Atlanta high school students can soon apply for college scholarships worth up to $20,000 under a new program from Achieve Atlanta, a nonprofit working to double the number of low-income Atlanta students who earn a degree or other credential after high school.
Achieve Atlanta expects to award nearly $4 million in scholarships this year to students who will attend four-year colleges, two-year colleges and technical schools.
“We’re investing in our students who we think are the biggest asset to our community,” Achieve Atlanta executive director Tina Fernandez said. “We really do think that getting a post-secondary degree can transform the lives of a lot of our students and their families.”
The program will be formally announced next month, and students can begin applying the first week of March at www.achieveatlanta.org.
The scholarships are available to students who have attended Atlanta Public Schools high schools — including charter schools — for at least the past two years.
To be eligible, students must enroll full-time in an accredited nonprofit college or technical program by the fall immediately after high school graduation, meet financial need requirements, and have a cumulative grade score of at least 80 (for four-year colleges) or 75 (for two-year programs and technical schools).
“We want to make sure that our students who are going to a four-year college are college-ready and have shown they can meet the academic rigors of a four-year institution,” Fernandez said. “However, we also don’t want to close a path off.”
The four-year college scholarships are worth up to $5,000 per year and are renewable for up to four years. The two-year college or technical program scholarships are worth up to $1,500 per year and renewable for up to two years. The scholarships will provide “last dollar” funding, filling gaps left after students receive other financial aid.
Achieve Atlanta formed last year and is funded by the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation. The group has also placed staff in Atlanta high schools to guide students through the college application process. And it plans to continue to coach Atlanta students who receive scholarships through college.
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