Overview of HOPE Scholarship Recipients in the University System of Georgia Introduction For the past decade, the state of Georgia has been making headlines with the inception of the most generous merit-based student aid program in the nation, the HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Scholarship Program. The HOPE Scholarship is funded entirely by proceeds from the Georgia Lottery Corporation.1 Having attended college on the G.I. Bill, thenGovernor Zell Miller wanted to institute an incentive program within the state of Georgia that would expand access to postsecondary education and encourage students to attend in-state institutions. Clearly, the number of Georgia residents benefiting from the HOPE Scholarship speaks to the success of the program. From September 1993 through August 2003, $1,183,468,377 in merit-based aid was awarded to 324,921 University System of Georgia (USG) students, with funding exclusively from the Georgia Lottery.2 The Georgia Lottery posted $2.6 billion in sales over the last twelve months, translating into a six percent increase from the previous year. This revenue stream equates to $750 million from lottery sales allocated to support educational programs in the state of Georgia.3 Despite these robust figures, it is projected that lottery revenues will one day be inadequate to fund the HOPE Scholarship Program. Based on current estimates by Georgia's Office of Planning and Budget, reserve accounts contain $203 million, but the state would need $972 million to fund the lotterysupported educational programs by 2007.4 Presently, a twenty-member Commission, comprised of lawmakers, state officials, parents, students, and educators, is convening to ensure HOPE's future funding.5 The Commission, cochaired by Senate Higher Education Chairman Bill Hamrick (R-Douglasville) and House Higher Education Chairwoman Louise McBee (D-Athens), plans to meet monthly through November 1 The Georgia Lottery Corporation is legally required to allocate 35 percent of its lottery revenues to education and 51 percent of its revenues to players in winnings. The remaining 14 percent is split between retailers and operating expenses. 2 Source: Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC). Retrieved August 18, 2003 from http://www.gsfc.org/Hope/dsp_hopefaq.cfm. 3 Georgia Code (O.C.G.A. 50-27) specifies that lottery receipts be used for "educational purposes and programs" only, defined as postsecondary tuition scholarships and grants; construction of educational facilities; technology of educational facilities; and prekindergarten for four-year-olds. 4" HOPE faces money crunch." (2003, July 31). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution [Electronic version]. Retrieved from http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0703/31hope.html 5 The HOPE Program includes various programs. The HOPE Scholarship covers tuition, mandatory fees and a book allowance for all Georgia resident students graduating high school with a 3.0 GPA. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA at various checkpoints in order to remain eligible for the scholarship. The HOPE Grant program provides tuition, fees and a book allowance for students pursuing certificate programs at institutions of the Department of Technical and Adult Education, the University System of Georgia, and private colleges. The HOPE GED program provides a one-time $500 grant to recent GED recipients toward their first year of postsecondary study. The PROMISE Teacher Scholarship and Georgia HOPE Teacher Scholarship provide service-cancelable loans to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing teacher education degrees. The PROMISE II Teacher Scholarship is a service-cancelable loan designed to assist teacher aids and paraprofessionals in pursuing the baccalaureate degree in education. December 2003 Page 1 of 13 2003. While the Commission's recommendations will not be presented until the General Assembly members meet collectively in January 2004, some lawmakers have already offered suggestions to curtail HOPE Scholarship expenditures such as adopting more rigorous academic eligibility standards, reducing/eliminating monetary awards for student books and fees, and/or re-instituting income caps for eligibility.6 Any changes to the HOPE Scholarship Program will be of great interest to the USG, especially at a time when many institutions are experiencing burgeoning enrollments. As such, the System Office of Strategic Research and Analysis is preparing a series of reports describing the HOPE Scholarship Program as it relates to USG students.7 System-Wide Trends of First-Time Freshmen Since the inception of HOPE, both the number and proportion of first-time freshmen receiving HOPE has increased. In Fall 2001, 78.8 percent of first-time freshmen received HOPE in their first term. The proportion of USG freshmen receiving the HOPE Scholarship has varied to some extent since 1996.8 However, the longitudinal trend has been similar across institutional sectors (see Figure 1). With the exception of research universities, all institutional sectors experienced a slight decline in the number of HOPE Scholars for the Class of 2000. This decline is attributable to Georgia Student Finance Commission's adoption of a standard core of courses included in grade point average calculations.9 System-wide, there were approximately 4,000 more first-time freshmen HOPE Scholars in Fall 2001 than in Fall 1996, reflecting a 23 percent increase10 (see Appendix). 