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AJC.com > Legislature > Georgia Beat > Archives > 2005 > February > 22 > Entry
House votes to limit HOPE to 127 credits
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thousands of future HOPE scholars in college programs that require more than 127 credits to earn a degree would have to pay for some of their classes under legislation that overwhelmingly passed the House Tuesday, even if they maintain good grades.
The measure passed 93-76 and will now be considered by the Senate.
The legislation, being pushed by Rep. Bill Hembree (R-Douglasville), chairman of the House Higher Education Committee, would pay students receiving a HOPE scholarship for 127 credit hours, even if their degrees demand more credits to earn a diploma. It would take effect for students enrolling next fall.
“This is an issue of fairness. All programs and all HOPE scholars should be equal,” Hembree told members of the House.
About 7,300 of the 120,000 HOPE scholars in public and private colleges in Georgia currently are in programs that require more than 127 credits to graduate, including more than 2,000 in Georgia Tech’s engineering programs.
Some Democrats opposed the measure, saying students in those programs deserve to be able to finish their degrees on HOPE if they can keep up their grades.
“Let’s vote for the students of this state who are willing to work a little harder and have earned that HOPE scholarship,” said House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin). “This is not abuse when you enter a harder career track and it takes more hours. It is wrong to come in here and take that away.”
Full-time public college students with HOPE scholarships get full tuition, mandatory fees and a book allowance if they have a 3.0 grade point average.
Hembree said some of the lengthy degree programs offer students a chance to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. For instance, officials said Georgia Southern University has nursing and accounting programs in which students earn both bachelor’s and master’s degree, and HOPE pays for 150 hours.
Typically, bachelor’s degrees take about 120 credit hours, so HOPE is paying for an extra 30 credits. With the program looking to cut costs, officials recommend the change because Hembree said HOPE wasn’t designed to pay for master’s degrees. He presented letters from the presidents of the University of Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern and the chancellor of the University System of Georgia supporting the bill.
Rep. Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta), noted that in many cases, students would still be able to complete their degrees on HOPE. If students start their final year just short of the 127-credit limit, they would be allowed to take a few more classes on HOPE to graduate.
However, Rep. Terry Coleman (D-Eastman), noted that some students might be advised to take the wrong classes in college, or may not have credits transfer when they switch schools, or may run up against the HOPE limit if they switch majors.
“The problem is that this [bill] is intended for a perfect world. We don’t live in a perfect world,” Coleman said. “If you vote for this bill, you are going to get kicked around at home.”
Rep. Amos Amerson (R-Dahlonega), who taught at North Georgia College and State University, said some students take advantage of HOPE by taking extra courses or regularly switching degree programs.
“Students in college are not dumb,” he said. “They know how to work the system.”
Hembree has also filed legislation to keep students at for-profit private colleges from receiving the state’s Tuition Equalization Grant, a $900 per student subsidy.
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