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Home > Administrative Offices > Office of Financial Aid > HOPE

HOPE information

HOPE LINKS:
VSU Hope Application	VSU HOPE PROCESSING APPLICATION
HOPE Book Authorization Form	VSU HOPE BOOK AUTHORIZATION FORM
HOPE Transient Request Form	VSU HOPE TRANSIENT REQUEST FORM

WHAT IS THE HOPE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM? Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) programs are funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education.  HOPE scholarships are available to eligible Georgia 1993 or later high school graduates. HOPE covers matriculation, a portion of the mandatory fees and a book allowance ($150 for 6 hours or more; $75 for 5 hours or less). There is no minimum enrollment for the HOPE Scholarship. Students may receive HOPE for as little as one semester hour of enrollment.

The amount of your HOPE Scholarship is determined by the amount of your tuition and fees.  The amount of HOPE Scholarship that you will receive is subject to change under any of the following conditions:

1. If you enroll for less than full time hours, or 
2. If you fail to meet the grade point average requirement of a 3.0 at the 30th, 60th or 90th attempted hour, and at the end of each Spring semester, or
3. If you have attempted more than 127 hours, or
4. To determine if you are a HOPE Scholar and monitor your status, you can visit the GSFC web site at www.GAcollege411.org, and create an account.  You are an official HOPE Scholar when your status reads:  “Final HOPE Scholar”.

There are $306 in fees per semester that the HOPE Scholarship will not cover during the 2008-09 academic year.

HOPE BOOK ALLOWANCE: The HOPE Book Allowance is not automatically placed in the student's FLEX account or the Bookstore.  HOPE regulations require that institutions make the HOPE Book Allowance available to students and specifically that institutions not automatically use the HOPE Book Allowance to pay other student account charges.

When a student eligible for the HOPE Book Allowance logs onto BannerWEB, he or she will now have to choose one of the following options:

1. Elect to authorize VSU to use any HOPE Book Allowance to pay other expenses, such as fees, and/or housing and meal Plans. You may cancel this authorization at any time prior to incurring such payment of charges, but you may not cancel it once such payment of charges has been made on your behalf. To cancel your authorization, you must do so in writing with the Office of Financial Aid.
2. Elect NOT to authorize VSU to use any HOPE Book Allowance to pay other expenses. If a student chooses this option, VSU will automatically post the HOPE Book Allowance to a Flex account with the VSU 1Card Office on a daily basis.  Please note that this option may mean that you will be required to pay out-of-pocket for tuition, fees, and/or room and meal plans to meet established fee payment deadlines.

NOTE: Changes to the HOPE program are pending. These are highlights of the program as of this publication.

1. Georgia Residency. Students receiving a military out-of-state tuition waiver must also have graduated from a Georgia high school.
2. Grade point eligibility for entering freshmen is based on a final high school grade point average of 3.0 or better as determined by the high school and reported to the Georgia Student Finance Commission, by July 1 of each year.
3. Regardless of high school graduation or high school grade point average, Georgia residents with a 3.0 GPA at the 30th, 60th, or 90th attempted semester hour are eligible to participate in the program.
4. Must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average while in college. The grade point average is reviewed at the 30th, 60th, and 90th attempted semester hour and at the end of each Spring Semester. This includes attempted courses at all prior colleges attended as well as VSU. The HOPE Scholarship Regulations for public institutions are different from those of the private and technical institutions.
5. If you lost the HOPE Scholarship for failure to maintain the required 3.0 GPA, you are eligible to reapply for the HOPE after your 30th, 60th or 90th attempted semester hour, provided your cumulative grade point average is 3.0 or higher;
6. The HOPE Scholarship only pays up to 127 attempted hours or 127 paid hours including any prior school and VSU. Attempted hours include any letter grade for A, B, C, D, F, W, WF, WP, WY, WH, I, IP, U, S, or V.
7. Adjustments for less than full-time enrollment will be made at the time of disbursement.

You can monitor your HOPE Scholarship history at www.GACollege411.org. If you have questions, you may contact the HOPE Scholarship Coordinator, in the OFA at 229-333-5935 or 1-800-618-1878 (Option #2), or contact the GSFC at 1-800-505-GSFC.

