Georgia · verified 2026-10-30
HOPE Scholarship requirements
Georgia's HOPE Scholarship requires a 3.0 HOPE GPA and no ACT or SAT score. The test matters one tier up: Zell Miller needs a 3.7 HOPE GPA and a 26 ACT, and pays full tuition where HOPE pays a percentage of it.
HOPE itself is GPA-only, so there is no ACT threshold to clear and no score to raise for it. The score decides whether you reach Zell Miller instead.
No score needed here. Elsewhere it is worth money.
HOPE Scholarship ignores your ACT. Georgia colleges do not.
This is the distinction most families miss: a state award can be need-based or GPA-only while every dollar of a university’s own automatic merit still comes off a test score. At a 28 with a 3.5 GPA, 6 colleges in Georgia publish an award on top of it.
See which colleges pay for my score →Every tier, and what it asks for
| Tier | ACT | GPA | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOPE ScholarshipNo test score required at any point. | none | 3.0 HOPE GPA | A percentage of tuition at a Georgia public institution |
Where your ACT score does decide money in Georgia
HOPE Scholarship does not use a score, but Georgia colleges do. At a 28 with a 3.5 GPA, from each college's own published chart:
$20,326/yr
$18,500/yr
$6,500/yr
$3,000/yr
$1,000/yr
$500/yr
Other state programmes
Email me every college that pays at a 28
HOPE Scholarship is Georgia. We have read the published award charts at 504 colleges nationally, and the email sends the ten that pay you most — five public, five private. No account.
One email with your breakdown, plus occasional ACT tips. Unsubscribe in one tap.
HOPE Scholarship questions
What are the HOPE Scholarship requirements?
Georgia's HOPE Scholarship requires a 3.0 HOPE GPA and no ACT or SAT score. The test matters one tier up: Zell Miller needs a 3.7 HOPE GPA and a 26 ACT, and pays full tuition where HOPE pays a percentage of it.
Does the HOPE Scholarship require an ACT score?
No. HOPE itself is GPA-only, so there is no ACT threshold to clear and no score to raise for it. The score decides whether you reach Zell Miller instead.
Does an ACT score change what Georgia colleges pay?
Yes, separately from HOPE Scholarship. At a 28 with a 3.5 GPA, 6 of the 8 Georgia colleges whose award charts we have read publish a figure, the largest being $20,326 a year at Georgia College. That is the college's own money, not the state's.
Verified 2026-10-30 against GAfutures — HOPE and Zell Miller. State programmes are reviewed annually and the thresholds move, so confirm against the administering agency before relying on them. College figures come from each college’s own published chart. A published threshold is not an offer.