6 In 1993, the HOPE Scholarship Program had a family income cap of $66,000. The cap was raised to $100,000 in 1994. By 1995, all income caps were removed. 7 USG HOPE Scholarship reports focus on the HOPE-eligible population. An eligible student is one who, based on SIRS (Student Information Reporting System) data, graduated from a Georgia High School in 1993 or later or someone who, according to GSFC data, received the HOPE Scholarship in their first semester at a USG institution. 8 The first two years of the HOPE Scholarship program contained income caps, limiting student participation. Consequently, we have chosen to cover Fall 1996 to Fall 2001 in this report, thus controlling the effects of the early broadening of the HOPE program. 9 High school grade point average calculations to determine HOPE Scholarship eligibility are currently limited to the 16 core curriculum courses in the following subject areas: English, math, social studies, foreign language and science. 10 There is a one-year time lag in officially identifying all HOPE Scholars due to retroactive award policies and year-end budget closures. December 2003 Page 2 of 13 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% Fall 1996 Figure 1 HOPE Scholars USG First-Time Freshmen by Institutional Sector and System Average System Average Research Universities Regional Universities State Universities State Colleges Two-Year Colleges Fall 1997 Fall 1998 Fall 1999 Fall 2000 Fall 2001 December 2003 Page 3 of 13 HOPE Scholarship Status by Institutional Sector In Fall 2001, 63,425 USG undergraduates had the HOPE Scholarship, representing 54 percent of the HOPE-eligible population (see Figure 2). Variation by institutional sector is observed in the proportion of HOPE scholars within the HOPE-eligible population. At research universities, approximately 70 percent of the HOPE-eligible population receives the scholarship, as compared to 40 percent at state and two-year colleges. HOPE scholars represent about one half of the HOPE-eligible population in both the regional and state university sectors. Figure 2 HOPE Scholarship Status by Institutional Sector USG HOPE-Eligible Undergraduates, Fall 2001 Research Universities Regional Universities State Universities State Colleges Two-Year Colleges System Total 0% 24,724 69% 10,942 31% 8,538 53% 7,653 47% 18,468 51% 18,078 49% 1,899 43% 2,552 57% 9,796 40% 14,807 60% 63,425 54% 20% 40% 60% HOPE No HOPE 54,032 46% 80% 100% December 2003 Page 4 of 13 Over 24,000 of HOPE scholars attending USG institutions are enrolled at research universities, representing 40 percent of the population (see Figure 3). An additional 18,468 scholarship recipients attend state universities. Thus, approximately 70 percent of all HOPE scholars within the USG are enrolled in either research or state universities. Figure 3 HOPE Scholars by Institutional Sector USG Undergraduates, Fall 2001 Research Universities 40% 24,724 Two-Year Colleges 15% 9,796 State Colleges 3% 1,899 Regional Universities 13% 8,538 State Universities 29% 18,468 December 2003 Page 5 of 13 HOPE Scholarship Status by Student Level Figure 4 illustrates that the proportion of HOPE scholars within the HOPE-eligible population varies by student level. In Fall 2001, the majority (64 percent) of the HOPE-eligible freshman population held the scholarship. In contrast, the majority (56 percent) of the HOPE-eligible senior population did not have the scholarship. Figure 4 HOPE Scholarship Status by Student Level USG HOPE-Eligible Undergraduates, Fall 2001 Freshman 34,724 64% 19,385 36% Sophomore 12,356 43% 16,573 57% Junior 9,238 51% 8,992 49% Senior 0% 10% 7,107 44% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% HOPE No HOPE 9,082 56% 70% 80% 90% 100% December 2003 Page 6 of 13 Freshmen also account for the greatest proportion of all HOPE scholars by student level. In Fall 2001, 55 percent (34,724) of all HOPE scholars were freshmen, as compared to 11 percent (7,107) at the senior level (see Figure 5). Figure 5 HOPE Scholars by Student Level USG Undergraduates, Fall 2001 Junior 15% 9,238 Senior 11% 7,107 Freshmen 55% 34,724 Sophomore 19% 12,356 Conclusions Proposed changes to the HOPE Scholarship Program could be enacted by the next legislative session, impacting well over 60,000 USG students. The Office of Strategic Research and Analysis will continue to examine how these policy changes could affect the various subpopulations of HOPE Scholars through a series of reports. For more information, write or email: Dr. Anoush Pisani Senior Research Associate Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia 270 Washington St., SW Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Anoush.Pisani@usg.edu December 2003 Page 7 of 13 Appendix Tables Fall 1996 through Fall 2001 University