<p>With the recent changes to HOPE, you would need to maintain a GPA above 3.7 to keep the scholarship. From what I have heard, maintaining a 3.0+ at Tech is already a difficult feat. How are current students dealing with or reacting to this change? Is it a good idea to take "lighter" classes to supplement your GPA?</p>
<p>A 3.0 GPA at GT is roughly 50% of students. A 3.7 GPA is roughly 1% of students. With the change to HOPE, maintaining a 3.0 GPA would cover 90% of tuition and fees. A 3.7 GPA (plus a minimum SAT score) would lead to 100% of tuition and fees.</p>
<p>The problem is that the state has been cutting funding massively from the University System of Georgia (the USG - the system that operates all of Georgia’s public colleges and universities). As a result, the USG has been raising tuition. This has required HOPE to pay more per student to cover the increased tuition and has stretched HOPE beyond its revenue stream.</p>
<p>An interesting fact that makes this more complicated for Tech is that your tuition doesn’t go to Georgia Tech. It goes to the USG and is then split among the universities in the state. So for every $1 you (or HOPE) pays in tuition, about $0.33 goes to GT. The other $0.67 goes to Clayton State, Abraham Baldwin, South Georgia, and other schools that charge tuition low enough to create an operating loss.</p>
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<p>No, for two reasons. First, that will delay graduation as “light” classes probably won’t meet your major’s requirements. Second, GT has no real “light” classes. At schools like Georgia State or UGA, you can take Kayaking, or Bowling, or Wine Tasting for credit. At GT, the “easy” classes are things like Interstellar Physics or Quantum Mechanics I. That’s what makes GT harder than other schools.</p>
<p>The new rules: If you have a HIGH SCHOOL GPA of 3.7 and and SAT of 1200 or graduate first or second in your class, you are a Zell Miller Scholar, entitled to a full-tuition scholarship. It will not cover books or fees, however. To keep the Zell Miller scholarship, you must maintain a 3.3 college gpa, not a 3.7.</p>
<p>What is called HOPE Lite refers to students with a HIGH SCHOOL GPA of 3.0. This will cover 90 percent of 2010-2011 tuition–which means a lower percentage when tuition rates are raised. No books or fess for this, either.</p>
<p>Even if your college GPA is 4.0 right now, if your HIGH SCHOOL GPA was less than 3.7, or your SAT was less than 1200, you drop to HOPE LITE in the fall. (Summer school, anyone?)
The changes cut the legs out from under many college students, unfortunately.</p>
<p>The 3.7 high school GPA is really ****ing me off. I graduated with a 3.69 in high school because I had a bad freshman yea. but I have made all As last semester, and currently have all As. Yet, I can not get the full scholarship.</p>
<p>The seems really stupid as it affects students as they are attending college. They needed a grandfather clause. I’m so glad I go here. I know Emory fin. aid will probably just fill in HOPE if I lose it.
Also, can’t you maybe take a class in like econ. or some “liberal arts” course if you want a class that may boost the GPA or create time for science courses? So while Tech may have less “easy” classes, they still have some. I hear psyche over there isn’t bad (my friend’s a major). If you’re a scientist only willing to do science-like courses, take one of those as you may learn something neat and boost the GPA. Who knows?</p>
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<p>Yes, they do - especially because of the high school GPA and SAT requirement. Imagine a student with an 1190/1600 SAT who was accepted to her first choice college last year. That student would have happily accepted the 1190 SAT score since all she cared about was college admission. Her GPA was high enough for HOPE… until the rules changed on her. Now she doesn’t qualify for 100% tuition because her SAT score was less than 1200/1600. She’s probably very upset right now because if she knew that would be an issue, she would have retaken the SAT to raise her score from 1190 to 1200+ while in high school. The situation is not really fair to her.</p>
<p>The politician’s response is “If we grandfathered in current students, we wouldn’t cut enough to keep HOPE solvent.” However, that’s only half of the issue. HOPE needs such deep cuts because the USG is raising tuition. USG is raising tuition because the Governor is cutting USG funding while preventing the USG from cutting costs. </p>
<p>I’m sure they did a thorough analysis of all of the options, but they’re not doing the best job of communicating what they considered and why they chose their ultimate decision.</p>
