We are considering moving to Georgia from NJ. DS#1 will be a 2nd year at Georgia Tech in the fall. Currently paying full OOS tuition. We have two other children - DS #2 entering junior year & DS #3 entering sophomore year in HS.
If we move to Georgia, would the two in HS be eligible for Hope/Zell? How exactly do they work? From what I’ve read, I believe that DS#2 might not be, since it would be very hard for us to make the move in time for him to start school in Georgia this year (I just looked and found out that they start at the beginning of August!!)
Does anyone have any experience moving to GA with high school students?
TIA!
p.s. if there have been other posts on this, please link me to them - I tried searching and couldn’t find anything!
Yes, Georgia public schools typically start the first week of August. Looks like that would cut it close for your son, because this link states that:
To gain Georgia Residency status, the Parent or Legal Guardian must be an established Georgia resident for a minimum of 24 consecutive months prior to the first day of the college term for which funding is sought.
If he can’t make the cutoff for the scholarship in his first semester of college, I’m not sure if that means he would be eligible for his second semester. I know they reevaluate eligibility at different checkpoints. Good luck!
Thanks for your reply! Yeah, that’s what I found too. Very good question about whether he’d be eligible for 2nd semester at college. I wonder who I could ask?
It looks to me like your HS junior would be a GA resident at time of HS graduation, no?
Students attending a USG or TCSG Institution
If, the institution determines a student was a Georgia resident at the time of high school graduation, home study completion or GED diploma date, the student:
Must meet the Georgia residency requirement for a minimum of 12 consecutive months prior to first day of the term for which state funding is sought.
If, the institution determines a student was not a Georgia resident at the time of high school graduation, home study completion or GED diploma date, the student:
Must meet the Georgia residency requirement for a minimum of 24 consecutive months prior to first day of the term for which state funding is sought.
I don’t know how easy it is to contact someone at GSFC. If that doesn’t work, I would try Georgia Tech financial aid office.
Thank you for finding this! Yes, it does look like they only need to be a resident for 12 months prior if they graduate high school in GA. I’ve already reached out to Georgia Tech to learn about the requirements for my DS#1 to receive in-state tuition - good idea to ask them as well about Hope/Ze…
I would advice to make the move before August if possible. If the student graduates from a GA high school, it is usually easier. Even if you just rent a place prior to school starting and use the address to register the students then make your move later in the fall. It might save a bit of money than waiting a couple of months.
Congrats on the move! I’m sure this is one of the best choices for your kid’s education. Georgia ranks as the sixth-best state in the U.S. for students.
