Program Description

The Georgia Opportunities Scholarship Program is available on a competitive basis to students who live in Georgia.  Students must be enrolled full-time as a freshman at a four-year institution, or a first-year student at a two-year institution with the intention of transferring to a four-year institution, during the 2012-2013 academic year.  Awards are in the amount of $2,500 per academic year starting in 2012-2013 and are renewable for up to three years (2013-2014 through 2015-2016) provided the student remains eligible to receive funding.

Eligibility Requirements

• Be of Hispanic heritage
• Be a U.S. Citizen or a legal permanent resident with permanent resident card or passport stamped I-551 (not expired)
• Be a high school senior graduating from a Georgia high school in Spring 2012
• Preference will be given to students graduating from high schools and permanently residing in the following counties:  Appling, Barrow, Beaufort (SC), Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Effingham, Evans, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gilmer, Glynn, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Jasper (SC), Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Murray, Rockdale, Tattnall, Toombs, Whitfield
• Be a First year Freshman OR a First year Community College student during the 2012-2013 academic year and enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking program in an accredited institution in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or Guam.  The first year Community College applicant needs to have plans to transfer to a four-year institution.
• Have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Must apply for federal financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Must be eligible for Pell-Grant funding
• Must be a first generation to attend college (no parent or guardian has received an undergraduate or baccalaureate degree from a four-year institution)