Applying for the HOPE Scholarship

Applying for the HOPE Scholarship is easy, but the steps you must follow depend upon the type of institution you plan to attend. To be considered for HOPE, there is a state application process and in some cases, a college level process. Below are the state level options. Some colleges and technical colleges also require the student to complete a school-specific financial aid application. Contact the financial aid office at the school you plan to attend.

Public Colleges, Universities, and Technical Colleges

Students planning to attend a public college, university, or technical college have two options for applying for the HOPE Scholarship. Please note that you only have to choose one of these options to apply for the HOPE Scholarship.

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - If you wish to be considered for financial aid other than HOPE (i.e. Pell Grant, Student Loans) you should complete the FAFSA. If you complete a FAFSA, there are no other forms required to make application for the HOPE Scholarship (unless there are forms specific to your school). By using your GAcollege411 account (My411), and accessing the FAFSA application from GAcollege411, you can reduce the amount of time it takes to complete this form. Proceed to the electronic FAFSA.
If you want to apply for the HOPE Scholarship...
1. by electronic application, click here.
2. by printable paper application, click here.

Private Colleges & Universities

Students planning to attend an eligible private college or university must complete the HOPE/TEG application to be considered for the HOPE Scholarship.

If you want to apply for the HOPE Scholarship...
1. by electronic application, click here.
2. by printable paper application, click here.

Application Deadline

While you have until the last day of classes or exams to submit your application in order to receive HOPE funds for that semester or quarter, we highly recommend submitting your HOPE application as early as possible. The earlier you apply, the earlier the funds are disbursed to your school and credited to your account.

If you withdraw from school during a semester or quarter, you must file an application prior to your withdrawal date. Contact the financial aid office at your college for additional information regarding the HOPE application process and deadline dates.

Notification of Selection as a HOPE Scholar

Every year in June, each high school guidance officer provides the HOPE Program with the academic transcripts of the graduating students and GSFC determines the students' academic eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship. You can view our database to check if you made the Final HOPE Scholar list or call us at (770) 724-9000 or toll-free in Georgia at 1-800-505-GSFC. This is the same database used by colleges to verify your HOPE eligibility once you have applied for HOPE.

HOPE Process Checklist

HOPE Process Step	Who	When
Admissions Applications sent to college	High School Senior	As early as September of Senior Year
Student submits HOPE Application	High School Senior	As early as January of Senior Year
Certain eligibility checks completed	GSFC or FAFSA	As early as January of Senior Year
Submission of final students' academic transcripts	High School Official	June
Final eligibility is verified	Colleges	July or after
GSFC is invoiced for HOPE funds	Colleges	As early as 15 days prior to first day of classes each term
HOPE funds are disbursed to colleges	GSFC	2 business days after invoice is received

Where to go for help

If you need help filling out an application or have other questions relating to the HOPE Scholarship we suggest contacting the financial aid office at the school you plan to attend, talking with your high school counselor, or contacting the Georgia Student Finance Commission(GSFC). To find contact details for the financial aid office at the school you plan to attend you can use the GA Colleges section. To find contact details for GSFC please click on the "Ask an Expert" link on the left hand side of this page. We also suggest looking through the HOPE FAQs.