College students on HOPE are caught in a financial limbo and some families face hard choices.
Students entered college expecting the scholarship would cover all tuition if they maintained a 3.0 GPA. But Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposal to rescue the cash-strapped program means most recipients will see the award cover less of their tuition starting next fall.
Also gone is the $300 book allotment and money for mandatory fees, which provided $62 to $435 a semester depending on the college.
The change won't hurt some students, but it will create a heavy burden for many. It's too soon to say how much students will have to pay out of their own pockets, but they fear it could be a couple of thousand dollars.
"So many students are saying ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do?'" said Josh Delaney, president of the Student Government Association at the University of Georgia. "Students who are double-majoring are thinking of dropping a degree. We're really in a tight spot."
The governor and legislators agreed the changes will be hard on students and their families but said they didn't have any choice because of declining lottery funding for HOPE. The changes are the only way to preserve the scholarship for students in the future, they said.
Lawmakers had warned cuts were coming, but many students thought the changes would only affect future recipients.
Student leaders asked lawmakers Wednesday to delay implementation by a semester or year so current recipients can alter their financial or academic plans.
Deal’s proposal ties the scholarship amount to revenue from the Georgia Lottery instead of tuition. The plans call for the scholarship award to be 90 percent of current levels. Tuition is expected to increase next year, but rates won't be set until the spring.
Parent Angelique Conner said her daughter, a freshman at UGA, will move off-campus with three roommates and live in an apartment that costs $3,600 a year instead of $4,500 for room and board on campus. Instead of the college meal plan, Conner said her daughter will have a budget of $100 a month. And she'll have to get a job.
Students have started hunting for jobs for the summer and next year, said Ali Kamran, a junior at Kennesaw State University and a HOPE recipient.
"If we’re lucky enough to get a job, that will give us less time to study and it will hurt our grades," he said. "If we can’t raise the money, we’ll have to cut back on the number of classes we take and that will just delay our graduation. It’s hard to see how we win in this."
Cara Maurer, a Kennesaw State junior, said she would have to depend more on her parents. But the business management major with a 3.3 GPA understood the proposal would force students to excel or lose money.
"Students, I guess, will have to work harder," she said. "This will weed out the ones going to school just to go to school."
Some students will qualify for the proposed Zell Miller Scholarship that would cover all tuition at public colleges or provide $4,000 a year at private colleges to high school graduates with at least a 3.7 GPA and 1200 SAT. Students will need to maintain a 3.5 in college to keep that scholarship.
About one-third of the HOPE recipients in the University System of Georgia have at least a 3.5, spokesman John Millsaps said.
Deal's proposal includes $10 million to offer low-interest loans. The program is based on one that lawmakers passed in 2008 but never funded. But students said they're reluctant to count on the money because there's no guarantee lawmakers will provide it.
Haleigh Hoffman, a freshman at Piedmont College, receives financial aid and HOPE but is worried about raising what the scholarship won't cover. Private college students will see their award drop from $4,000 to $3,600.
Hoffman, whose mother is disabled, said she can barely afford college. She cashed in a savings bond to buy books this semester. She plans to get a job, but worries it will hurt her grades. She currently has a 4.0.
"We are all scared, because losing money from HOPE could mean a lot of us will not know what it feels like to see a college diploma in our hands," she said.
Susan Volentine was visiting Kennesaw State Wednesday with her daughter Melissa, a high school senior and prospective HOPE recipient. Her daughter, who has at least a 3.2 GPA at Pope High School, was accepted to Kennesaw and Augusta State University. Volentine called the proposed changes "ridiculous."
"HOPE is a lot of the reason we're staying with Georgia schools," she said. "Maybe staying in Georgia is not such a good deal."
Legislature fast-tracks HOPE bill
The state House Higher Education Appropriations Committee held a hearing Wednesday on the proposed changes to HOPE. An overview was provided by Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, the bill's sponsor and Gov. Nathan Deal’s floor leader. During a public hearing, students, lottery retailers and others shared their concerns. The committee is scheduled to meet at 7:30 a.m. Thursday to vote on House Bill 326. Should it pass, the full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to discuss the bill when it convenes at 8 a.m.
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