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Georgia has a program called the HOPE scholarship that is funded by the GA Lottery. A GA resident who graduates HS with a 3.0 GPA or better receives free tuition at any public college or university. The student still has to pay for room & board (if applicible) and any fees. The HOPE also has a book scholarship that is, I think, $500 a semester. The student has to have at least a 3.0 GPA the first year or so then the GPA requirement is increased. I think to keep the HOPE all 4 years you have to graduate with a 3.2 or something like that. Sorry I don't remember the details, but it did not exist when I was in college!
The program is so successful that many of GA's schools have increased their GPA requirements. Schools that were once considered 'safety' school are increasingly more competative because good students are choosing to stay in state. With state budget issues there is talk of raising the GPA, adding a needs based component, or reducing the award amount. The success of the program also has led to charges that HS students are taking "easy" classes in HS to keep their 3.0, HS (and college) teachers are giving As and Bs so that students don't loose their eligibility and that student are taking longer than 4 or 5 years to graduate because they drop classes if their GPA is in danger of falling below a 3.0
As an aside, the HOPE scholarship also pays for people who get their GED to continue their education, pays GA HS students who go to private schools a small stipend (a couple thousand dollars, I think, with no GPA requirement) and for 4 year old kindergarden.
I hope I got all of that right....I did it from my personal knowledge of the program.
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