Higher education is a pathway to greater financial security and prosperity. The pandemic-induced recession illustrates how Georgians without degrees are most vulnerable during economic downturns, with unemployment rates for individuals with a high school education only—37 percent of
As the country finds itself in another historic recession, Georgia faces an opportunity to focus state financial aid resources on an equitable economic recovery. A budget-neutral and effective option is to rework the state’s troubled lottery-funded Student Access
HOPE has made college more accessible and affordable for more almost two million college students since Georgia voters approved the creation of the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarships and Grants more than 25 years ago. Georgia needs to develop and harness all
Georgia’s 2021 Education Budget Georgia lawmakers cut $1 billion from the state’s budget for the Department of Education. The bulk of these cuts, totaling $950 million, will be passed on to 181 local K-12 school systems. State support for private
HOPE At-a-Glance provides a quick and simple reference of the state’s six lottery-funded HOPE programs. HOPE provides grants and scholarships to students pursuing technical certificates and diplomas and associate and bachelor’s degrees. This downloadable, one-page fact sheet includes state budget
Student Access Loans (SAL), or Low-Interest Loans, are student loans funded by lottery dollars. The program began in 2012. Before using SAL, student borrowers must first use all available federal, institutional and private scholarships and loans, as well
Key Takeaways Agency budget proposals for lottery-funded programs included no cuts to HOPE and $53 million in cuts to pre-K. This would mean the elimination of 4,000 slots for Pre-K students, 13 fewer instructional days for children and six fewer
Key Takeaways Pending budget cuts to the University System of Georgia have the potential to reverse years of progress, lowering instructional quality, increasing dropout rates and hampering upward mobility. Similar cuts to the Technical College System could have negative long-term
The Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) Board of Commissioners approved several policy changes to Dual Enrollment, HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships on May 1. Dual Enrollment changes follow the passage of House Bill 444, legislation designed to curb cost growth
The coronavirus pandemic reveals the fragile financial situations of many Georgia college students. Many Georgia students struggle to pay for basic needs like housing, food, health care and transportation. Before the pandemic: 42 percent of students reported not receiving any
The budget primer outlines the state budget for the year, recognizes substantial changes from the preceding year and provides a clear-eyed view on what lawmakers have prioritized for our state. This year, there will also be a focus on budget trends over the full eight years of Gov. Kemp’s tenure as we prepare for Georgia’s next leaders to take office.
Our budget primer is slated to be published the first day of the fiscal year, July 1. Join us for our virtual town hall to discuss our data, or request a physical copy of the primer to be sent to your address.
Submit public comment on Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program extension by February 20th – just complete this easily fillable form:
