Georgia Promise Scholarship: Application Opens

Georgia Promise Scholarship Program offers a great opportunity for families with children enrolled in a Georgia public school. It helps them get financial aid for private school tuition, tutoring services, and other important qualified education expenses. Starting on March 1, 2025, this program lets eligible Georgia students from kindergarten through 12th grade apply for up to $6,500 each year through promise scholarship applications.

What is the Georgia Promise Scholarship?

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Program is a state initiative overseen by the Office of Student Achievement. It provides important education savings for families in Georgia. The Scholarship Program became law in 2024 with Senate Bill 233. It helps families find good educational options, like private schools and home study programs within their attendance zone.

This promise scholarship account can help cover different qualified education expenses. This includes private school tuition, tutoring services, and specialized therapies. These therapies can be provided by a therapist for occupational, behavioral, physical, or speech-language therapies.

The goal of this program is to help families choose the best path for their child’s educational development. It offers the support and flexibility they need during their academic journeys.

Eligible Georgia students can receive up to $6,500 in funding per year, which can be used for:

• Private school tuition and fees
• Tutoring services from certified teachers approved by the Professional Standards Commission
• Textbooks and additional materials
• Services from a therapist for occupational, behavioral, physical, or speech-language therapies
• Transportation to service providers (with a limit of $500 per year)

Eligibility Criteria for the Georgia Promise Scholarship

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Program is accessible to a diverse group of Georgia students, with certain criteria to ensure funds reach those who need it most:

1. Residency: You must reside in a Georgia public school attendance zone listed on the Georgia Promise Scholarship School List, which is provided by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. Your family needs to have been residents of Georgia for at least a year, although there are exceptions for active duty military families.
2. Public School Enrollment: You must have been enrolled in a Georgia public school for at least two consecutive full-time equivalent (FTE) counts, which usually means one academic year. However, rising kindergarten students are also eligible.
3. Educational Needs: The Georgia Promise Scholarship is tailored to assist students with various educational needs. With this scholarship, families can cater to their child’s educational requirements through private schooling, tutoring services, or therapy services.
4. Application Process: Parents can easily check their eligibility through the prescreen tool found on the official scholarship website, mygeorgiapromise.org, before the promise scholarship applications period starts.

Georgia Promise Scholarship Requirements

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Program requirements are straightforward. The application portal will be active starting March 1, 2025, and parents should have a few documents ready, including:

• Proof of Georgia residency
• Income verification
• Other documents as outlined in the Family Handbook

The application window will close on April 15, 2025, for the first quarter. But don’t worry, there will be more opportunities to apply, as subsequent windows will open every quarter. This allows families to apply for education savings several times a year.

How Scholarship Funds Can Be Utilized

The Georgia Promise Scholarship provides major flexibility in how families can utilize the funds, making it easy to customize the scholarship to support their child’s educational unique needs. Here’s how your family can put the funds to use:

1. Private School Tuition: This scholarship helps cover the costs of enrolling in over 250 Georgia-approved private schools.
2. Certified Tutoring Services: Families can apply the funds towards tutoring services from educators approved by the Professional Standards Commission.
3. Therapy Services: It can be used for services provided by a therapist for occupational, behavioral, physical, or speech-language therapies.
4. Educational Materials: Parents have the option to cover expenses for textbooks and specific curriculum resources that cater to their child’s educational needs.
5. Transportation: The funds can also help with transportation costs to and from service providers, with a limit of $500 per year.

Renewal and Carry-Over of Scholarship Funds

The carry-forward option is a fantastic feature of the Georgia Promise Scholarship Program where families can roll over up to 50% of unused education savings from one academic year to the next. This added flexible feature helps families plan and manage their qualified education expenses more effectively.

Georgia Promise Scholarship Deadline

The promise scholarship applications window for the 2025/26 academic year is now open! Families can submit applications via the link below until April 15, 2025. Please note that priority will not be granted based on the submission date.

• Application Opens: March 1, 2025
• First Application Window Closes: April 15, 2025
• Private School Application Window: April 1 – April 30, 2025 (for schools wishing to participate)

Parents of Georgia students are urged to get their applications in early and to make sure that they have all the required documents ready.

Why the Georgia Promise Scholarship Matters

The launch of the Georgia Promise Scholarship Program is a big step forward in the state’s mission to give families more educational choices. Governor Brian Kemp said this program helps parents pick what works best for their child’s educational needs. This could be special services, private school tuition, or extra academic help through tutoring services.

This initiative recognizes that one-size-fits-all approach to education just doesn’t cut it for every student. The Georgia Promise Scholarship gives up to $6,500 each year to qualified Georgia students. This helps families provide their kids with the resources they need to succeed in school and future jobs.

Conclusion

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Program is a big help for families in Georgia. It gives them access to educational opportunities that may have seemed out of reach. If you want to send your child to a private school, hire a certified tutor, or find a therapist for occupational, behavioral, physical, or speech-language therapies, this scholarship can help. It offers the financial support you need to make it all possible.

If you live in Georgia and have a qualifying child enrolled in a Georgia public school, don’t miss this great program. Promise scholarship applications open on March 1, 2025.

For more details and to apply, head over to mygeorgiapromise.org.