System of Georgia First-Time Freshmen with the HOPE Scholarship Fall 1996 Institution Name Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University University of Georgia * Research Universities Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University * Regional Universities Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton College & State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University Kennesaw State University North Georgia College & State University Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University State University of West Georgia * State Universities Dalton State College Macon State College * State Colleges Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Atlanta Metropolitan College Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Darton College East Georgia College Floyd College Gainesville College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon College Middle Georgia College South Georgia College Waycross College * Two-Year Colleges All First-Time Freshmen 1,943 1,685 3,587 7,215 3,055 1,797 4,852 489 1,067 817 1,035 700 612 700 319 1,226 552 466 375 1,241 9,599 630 919 1,549 724 307 214 386 525 215 866 457 2,605 655 637 271 238 8,100 First-Time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools** Total Freshmen # with HOPE % with HOPE 1,224 1,189 97.1 1,528 1,351 88.4 3,186 3,103 97.4 5,938 5,643 95.0 2,754 2,204 80.0 1,576 1,178 74.7 4,330 3,382 78.1 397 182 45.8 606 360 59.4 643 436 67.8 429 284 66.2 509 390 76.6 482 234 48.5 660 558 84.5 267 177 66.3 992 786 79.2 507 446 88.0 312 121 38.8 332 289 87.0 1,111 951 85.6 7,247 5,214 71.9 486 313 64.4 490 205 41.8 976 518 53.1 565 323 57.2 163 32 19.6 145 80 55.2 229 104 45.4 376 196 52.1 151 84 55.6 553 229 41.4 359 257 71.6 1,366 507 37.1 558 302 54.1 566 306 54.1 228 156 68.4 158 102 64.6 5,417 2,678 49.4 ** System Totals 31,315 23,908 17,435 72.9 SRPT701 1/24/2003 ** "First-time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools" are the subset of freshmen who have a graduation date from a Georgia high school of 1993 or later. These students are considered eligible for HOPE, but in order to receive HOPE. they must meet academic requirements (a 3.0 in core high school courses). This column also includes any additional first-time freshmen receiving HOPE according to GSFC records but who did not appear to SIRS as Georgia high school graduates. This report includes only those students who received the HOPE Scholarship; it does not count HOPE Grant recipients as scholarship recipients. December 2003 Page 8 of 13 University System of Georgia First-Time Freshmen with the HOPE Scholarship Fall 1997 Institution Name Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University University of Georgia All First-Time Freshmen 1,797 2,023 4,226 First-Time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools** Total Freshmen # with HOPE % with HOPE 1,175 1,143 97.3 1,872 1,515 80.9 3,740 3,356 89.7 * Research Universities Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University * Regional Universities 8,046 2,490 1,590 4,080 6,787 6,014 88.6 2,249 1,810 80.5 1,429 1,068 74.7 3,678 2,878 78.2 Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton College & State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University Kennesaw State University North Georgia College & State University Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University State University of West Georgia 552 876 807 528 664 487 818 499 1,236 565 447 400 1,221 495 293 59.2 582 387 66.5 646 367 56.8 391 242 61.9 536 420 78.4 420 221 52.6 739 579 78.3 325 197 60.6 965 741 76.8 506 416 82.2 325 120 36.9 357 294 82.4 1,098 858 78.1 * State Universities 9,100 7,385 5,135 69.5 Dalton State College Macon State College 537 457 340 74.4 657 433 211 48.7 * State Colleges 1,194 890 551 61.9 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Atlanta Metropolitan College Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Darton College East Georgia College Floyd College Gainesville College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon College Middle Georgia College South Georgia College Waycross College 844 316 148 250 543 260 602 714 1,890 904 688 284 199 657 345 52.5 175 33 18.9 117 72 61.5 176 86 48.9 385 226 58.7 208 73 35.1 473 232 49.0 612 434 70.9 1,247 500 40.1 728 410 56.3 572 307 53.7 231 139 60.2 158 95 60.1 * Two-Year Colleges 7,642 5,739 2,952 51.4 ** System Totals 30,062 24,479 17,530 71.6 SRPT701 1/24/2003 ** "First-time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools" are the subset of freshmen who have a graduation date from a Georgia high school of 1993 or later. These students are considered eligible for HOPE, but in order to receive HOPE. they must meet academic requirements (a 3.0 in core high school courses). This column also includes any additional first-time freshmen receiving HOPE according to GSFC records but who did not appear to SIRS as Georgia high school graduates. This report includes only those students who received the HOPE Scholarship; it does not count HOPE Grant recipients as scholarship recipients. December 2003 Page 9 of 13 University