MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — On July 16, Governor Kemp announced that $15 billion was given to 2.1 million Georgia natives by the HOPE Scholarship.
This year alone, around 2,723 students were given the HOPE Scholarship at Georgia College and State University. To qualify for the HOPE Scholarship you must be a Georgia resident and keep a 3.0 GPA.
"We have over 40,000 students that have come to the university and benefitted from the program and it contributed over half a billion dollars to the institution," said Costas Spirou, Vice President and Provost of Georgia College and State University.
Lily Harris is a Savannah native who received the HOPE Scholarship. She says if it weren't for the HOPE Scholarship she would not be able to afford Georgia College and State University.
"I'm originally from Savannah, Georgia, so everyone was like, 'Oh if you're not gonna be able to afford a lot of colleges, Georgia Southern might be a good place to go.' Before I knew I had the HOPE Scholarship, that is where I was going to attend."
Harris now is a GCSU student and she said she loves it. She says she can now pay for her meal plans and book fees. She said she also enjoys the challenge of keeping her grades up.
"Not only has it been a great benefit to being able to afford college also a way to also make sure I am keeping my academics in tact because you have to keep a certain GPA," she said.
The HOPE Scholarship is offered in 79 campuses. College students must have a 3.0 GPA and take at least 4 hours.