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'Its gets difficult at the end': Financial aid expansion bill passes general assembly

If the governor signs off on House Bill 249, those in need could get a $1000 dollar bump in funds, an increase from $2500 to $3500.

MACON, Ga. — With House Bill 249, some college students could be catching a break and cutting some financial strain. 

It passed the general assembly and now it's waiting for Governor Kemp’s signature.

Students who may have had that dilemma of dropping out due to money in front of them may have more options now that House Bill 249 has passed.

The bill is beefing up the amount of completion grants - those are needs based funding for students who have completed most of their studies but have stalled on money.  

"It just gets a little more difficult at the very end and that's when we start getting creative and start finding ways to help students," Middle Georgia State University financial aid director said.

Dolapo Ogunmakin says the completion grant is fairly new on campus, but it could go a long way.

"The first time we awarded was fall of 2022, so it’s a brand new grant that actually helped out a lot of students and helped them stay in school," she said.

If the governor signs off on House Bill 249, those in need could get a $1000 dollar bump in funds, an increase from $2500 to $3500.

The bill will also allow students to receive aid earlier while completing their credits.

"We needed to adjust those, and we think we have adjusted those so that deserving students will be eligible for the completion grants,” Representative Chuck Martin said.

Martin calls the bill a good investment.

"We were aware that a lot of students get really close to the finish line and it’s just a few hundred or a thousand dollars that stops that, stops them from finishing and there is some pretty good information that says if you stop it’s hard to get going again," he explained.

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