<p>I wonder if it means more people will consider applying to places like us, Mercer (of course banking on a generous fin. aid package from us or Mercer), and perhaps less expensive USG schools? Maybe also, an influx of potential Tech applicants to UGA (less cross-applicants) because those w/a 3.7 HS GPA and needing HOPE being concerned about losing it at Tech. I actually think this is the reason top private( or private schools period) in other states get more applicants (even from instate). Essentially, it isn’t just the prestige that cause such schools to get 20-25K+. The states don’t necessarily have a huge Scholarship that is as influential/accessible (and perhaps poorly maintained as indicated by looking in retrospect) as HOPE. And the private school not only ranks high/is good, but has a well-known fin. aid (nothing at Emory is that well-known. We have a lot to learn in terms of marketing/communications. It’s questionable how we’ve made it this far w/little effort here) package that is generally viewed as extremely generous especially for those that can barely afford in-state tuition at a public Us. Either way, this may have some profound effects. It will either raise standards more, or seriously effect the applicant pools in USG.</p>
<p>Even though they are going off of high school GPA. What will happen if you go under a 3.7 during your college semester or how ever it goes? Will you lose more of it or what?</p>
<p>And lets say your higschool GPA was a 3.7+ and you drop below that point are you able to get your grade back up to a 3.7+ and get back 100% HOPE or do you just have to keep the 90%?</p>
<p>sTrotty:</p>
<p>You have to hit the 3.7 cumulative HIGH SCHOOL GPA–HOPE calculated (no band, PE, computer classes, Home Ec, 8th grade algebra or Spachish)–before you enter college—and if you have a 1200 SAT, too, then you’re a Zell Miller scholar. In college, you must maintain a 3.3 to keep it. If you fall to a 3.00, then you go to HOPE LITE, 90% of today’s tuition, probably 80% of 2011 Fall tuition, since the legislature cut the University system’s budget again. Under 3.00, and you lose it, but you have a chance to get it back by raising your grades above 3.0. Just one chance.</p>
<p>My bad, I meant 3.3, I forgot.</p>
<p>Wait, is all of this need based? or you just have to have the 3.7 1200 and instate?</p>
<p>The Hope scholarship is not need based, but is only for GA residents. Changes were recently made because the lottery profits weren’t covering the number of students qualifying for Hope. It now has 2 tiers. </p>
<p>Hope (or known as Hope Lite): 3.0 gpa in highschool & college receives 90% of the 2011 tuition rates. </p>
<p>Zell Miller Scholarship: 3.7 high school gpa and 1200 SAT (CR & M) and maintain a 3.3 gpa in college for 100% of tuition.</p>
<p>How does HOPE notify you regarding to whether you recieved it or not? I filled out the FAFSA and HOPE application a month ago (FEB 27), but have not heard anything from them. Also, on the HOPE application, it did not ask for me to self-report my grades. How will they know what my grades are? does my high school send them my transcript or will I need to do so?</p>
<p>The Georgia Student Finance Authority determines HOPE eligibility after final transcripts for graduating seniors are submitted by high schools. This is done during the summer. Students do have to apply for it, however. Go to Gacollege411 to find out how.</p>
<p>Hey guys. Ok so I figured out the answer to my question. This site should help you if you have questions. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.usg.edu/student_affairs/students/how_hope_changes_will_affect_usg_students/[/url]”>http://www.usg.edu/student_affairs/students/how_hope_changes_will_affect_usg_students/</a></p>
<p>Sorry I forgot to put this in my previous post. One thing that I am still worried about is how many hours will HOPE cover? As a BME, I need 132(or in new curriculum 131) hours to graduate. The site above says we have HOPE till 127 hrs. So does this mean that HOPE wont cover all of my courses? (btw before these changes took place, the BME department said that HOPE covers till 132 hrs on the Coulter Dept website, because thats how many hrs you need to graduate). Im assuming it will cover 131 hours still, am I right? Also, say worst comes to worst and if HOPE wont cover the remaining 4 hours for my degree. How much would those credits hours cost? Please can someone help me. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Dang… I wish I was instate.</p>
<p>Hope will not cover the last 4 hours. If you have any AP credit you will not have to worry.</p>
<p>What is the Zell Miller Scholar? I’m filling out my financial application and it says nothing about this.</p>
<p>If your degree program requires more than 127 hours, HOPE WILL COVER the hours above 127 until you reach the number of hours required for your degree program. You must have a 3.00 GPA at the 127th attempted hour.</p>
<p>[Georgia</a> Institute of Technology :: Financial Aid :: HOPE Scholarship](<a href=“Blow the Whistle! (404 error: page not found) | Financial Aid”>Blow the Whistle! (404 error: page not found) | Financial Aid) </p>
<p>If you graduated from a Georgia high school, have lived in the state for at least a year before the date of enrollment, have a 3.70+ HS GPA and have a 1200+ SAT, and applied for HOPE, you are a Zell Miller Scholar, and will receive a scholarship covering the full cost of tuition.</p>