ACADEMICSThe HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program provides forgivable loans to eligible individuals seeking advanced education degrees in critical shortage fields of study. The HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program is funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education and is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Students receive $125 per semester hour. The maximum award for the HOPE Teacher Scholarship loan is based on the number of credit hours required for a student to complete their program of study in a critical shortage field. In return for the HOPE Teacher Scholarship loan, the student agrees to teach or continue teaching, on a full-time basis, as an employee in a Georgia Public School System, in the critical shortage field for which he or she was funded, one academic year for each $2,500 awarded.
Hope Teacher Scholarship Loan Program Eligibility Requirements
- A student must be a U.S. Citizen or a Permanent Resident Alien who meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under federal Title IV requirements.
- A student attending a Georgia University System institution meets the residency requirements for purposes of the HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program if he or she meets the requirements to be classified as a legal resident of Georgia for in-state tuition under Board of Regents policy. A student who has received an out-of-state tuition waiver is not considered a resident of Georgia and, therefore, is not eligible
- There is no minimum number of hours of enrollment required for eligibility. Full-time enrollment is not a requirement.
- A student must be admitted to the Graduate School, classified as regular admission, and enrolled in an advanced degree teacher education program approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. Additionally, the College of Education Teacher Certification Official must confirm that the student has been admitted into an advanced degree teacher education program in a critical shortage teaching field that leads to advanced certification.
- A student must complete his or her approved program, obtain a higher level Professional Georgia Educator Certificate in the field in which the Hope Teacher Scholarship was awarded, and within 12 months after graduation commit to teach in that critical shortage field after graduation as an employee in a Georgia Public School System classroom at the preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary level.
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The individuals below are eligible for the HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program:
Teacher's Without a Master's Degree.
- Teachers working in public or accredited private schools who have a bachelor's degree and are seeking an advanced degree in their current or in a new critical shortage field.
Teachers and Individuals with a Master's or Specialist Degree.
- Teachers working in public or accredited private schools, and individuals
who have a master's degree in a critical shortage field who are seeking
a specialist or doctoral degree in their current critical shortage field.
- Teachers working in public or accredited private schools and individuals
who have a master's degree in a non-critical shortage field who are
seeking a doctoral degree in their current critical shortage field.
- Teachers working in public or accredited private schools and individuals who have a specialist degree in a critical shortage field who are seeking a doctoral degree in their current critical shortage field.
Georgians With a Bachelor's Degree Not Currently Teaching or Who Have Not Taught.
- Individuals who have a bachelor's degree who are seeking an advanced
degree in a critical shortage field.
For complete program eligibility requirements and applications for HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program and PROMISE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program, visit www.gacollege411.com
Applications are available online at www.gacollege411.com or in the Dean's Office, College of Education. If you need additional information, contact Becky Hart at 678-839-6103 or email rhart@westga.edu
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Hope Teacher Scholarship Loan Program Eligible Critical Shortage Fields Offered through University of West Georgia
- Special Education General Curriculum (P-12)
- Special Education Adapted curriculum (P-12)
- Special Education Learning disabilities (P-12)
- Special Education Behavior Disorders (P-12)
- Special Education General Curriculum/Early Childhood Education (P-5)
- Special Education Hearing Impaired (P-12)
- Special Education Orthopedically Impaired (P-12)
- Middle Grades Math (4-8)
- Middle Grades Science (4-8)
- Middle Grades Math & Science (4-8)
- Middle Grades Language Arts (4-8)
- Early Childhood Education (P-5)
- English (6-12)
- Mathematics (6-12)
- Science (6-12) (Includes Broad Field, Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space & Physics)
- History (6-12)
- Economics (6-12)
- Political Science (6-12)
- Geography (6-12)
- Spanish (P-12)
- French (P-12)
- Music (P-12)
- Art (P-12)
