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HOPE Teacher Scholarships

The HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan is funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education and is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Authority (GSFA). This program was established to provide financial assistance to teachers and individuals who are seeking advanced degrees in education fields experiencing a shortage of classroom teachers and trained professionals in Georgia.

Scholarship loan recipients agree to obtain an advanced degree and a higher level teaching certificate in the field awarded within 5 years and teach in a Georgia public school classroom at the preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary level after graduation. If a recipient fails to meet this obligation within 12 months after graduation, the scholarship becomes a loan, which must be repaid in cash, with interest.

Application Process

Applicants must complete their part of the application and obtain signatures from the institution's College of Education teacher certification official and the financial aid office. The completed application is then forwarded directly to the HOPE Scholarship Program for consideration. At VSU, call 229-333-5925 and ask for Sheree Hudson. She can also be reached ad schudson@valdosta.edu.

Application Deadline

Review of applications begins in June each year. Applicants are encouraged to apply prior to August 1 since funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Only completed applications will be given consideration.

Critical Shortage Fields

The following critical shortage fields of study are approved for new recipients for the 2008-2009 academic year:

  • Special Education General Curriculum (P-12)
  • Special Education Adapted Curriculum (P-12)
  • Special Education Learning Disabilities (P-12)
  • Special Education Behavior Disorders (P-12)
  • Special Education General Curriculum/Early Childhood Education (P-5)
  • Special Education Hearing Impaired (P-12)
  • Special Education Orthopedically Impaired (P-12)
  • Middle Grades Math and Science (4-8)
  • Middle Grades Language Arts (4-8)
  • Early Childhood Education (P-5)
  • English (6-12)
  • Mathematics (6-12)
  • Science (6-12) (Includes Broad Field, Biology, Chemistry, Earth/
  • Space & Physics)
  • History (6-12)
  • Economics (6-12)
  • Political Science (6-12)
  • Geography (6-12)
  • Spanish (P-12)
  • French (P-12)
  • Music (P-12)
  • Art (P-12)

Award Amount

Approximately 1,000 scholarship loans are available for the 2008-2009 academic year beginning Summer Semester 2008 and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.  Maximum awards are based on the number of credit hours necessary for students to complete their program of study. Scholarship loan funds can be used toward any part of a student’s cost of attendance budget. Students are eligible for $125 per semester hour at eligible public colleges and universities, and $200 per semester hour or quarter equivalent at eligible private colleges and universities, up to a maximum of $10,000.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to apply and be selected, you must:

•  Be a legal resident of Georgia for at least 12 months;

•  Be a United States Citizen or Permanent Resident Alien who meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under Federal Title IV requirements;

•  Be fully admitted into graduate school and be certified by the College of Education teacher certification official at an eligible Institution  in Georgia to be admitted into an advanced degree teacher education program in a critical shortage teaching field

 leading  to certification (Note that individuals who already hold an advanced degree in  a critical shortage field are eligible only for  funding in their current field.);

•  Agree to obtain a higher level clear and renewable Professional Georgia Educator Certificate in the field in which you were awarded;

•  Agree to teach in a Georgia public school classroom in the field in which you were   awarded at the preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary level after graduation;

•  Not owe a refund on a grant, scholarship or scholarship loan previously received  under any State of Georgia or Federal program for attendance at any postsecondary  educational institution; and

• Not be in default or owe a balance on a previously defaulted student loan obtained under any State of Georgia or Federal program for attendance at any postsecondary educational institution.

Loan Forgiveness

Recipients agree to teach, with a grace period of one year immediately after completing the advanced degree program, in their critical shortage field one academic year for each $2,500 awarded through the scholarship in a Georgia public school classroom at the preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary level, with a maximum of four years to repay.

Annual service cancellation will not begin until recipients have fully completed their program of study and obtained a clear and renewable higher level Professional Georgia Educator Certificate. If scholarship loan recipients fail to complete their program, fail to obtain their clear and renewable Professional Georgia Educator Certificate, or fail to meet the terms of the teaching obligation within 12 months after graduation, the scholarship becomes a loan, which must be repaid in cash with interest. At the time a recipient enters repayment status, the interest rate will be fixed for the term of repayment based on the Prime Rate as of January 2 of the then-current calendar year plus one percentage point (1%), not to exceed ten percent (10%) per annum.

Maintaining Eligibility

To maintain eligibility, scholarship loan recipients must be maintaining satisfactory academic progress in their program of study and must not have a one year break-in-enrollment. Current recipients will be sent an Award Maintenance application from the Authority after Spring Term each year to apply for any unused scholarship funds awarded for their program of study. Once the scholarship loan has been awarded, any changes to the recipient’s program of study must be requested in writing prior to the change. If a recipient loses eligibility, the scholarship becomes a loan that must be repaid.

Further Information

If you need additional information, please call the GSFA toll-free at: 1-800-505-4732.

Or click on link below and then click on Hope Teacher (Graduate)

https://secure.gacollege411.org/AdmissionApp/ServiceCancelableLoans/teaching.asp