System of Georgia First-Time Freshmen with the HOPE Scholarship Fall 1998 Institution Name Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University University of Georgia All First-Time Freshmen 2,182 1,592 4,289 First-Time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools** Total Freshmen # with HOPE % with HOPE 1,367 1,337 97.8 1,494 1,365 91.4 3,814 3,746 98.2 * Research Universities Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University * Regional Universities 8,063 2,842 1,310 4,152 6,675 6,448 96.6 2,623 2,226 84.9 1,180 1,054 89.3 3,803 3,280 86.2 Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton College & State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University Kennesaw State University North Georgia College & State University Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University State University of West Georgia 465 652 846 580 797 444 760 363 1,182 600 347 393 1,693 416 292 70.2 487 365 74.9 668 497 74.4 442 341 77.1 661 420 63.5 380 206 54.2 708 628 88.7 299 258 86.3 1,017 849 83.5 563 521 92.5 235 142 60.4 375 329 87.7 1,591 1,367 85.9 * State Universities 9,122 7,842 6,215 79.3 Dalton State College Macon State College 760 568 395 69.5 547 372 228 61.3 * State Colleges 1,307 940 623 66.3 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Atlanta Metropolitan College Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Darton College East Georgia College Floyd College Gainesville College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon College Middle Georgia College South Georgia College Waycross College 781 300 246 209 591 338 493 702 1,933 808 590 344 166 624 402 64.4 161 29 18.0 160 96 60.0 143 90 62.9 436 257 58.9 290 143 49.3 389 240 61.7 621 427 68.8 1,390 725 52.2 693 443 63.9 475 324 68.2 268 157 58.6 128 100 78.1 * Two-Year Colleges 7,501 5,778 3,433 59.4 ** System Totals 30,145 25,038 19,999 79.9 SRPT701 1/24/2003 ** "First-time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools" are the subset of freshmen who have a graduation date from a Georgia high school of 1993 or later. These students are considered eligible for HOPE, but in order to receive HOPE. they must meet academic requirements (a 3.0 in core high school courses). This column also includes any additional first-time freshmen receiving HOPE according to GSFC records but who did not appear to SIRS as Georgia high school graduates. This report includes only those students who received the HOPE Scholarship; it does not count HOPE Grant recipients as scholarship recipients. December 2003 Page 10 of 13 University System of Georgia First-Time Freshmen with the HOPE Scholarship Fall 1999 Institution Name Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University University of Georgia All First-Time Freshmen 2,323 1,848 4,253 First-Time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools** Total Freshmen # with HOPE % with HOPE 1,414 1,376 97.3 1,715 1,588 92.6 3,805 3,747 98.5 * Research Universities Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University * Regional Universities 8,424 3,243 1,196 4,439 6,934 6,711 96.8 3,044 2,709 89.0 1,053 956 90.8 4,097 3,665 89.5 Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton College & State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University Kennesaw State University North Georgia College & State University Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University State University of West Georgia 678 688 832 612 727 401 726 268 1,345 655 327 380 1,636 581 448 77.1 514 413 80.4 654 502 76.8 457 355 77.7 622 522 83.9 339 196 57.8 694 653 94.1 223 206 92.4 1,138 982 86.3 609 571 93.8 212 142 67.0 341 288 84.5 1,560 1,381 88.5 * State Universities 9,275 7,944 6,659 83.8 Dalton State College Macon State College 736 559 415 74.2 597 458 289 63.1 * State Colleges 1,333 1,017 704 69.2 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Atlanta Metropolitan College Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Darton College East Georgia College Floyd College Gainesville College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon College Middle Georgia College South Georgia College Waycross College 821 324 299 205 585 409 517 736 2,140 970 698 358 175 664 441 66.4 153 35 22.9 192 108 56.3 138 84 60.9 443 266 60.0 338 159 47.0 397 257 64.7 652 475 72.9 1,546 784 50.7 795 481 60.5 542 332 61.3 283 187 66.1 135 89 65.9 * Two-Year Colleges 8,237 6,278 3,698 58.9 ** System Totals 31,708 26,270 21,437 81.6 SRPT701 1/24/2003 ** "First-time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools" are the subset of freshmen who have a graduation date from a Georgia high school of 1993 or later. These students are considered eligible for HOPE, but in order to receive HOPE. they must meet academic requirements (a 3.0 in core high school courses). This column also includes any additional first-time freshmen receiving HOPE according to GSFC records but who did not appear to SIRS as Georgia high school graduates. This report includes only those students who received the HOPE Scholarship; it does not count HOPE Grant recipients as scholarship recipients. December 2003 Page 11 of 13 