Thank You, Gov. Perdue!

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue gave military kids a great boost yesterday afternoon.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

In a visit to Fort Benning on Thursday, Perdue also signed a separate bill that allows children of soldiers stationed in Georgia to qualify for Georgia’s HOPE scholarship. The new law waives the one-year HOPE residency requirement for children of active-duty military personnel.

Georgia's HOPE Program

HOPE — Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally — is Georgia's unique scholarship and grant program that rewards students with financial assistance in degree, diploma, and certificate programs at eligible Georgia public and private colleges and universities, and public technical colleges. HOPE is funded entirely by the Georgia Lottery for Education, which also funds Georgia's statewide prekindergarten program. Since the HOPE Program began in 1993, over $3.8 billion in HOPE funds have been awarded to more than 1.1 million students attending Georgia's colleges, universities, and technical colleges. You can benefit from HOPE in several ways. If you are interested in the HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan for individuals pursuing a masters, specialist or doctorate degree in education in a critical shortage teaching field, or the PROMISE Teacher Scholarship Loan for undergraduate education majors, click here.

HOPE Scholarship

If you are a Georgia resident enrolling in a degree program at an eligible Georgia public or private college, university, or public technical college, you may be eligible for the HOPE Scholarship. Recipients must demonstrate academic achievement. The award at public institutions covers tuition, HOPE-approved mandatory fees, and a book allowance. If you wish to enroll in a Georgia private institution, you may be eligible for a $3,500 per academic year scholarship for full-time study or $1,750 for half-time study (6-11 hours). Click here for a history of the HOPE program and HOPE facts and figures.

HOPE Grant

If you are a Georgia resident enrolling in a technical certificate or diploma program at an eligible Georgia public college, university, or public technical college, you may be eligible for the HOPE Grant regardless of high school graduation dates or grade point averages. The HOPE Grant covers tuition, HOPE-approved mandatory fees, and a book allowance.

This is great news for military families who have high schoolers who would like to attend GA State schools!

Now it's up to the kids to keep their grades up!