Georgia budget to pay 100% tuition for HOPE scholarship recipients

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The cost of college keeps climbing.

For the 2022-2023 academic year, families had to dish out an average of $11,000 a year at a four-year school.

For people hoping a better education equals a better quality of life every penny counts. Here’s how a new Georgia law is offering more opportunities.

The HOPE scholarship going from a 90% scholarship to a full scholarship shocked a few students.

“Well, I just found out at the table over there, and I was just like, wow, like I did not know that that had happened at all. It’s really exciting,” said Augusta University Junior MaKenzy Veldboom.

Cynthia Rosa is also a junior. She said, “At first, I thought you were kidding when I heard it, but that’s super exciting to hear that.”

Making the transition into their senior year less stressful.

Rosa said: " guess it’ll just take another weight off of me. I guess I don’t have to really worry about like the financial part of it. And in my last year here at Augusta University, I can just focus fully on my grades.”

Eighty percent of Augusta University’s freshman class last year benefitted from the HOPE scholarship.

Vice President of Enrollment Management Alexis Pope says moving hope from 90 percent to a full scholarship will allow more students to thrive.

“A huge announcement for students that are attending Augusta university or that didn’t think they could attend Augusta University and now think they can,” said Pope.

Saving some money with this change can free up students to go farther like Veldboom wanting to get her Master’s degree.

“Be able to think about going into a Master’s program because I wasn’t sure. The main thing I was thinking about was the money for that. I didn’t know that was even going to happen, but now, definitely considering it doing that,” she said.

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