All 22 Technical College System of Georgia institutions and 14 University System of Georgia institutions would be impacted by this bill:
- Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
- Darton State College
- College of Coastal Georgia
- Georgia State University Perimeter College
- Gordon Sate College
- Middle Georgia State University
- South Georgia State College
- Dalton State College
- Georgia Highlands College
- East Georgia State College
- Bainbridge State College
- Atlanta Metropolitan State College
- Georgia Gwinnett College
- University of North Georgia - two-year degrees
A bill filed Monday aims to provide HOPE awards for students at some Georgia colleges, including technical colleges, that would cover the full tuition amount.
Under Senate Bill 312, sponsored by State Sen. Charlie Bethel, R-Dalton, HOPE recipients would receive a minimum $2,000 HOPE scholarship award each semester (or $134 per credit hour), likely enough to equal tuition at eligible institutions.
The HOPE minimum would apply to eligible students at all 22 of Georgia’s technical colleges and 14 of the 29 schools in the state’s public university system. Georgia’s larger, more popular research institutions, including Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, as well as regional universities like Kennesaw State University, would not be included under the bill.
Bethel, R-Dalton, has said the bill would put “downward pressure” on tuition.
“We say to good students, you can still get a four-year degree with zero tuition cost, and also give schools incentive to stay under that amount to be a 100 percent-covered HOPE tuition school,” Bethel said.
The bill comes as rising tuition at state colleges and universities has led to existing HOPE awards covering less tuition cost, putting college out of reach for some students. At the same time, some colleges and universities in South Georgia have faced declining enrollments. The proposed bill is responsive to both those issues, Bethel said.
Providing the $2,000 minimum HOPE award is estimated to add an additional $8.3 million to $10 million to the cost of HOPE scholarships in fiscal 2017, according to state estimates.
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