first year students to develop a four year plan for academic success. They also discuss the importance of a varied and rigorous course load as well as how individual grades can greatly affect the GPA.

“It’s not just core classes, but academic electives that get factored in,” said Thompson.

Tips for financing your child’s education

The key to securing your students academic future is not the amount of money accumulated, but how well you manage your student’s finances and plan for the financial aid process.

Below are some tips on how to prepare for college expenses.

Start early

Do not wait until your child’s senior year before you begin the scholarship search. It’s important to sign up for scholarship searches early in your child’s high school career, so that he or she is aware of the requirements and deadlines for certain scholarships.

“We teach them [students] to go for scholarships early,” said Thompson. Scholarship search engines such as Fastweb and Scholarship.com offer a variety of scholarships as well as a wealth of resources on post-secondary education.

Change it up

Kimbro tells students to apply for a variety of scholarships, including the most unusual ones. She says that one of the most popular and unique scholarships is the Stuck at Prom Duck brand duct tape college scholarship contest, where students can collect up to $5,000 for having the most creative prom dress completely made out of duct tape. Many of these scholarships don’t always require an essay, GPA minimum or community service, and tend to focus on an imaginative task or challenge.

Connect on campus

One of the best resources for students to earn scholarship money is through school clubs and associations. School PTA’s sponsor several scholarships a year, as well as coordinate school pageants where students have an opportunity to glam it up and earn money.

Academic clubs offer students opportunities to compete in state and national competitions to win prize money. At the recent Georgia Science and Engineering Fair in Athens, Ga., several Gwinnett County students had the opportunity to win more than $48,000 in prizes and awards.

Join GAcollege411

Thompson encourages all parents and students to sign up for a GAcollege411 account provided by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. The account tracks a students GPA, explains how HOPE is calculated and offers resources from planning for high school to preparing for college depending on what stage of school your child is at. The best part is that students can sign up for an account as early as middle school.

Talk to a school counselor

If a parent is unsure of where to start in the college planning or financial aid process, Thompson says that they should make an appointment with their student’s counselor. Counselors will help parents stay connected and improve communication and feedback about keeping their child on track toward graduating and applying to college. Thompson says that schools offer programs like parent night to talk about grade requirements. Parents can also sign up for electronic newsletters to keep up with the latest updates from GCPS.