The HOPE Scholarship Program celebrated a major achievement this week, handing out over $15 billion in financial aid in its 30 years of existence. WUGA’s Mary Ryan Howarth has more:
Since it was created in 1993, the program has helped some 2.1 million students, according to state officials, hitting the $15 billion milestone recently. In its first year, the program passed out $21 million to some 43,000 students.
Over its three decades, the program, which is funded by the Georgia Lottery, has skyrocketed. This year, the program awarded $841 million in scholarships and grants to more than 178,000 students.
Over time, HOPE has grown to include other scholarships such as the Zell Miller Scholarship, HOPE Grant, Zell Miller Grant, HOPE Career Grant, and the High School Equivalency Examination Grant Program.
HOPE Programs are offered at 79 Georgia public and private colleges and universities.
