HOPE Scholarship Enrollment Trends across the State of Georgia

Abstract

The HOPE Scholarship went through the most significant changes in its existence in 2011, when the generous full scholarship for all in-state college students in Georgia with a 3.0 GPA was reduced to a fixed amount per credit hour which equates to approximately 70-80 percent of tuition costs. In looking at enrollment, economic, and demographic data from the county level, it is apparent that since 2011, more and more HOPE students have enrolled in technical colleges rather than four-year public or private universities, and this is especially true in poorer counties outside of the metro Atlanta area.