Georgia Code
Part 7 - Hope Scholarships and Grants
§ 20-3-519.2. Eligibility Requirements for a Hope Scholarship; Award Amount

earning a score in the seventy-fifth percentile or higher nationally on a standardized college admission test, such as the SAT or ACT; and
Beginning in academic year 2017-2018, the cumulative grade point average calculated pursuant to this subsection shall include weighted grades for specific science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college courses identified by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia in consultation with the Technical College System of Georgia, the Department of Economic Development, and private eligible postsecondary institutions, by increasing the grade assigned by the instructor to the student for any such course by an additional 0.5 point if such grade is a B, C, or D. Such courses shall be academically rigorous and required for or leading to employment in high demand fields in Georgia in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Beginning with the completion of the 2017-2018 academic year, the Georgia Student Finance Commission shall provide a biennial report to the chairpersons of the House Committee on Higher Education and the Senate Higher Education Committee at the following general session of the legislature. The report shall include the fields identified as high demand fields and associated workforce shortages in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and health care; the courses identified as academically rigorous and their relevance to such fields; and any other pertinent information that the Georgia Student Finance Commission deems relevant. The Governor shall be authorized to convene a task force to identify high demand fields and associated workforce shortages and may recommend to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia initial science, technology, engineering, and mathematics college courses to receive additional weight.
History. Code 1981, § 20-3-519.2 , enacted by Ga. L. 1998, p. 626, § 2; Ga. L. 2000, p. 618, § 77; Ga. L. 2001, p. 4, § 20; Ga. L. 2004, p. 922, § 4; Ga. L. 2006, p. 338, §§ 1, 2/SB 506; Ga. L. 2006, p. 1069, § 2/SB 561; Ga. L. 2008, p. 335, § 2/SB 435; Ga. L. 2008, p. 590, § 1/HB 152; Ga. L. 2008, p. 759, § 3/SB 492; Ga. L. 2009, p. 8, § 20/SB 46; Ga. L. 2009, p. 858, § 1/HB 484; Ga. L. 2011, p. 1, § 3/HB 326; Ga. L. 2012, p. 775, § 20/HB 942; Ga. L. 2014, p. 491, § 1/HB 810; Ga. L. 2014, p. 801, § 9/HB 697; Ga. L. 2016, p. 601, § 2/HB 798; Ga. L. 2016, p. 850, § 2/HB 801; Ga. L. 2017, p. 774, § 20/HB 323; Ga. L. 2019, p. 320, § 1/HB 218; Ga. L. 2021, p. 504, § 1/SB 187; Ga. L. 2022, p. 168, § 2(11)/SB 397.
The 2014 amendments.
The first 2014 amendment, effective July 1, 2014, substituted “eightieth” for “eighty-fifth” in the ending paragraph of subparagraph (a)(1)(C). The second 2014 amendment, effective July 1, 2014, inserted “Scholarship” in the introductory paragraph of subsection (f).
The 2016 amendments.
The first 2016 amendment, effective July 1, 2016, deleted “or” at the end of subdivision (a)(B)(iii); and substituted “seventy-fifth” for “eightieth” in the undesignated paragraph following subdivision (a)(C)(iii). The second 2016 amendment, effective July 1, 2016, added the undesignated paragraph at the end of subsection (b).
The 2017 amendment, effective May 9, 2017, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, added “or” at the end of division (a)(1)(B)(iii).
The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, substituted the present provisions of paragraph (d)(3) for the former provisions, which read: “Beginning with those students receiving a HOPE scholarship for the first time on or after July 1, 2011, seven years from a student’s graduation from high school or the equivalent thereof as determined by the Georgia Student Finance Commission in its rules and regulations; provided, however, that for a student who serves in the military during such seven-year period, any such military service served as active duty shall not count against the seven-year period. A student that is ineligible to receive a HOPE scholarship pursuant to this paragraph but who received the HOPE scholarship during the 2010-2011 academic year shall continue to be eligible for the HOPE scholarship until June 30, 2015, as long as such student meets all other eligibility requirements, including, but not limited to, paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection.”
The 2021 amendment, effective July 1, 2021, added the last two sentences in paragraph (d)(3).
The 2022 amendment, effective July 1, 2022, substituted “state approved high school equivalency (HSE)” for “general educational development (GED)” in divisions (a)(1)(B)(i) and (a)(1)(C)(i).
Editor’s notes.
Ga. L. 2000, p. 618, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall be known and may be cited as the ‘A Plus Education Reform Act of 2000.’ ”
Ga. L. 2011, p. 1, § 17/HB 326, not codified by the General Assembly, provides, in part, that the 2011 amendment shall be applicable to postsecondary students beginning in the fall of 2011.
For application of this statute in 2020 and 2021, see Executive Orders 09.30.20.02, 10.15.20.01, 10.30.20.02, 11.13.20.01, 11.30.20.02, 12.08.20.01, 12.30.20.02, 01.15.21.01, 01.29.21.02, 02.15.21.01, 02.26.21.02, 03.12.21.01, 03.31.21.03, 04.30.21.01, 05.28.21.02, 06.30.21.02, 07.22.21.02, 08.19.21.02, and 09.20.21.02.
A listing of Executive Orders issued in 2020 can be found at https://gov.georgia.gov/executive-action/executive-orders.
Law reviews.
For article on the 2016 amendment of this Code section, see 33 Georgia St. U.L. Rev. 183 (2016).