Associate Degree Programs

Students may be eligible for financial assistance through the HOPE Scholarship program provided they meet the requirements to be classified as Georgia residents at the time they graduate from an eligible high school or complete an eligible home school program.

Students who received a GED, who graduated from an ineligible high school, or who completed an unaccredited home school program may be eligible to receive the HOPE scholarship their freshman year (first tier) if they score in the 85th percentile or higher on a standardized college admission test (SAT or ACT). Official examination scores must be sent directly to GSFC for consideration.

Entering first-year students must graduate from an eligible high school with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the college preparatory curriculum or a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale in the career/technology curriculum. Information on the high school courses included in the grade point average calculation is available on the Georgia Student Finance Commission website and from high school counselors.

Students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at all checkpoints in order to remain eligible for HOPE Scholarship benefits.

Entering first-year students may receive benefits through the academic term in which they accumulate at least 30 semester hours of attempted credit unless they first reach an end-of-spring checkpoint or three-term checkpoint.

Entering first-year students who enroll for 12 or more credit hours during one or more of their first three terms of college enrollment must meet the minimum CGPA requirement at the spring checkpoint.

Entering first-year students who enroll in fewer than 12 credit hours in each of their first three terms of college must meet the minimum CGPA requirement at the three-term checkpoint. Thereafter, the Financial Aid Office will conduct end-of-spring checkpoints on these students regardless of the number of credit hours they enroll in during each subsequent academic term.

Entering first-year students who enroll in fewer than 12 credit hours in their first two terms of college enrollment and in 12 or more credit hours in their third term of college enrollment must meet the minimum CGPA requirement at the end-of-spring checkpoint. These students will continue to receive HOPE Scholarship funds until they accumulate 30 semester hours of attempted credit or until the next end-of-spring checkpoint, whichever comes first.

Students who graduated from high school and were not academically eligible for HOPE Scholarship benefits immediately after high school graduation may be eligible for these benefits if they have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale after completing 30, 60, or 90 semester hours of study at the associate degree level or higher. Once students become eligible for the HOPE Scholarship after attempting 30, 60, or 90 semester hours of study at the associate degree level or higher, they must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the end-of-spring checkpoint in order to remain eligible for HOPE Scholarship benefits.

HOPE Scholarship recipients who lost their HOPE benefits at the end-of-spring or three-term checkpoints may regain their eligibility if they have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the end of the academic term in which they attempt 30, 60, or 90 semester hours of study at the college-degree level. Students who lose their HOPE Scholarship eligibility at two different checkpoints cannot regain eligibility for these benefits.

Students who had received HOPE Scholarship benefits prior to Summer Quarter 2011 may continue to receive these benefits until June 30, 2015, provided they continue to meet all other eligibility requirements. HOPE Scholarship-eligible students who did not receive any benefits prior to Summer Quarter 2011 may receive the benefits until seven years from the date of their high school graduation, the date they successfully completed the GED, the completion date for a home study program, or the date they stop pursuing a college credential.

State policy specifies that a maximum of 15 semester hours per term will count toward the paid hours limit even if the actual number of hours taken for the term is greater than 15. The HOPE Scholarship will cover tuition according to the year's factor rate for the coursework required by their programs of study. The factor rate is set each year by the Georgia General Assembly.

The HOPE Scholarship will not cover the tuition associated with any required learning support courses students must take in order to gain regular admission status to the college provided the students meet the HOPE Grant eligibility requirements (see Provisional Admission).

The Financial Aid Office includes all attempted hours and corresponding grades earned for degree-level courses at Athens Technical College and all other colleges and universities in the calculation of cumulative grade point averages even if the executive director of registration and records does not accept those courses for transfer credit. Included in the calculation of cumulative grade point averages are all remedial courses completed prior to Fall Semester 2011; courses in which students formally withdraw from courses; and courses in which students received I or IP grades, pass or fail grades, and satisfactory or unsatisfactory grades.

It is the responsibility of students to contact the Financial Aid Office to establish HOPE Scholarship eligibility. It is recommended that students submit a HOPE Scholarship Evaluation Request prior to the start of their first term of enrollment. However, students must submit this request to the Financial Aid Office no later than the midpoint of the semester for which they are seeking reimbursement. Requests received after this time will be evaluated for the next semester.

Students may receive HOPE Scholarship benefits for up to 127 semester hours of attempted coursework. Additionally, students may receive a combination of HOPE Grant and HOPE Scholarship payments for a maximum of 127 semester hours of attempted coursework at colleges and universities in Georgia. Students who have earned a bachelor's degree from any college or university are ineligible to receive financial assistance through the HOPE Scholarship program.