College costs shock students as HOPE dwindles

The lottery-funded HOPE originally covered 100 percent of the tuition at Georgia colleges for high school students graduating with a 3.0 average. In March state lawmakers made changes to reduce payments from the cash-strapped program.

Now only students with a 3.7 average and a 1200 SAT will get full tuition coverage; HOPE pays 80 to 90 percent of tuition for those with a 3.0 or better, depending on lottery revenue and the cost of tuition. The new rates, which do not cover books or student fees, become effective in August.

Though fall semester bills began showing up this month, "most people don’t understand what’s about to happen," said Rep. Stacey Evans, who tried unsuccessfully to insert a sliding income scale to give HOPE to poorer families.

"They are letting down thousands of students," said Nick Mizaur, a rising sophomore at the University of Georgia and a member of the student government association. Mizaur, a Zell Miller scholar with a full ride, said the SGA urged Gov. Nathan Deal to grandfather in students who already qualified for full HOPE. "Our requests to the governor were ignored," said Mizaur.

Many high schools calculate GPAs with extra points for college level Advance Placement courses. For the purpose of awarding HOPE scholarships, the Georgia Student Finance Commission calculates grade point averages based on its own system. The commission strips away extra points awarded by high schools, then adds back a fraction of a point for grades of a B or lower in AP and International Baccalaureate courses.

As a result, Matt Josey, 18, of Dacula, discovered that his 3.75 at Mill Creek High School was really a 3.58, and shy of the threshold for full HOPE. An incoming freshman at Georgia Tech, Josey will take out a loan and work a part-time job to cover the difference.

Last spring Shelton Hill, 59, of Peachtree City, paid $257 for fees that HOPE didn't cover for his son, a rising senior at UGA. This year, those uncovered costs have gone up to $1,100 he said. The majority of that increase came from pumped-up student fees. Five of Hill's six children have gone to college on the HOPE scholarship, and his youngest enrolled in three additional courses this summer to take advantage of HOPE before the changes took effect.

"If it wasn’t for HOPE it would be hard," Hill said.

Yet Hill, echoing a prevalent view, said that an education at one of Georgia's highly-rated public colleges is still an excellent value, despite the reduced assistance. "I just have to swallow the pill and keep going," he said.

Mallory Whitfield, 20, a rising UGA junior from Hiram, Ga., said changes in HOPE and school costs will saddle her with an additional $1,000 a year, leaving her about $20,000 in debt when she graduates. But she understands the cutbacks. "Our lottery’s gone broke, so there's no sense in digging a bigger hole."

HOPE is only one of several sources of student aid currently on the chopping block. Congress is considering shrinking the Pell Grant program which will cost the federal government $40 billion this year, cutting the top award by almost half and reducing the number of students eligible.

This trend troubles Jennifer Engle, director of higher education research and policy at the Washington-based non-profit The Education Trust. Withdrawing need-based aid puts low-income students at an even greater disadvantage, she said. "We have set a goal to become first in the world in degree attainment," she said. That goal will recede as student aid is compromised, she said.

Marshall Lichtenstein, whose daughter Ruth is a senior at UGA, echoed that warning. "If you want Silicon Valley-type industries attracted to Georgia you’re not going to do it with a work force that has a mediocre education," he said. Lichtenstein, a Druid Hills lawyer, calculates that the changes in HOPE will cost him an additional $1,600 this year.

Kamala Johnson, the GSU freshman, said she will use savings, take out a loan or look for help from her family to cover the additional costs. She never stopped looking  for additional scholarships, and will continue to do that through her senior year. Johnson also plans to buckle down. "My plan is to get my GPA  higher so I can get full HOPE."

Georgia could bolster HOPE with an income cap that excludes higher-earning families, Engle said, but such policies are very unpopular. Some educators say access to HOPE by wealthier students has made Georgia schools more competitive, and pushed them up in the rankings.

"The state is to be commended for having some of the lowest tuition costs in the nation," Mizaur, the UGA sophomore, "but that doesn’t excuse the breaking of a promise made to thousands of students in this state."