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are a beginning freshmen, a new transfer student, a student who is applying for the HOPE Scholarship for the first time, or applying for reinstatement of HOPE, you MUST have a completed financial aid file by doing steps one or two below AND you must complete the VSU HOPE Processing Application and submit it to our office.

1. Either complete the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) and submit all required documents to the Office of Financial Aid. 
   OR
2. If you wish to receive the HOPE Scholarship, and have no intentions of applying for other aid such as student loans, you can submit the GSFAPPS application to the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC).  You can view all policies, procedures and regulations of the HOPE Scholarship at the GSFC web site, www.GAcollege411.org (We are not automatically set up to receive the GSFAPPS application.  Therefore, it is essential that you contact us online or by phone at (229) 333-5935).

If you are currently receiving HOPE Scholarship at VSU, you do not have to complete the VSU Hope Processing Application.  However, you MUST have a completed financial aid file before the HOPE Scholarship will pay to your student account.  You can do this one of two ways:

1. Either complete the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) and submit all required documents to the Office of Financial Aid. 
   OR
2. If you wish to receive the HOPE Scholarship, and have no intentions of applying for other aid such as student loans, you can submit the GSFAPPS application to the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC).  You can view all policies, procedures and regulations of the HOPE Scholarship at the GSFC web site, www.GAcollege411.org (We are not automatically set up to receive the GSFAPPS application.  Therefore, it is essential that you contact us online or by phone at (229) 333-5935).

HOPE TEACHER AND HOPE PROMISE SCHOLARSHIPS: HOPE Teacher and Hope Promise Scholarships are also funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education and are components of the HOPE Scholarship Program.  Applications for HOPE Promise and HOPE Teacher will be available late Spring Semester. These applications are available on-line at www.GACollege411.org. If you have questions, please call the Georgia Student Finance Authority at (770) 724-9030 or toll-free at 1-800-505-GSFC.

HOPE PROMISE: The purpose of this program is to attract high-achieving undergraduates into the teaching profession and provide them with financial assistance beginning the junior year and continuing through the senior year. Scholarship recipients agree to teach in a Georgia public school at the preschool, elementary, or secondary level after graduation. If a recipient fails to meet this obligation, the scholarship becomes a loan, which must be repaid in cash, with interest.

HOPE TEACHER: This scholarship provides financial assistance to teachers, counselors, and individuals who are seeking advanced degrees in critical fields of study. Scholarship recipients agree to teach in a Georgia public school at the preschool, elementary, or secondary level after graduation. If a recipient fails to meet this obligation, the scholarship becomes a loan, which must be repaid in cash, with interest.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding HOPE Book Allowance

• How do I authorize my HOPE Book Allowance to be applied to my charges and/or fees?  Please visit the following link: VSU HOPE BOOK AUTHORIZATION FORM
• Why was my HOPE Book money put on a Flex Account?  You either made no election or elected NOT to authorize VSU to use your HOPE Book Allowance money to pay other account charges such as fees, housing and/or meal plans.
• How do I use a Flex Account?  You must sign an authorization agreement and then spend! The authorization agreement is available at http://services.valdosta.edu/1card/flex.pdf. Please visit the VSU 1Card webpage for details on how to use your VSU Flex account. http://services.valdosta.edu/1card.
• How can I get the Flex money back to my student account to pay my balance due?  Visit the 1Card office where they will verify that Flex money has not been spent and if not, they will re-apply the money to your student account balance. Limited ability to move Flex funds is available in the University Bursary.
• How can I get the Flex money back to purchase books somewhere other than VSU? How long will this take?  Simply request a Refund from your Flex account. Forms are available online at http://services.valdosta.edu/1card/refund.pdf or may be obtained in the 1Card office at 1204 North Patterson Street. Information also exists on the 1Card web page, http://services.valdosta.edu/1card.
• What if I want my HOPE Book Allowance included in my refund check?  Elect to authorize VSU to use your HOPE Book Allowance for charges on the BANNERWEB system.  Any excess funds left over after charges will be included in your refund check.  You can still transfer these funds to a VSU FLEX Account at anytime before the 1Card deadline.

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact the VSU Financial Aid Office at (229) 333-5935, and ask to speak with a HOPE Scholarship representative.  For the complete HOPE Scholarship Program Regulations, visit the Georgia Student Finance Commissions web site address at www.gsfc.org.