Fix to Georgia College Completion Grant Would Make Thousands More Students Eligible
Credit: aimintang / iStock Unreleased / Getty Images- The Georgia College Completion Grant initially required students in four- and two-year programs to complete 80% of their college credits to be eligible.
- The amendment would adjust the required credits to 70% for four-year degree students and 45% for two-year degree students.
- It was impossible for most students at technical colleges to utilize the grant since students would only be able to qualify near or in their last semester of college.
- The three-year pilot grant program will sunset this June, but Georgia intends to extend the program to sunset in fiscal year 2029.
Georgia legislators want to move fast on an amendment to its College Completion Grant to help more students cross the college finish line.
The Georgia House Committee on Higher Education voted unanimously Jan. 29 to pass House Bill 38, which lowers the number of credits required for students in four-year and two-year programs to qualify for the needs-based grant.
The committee passed the motion on the first reading at Chairman Chuck Martin’s request since the three-year pilot program sunsets this June.
Georgia Student Finance Commission President Lynne Riley explained to the committee that the grant originally required all students in two- and four-year programs to complete 80% of their credentials. This would’ve put many two-year students in the last semester of their degree and unable to fully take advantage of the grant if they could at all.
Of the $10 million budgeted for the grant program in the first year, over $2 million in funds were sent back or dispersed to other institutions since a number of students were not eligible to use the grant money.
“I stand here before you as embarrassed as anyone to say I don’t know why I didn’t notice that, but nobody on the House committee nor the Senate committee nor anybody thought about it,” Martin said.
“So the idea of the way these work is before you go into your last year, you’ve proven, you’ve put your shoulder to the wheel, you’ve done well, you’re completing, this is a completion grant.”
Under the bill, students in four-year programs would have to complete 70% (down from 80%) of their college credits to qualify for up to $2,500 to complete their degree. Students in two-year programs would need to complete 45% of their credits.
Students can apply multiple times for the grant if their awards do not surpass the $2,500 limit. The grant’s expansion to make more two-year students eligible wouldn’t take any funding away from those at four-year public and private schools.
Many speakers expressed support and praise for the program, which granted 6,891 awards in its first year and 10,069 in its second year. Riley said 50% of the awardees were Pell-eligible.
BestColleges found that the second-biggest reason students said they left college was money (24% of students) after personal/family issues (32% of students).
Now that the House has passed it, the bill awaits approval from the Georgia Senate and Gov. Brian Kemp. Martin expressed confidence that it would go through smoothly. Riley said that the governor left room in next year’s budget for the grant to continue through fiscal year 2029.