Students claimed fewer than half of budgeted Georgia Promise scholarships
About 7,700 students qualified for the Georgia Promise Scholarship in the program’s first year — meaning fewer than half of the vouchers the state set aside were actually claimed.
That’s why Gov. Brian Kemp recommended significantly slashing the program’s funding for the year in his fiscal year 2026 amended budget.
The $6,500 awards were slated to go to students who are zoned to attend low-performing public schools. Lawmakers earmarked $141 million, or enough for more than 20,000 scholarships.
Between Mar. 1 and Dec. 12, 2025, 20,217 students applied for the scholarship, according to data provided this month by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. But only 7,744 students actually qualified to receive one, at a cost to the state of about $55 million.
Kemp’s amended budget for fiscal year 2026 proposes cutting $86 million of the allocated funding. It would be a “one-time reduction” to reflect the actual number of participants, GSFC President Chris Green told lawmakers this month.
Lawmakers still have to approve the budget changes. Kemp’s budget for fiscal year 2027 recommends restoring the scholarship funding to the full $141 million.
Last year, lawmakers in the Georgia House of Representatives proposed budgeting less than $50 million for the scholarships. Georgia senators aligned with Kemp on wanting to allocate the $141 million, and that plan ultimately prevailed.
When they created the program, lawmakers said they expected interest in the scholarship to grow over time.
In July, the GSFC reported that 8,600 students were preliminarily eligible to receive a scholarship. But data verification with the Department of Education brought the number down, said finance commission spokesperson Lance Wallace.
More than 300,000 students in Georgia meet the requirements to receive one of the scholarships, an analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last year showed. As analysis by The Associated Press suggested the number of eligible students could top 400,000.
Most of the recipients of the Georgia Promise Scholarship so far —70% — planned to use the funds at private schools, according to data provided in January by the GSFC. About one-fifth planned to use the funds on home schooling expenses.
Scholarship applications for the 2026-2027 academic year will open on March 1.
About the Author
Cassidy Alexander covers Georgia education issues for the AJC. She previously covered education for The Daytona Beach News-Journal, and was named Florida's Outstanding New Journalist of the Year.