University System of Georgia First-Time Freshmen with the HOPE Scholarship Fall 2000 Institution Name Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University University of Georgia All First-Time Freshmen 2,193 2,146 3,943 First-Time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools** Total Freshmen # with HOPE % with HOPE 1,343 1,313 97.8 1,981 1,868 94.3 3,482 3,433 98.6 * Research Universities Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University * Regional Universities 8,282 2,829 1,299 4,128 6,806 6,614 97.2 2,643 2,219 84.0 1,194 1,033 86.5 3,837 3,252 84.8 Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton College & State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University Kennesaw State University North Georgia College & State University Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University State University of West Georgia 638 606 747 641 852 382 771 325 1,335 628 390 380 1,671 569 393 69.1 465 375 80.6 612 455 74.3 475 350 73.7 690 592 85.8 301 190 63.1 715 658 92.0 277 230 83.0 1,122 934 83.2 566 525 92.8 290 190 65.5 350 297 84.9 1,597 1,377 86.8 * State Universities 9,366 8,019 6,566 81.9 Dalton State College Macon State College 783 511 338 66.1 732 556 356 64.0 * State Colleges 1,515 1,067 694 65.0 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Atlanta Metropolitan College Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Darton College East Georgia College Floyd College Gainesville College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon College Middle Georgia College South Georgia College Waycross College 902 510 263 395 637 464 579 743 2,190 898 588 312 182 721 404 56.0 243 59 24.3 183 79 43.2 248 139 56.0 480 274 57.1 392 189 48.2 425 254 59.8 650 438 67.4 1,610 788 48.9 742 430 58.0 515 294 57.1 224 137 61.2 144 98 68.1 * Two-Year Colleges 8,663 6,577 3,583 54.5 ** System Totals 31,954 26,306 20,709 78.7 SRPT701 1/24/2003 ** "First-time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools" are the subset of freshmen who have a graduation date from a Georgia high school of 1993 or later. These students are considered eligible for HOPE, but in order to receive HOPE. they must meet academic requirements (a 3.0 in core high school courses). This column also includes any additional first-time freshmen receiving HOPE according to GSFC records but who did not appear to SIRS as Georgia high school graduates. This report includes only those students who received the HOPE Scholarship; it does not count HOPE Grant recipients as scholarship recipients. December 2003 Page 12 of 13 University System of Georgia First-Time Freshmen with the HOPE Scholarship Fall 2001 Institution Name Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University University of Georgia All First-Time Freshmen 2,205 2,224 4,071 First-Time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools** Total Freshmen # with HOPE % with HOPE 1,316 1,280 97.3 2,046 1,941 94.9 3,474 3,434 98.9 * Research Universities Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University * Regional Universities 8,500 2,612 1,572 4,184 6,836 6,655 97.4 2,448 2,121 86.6 1,432 1,245 86.9 3,880 3,366 86.8 Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton College & State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University Kennesaw State University North Georgia College & State University Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University State University of West Georgia 417 627 832 568 875 417 858 276 1,444 665 487 393 1,568 363 274 75.5 478 409 85.6 646 471 72.9 442 339 76.7 708 588 83.1 343 208 60.6 816 737 90.3 235 208 88.5 1,233 1,024 83.1 597 528 88.4 352 227 64.5 364 308 84.6 1,490 1,317 88.4 * State Universities 9,427 8,067 6,638 82.3 Dalton State College Macon State College 858 512 345 67.4 733 557 351 63. * State Colleges 1,591 1,069 696 65.1 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Atlanta Metropolitan College Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Darton College East Georgia College Floyd College Gainesville College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon College Middle Georgia College South Georgia College Waycross College 988 370 312 472 684 478 715 910 2,563 1,021 726 331 174 772 424 54.9 170 54 31.8 209 88 42.1 267 137 51.3 536 300 56.0 414 225 54.4 549 309 56.3 792 521 65.8 1,842 948 51.5 809 488 60.3 591 314 53.1 276 171 62.0 131 100 76.3 * Two-Year Colleges 9,744 7,358 4,079 55.44 ** System Totals 33,446 27,210 21,434 78.8 SRPT701 1/24/2003 ** "First-time Freshmen from Georgia High Schools" are the subset of freshmen who have a graduation date from a Georgia high school of 1993 or later. These students are considered eligible for HOPE, but in order to receive HOPE. they must meet academic requirements (a 3.0 in core high school courses). This column also includes any additional first-time freshmen receiving HOPE according to GSFC records but who did not appear to SIRS as Georgia high school graduates. This report includes only those students who received the HOPE Scholarship; it does not count HOPE Grant recipients as scholarship recipients. December 2003 Page 13 of 13