Zell Miller Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by GAfutures

Here’s a clear, teacher-style explanation of the Zell Miller Scholarship — what it pays for and what a student must do to get it and keep it.

What the scholarship covers
- The Zell Miller Scholarship is merit-based. It pays the standard undergraduate tuition at public colleges in Georgia and offers tuition assistance at eligible private Georgia colleges.
- If you want the exact academic standards you must meet right out of high school, review “Initial Academic Eligibility for Zell Miller Scholarship.”

Who is eligible and what you must do
To be awarded the scholarship after high school and to maintain it while you’re enrolled, a student must meet these basic requirements:

1. Citizenship or eligible non-citizen status — You must meet U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen criteria.
2. Georgia residency for the college — You must meet the postsecondary institution’s Georgia residency rules.
3. Enrollment in an eligible program — You must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at a University System of Georgia (USG) school, a Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) school, or an eligible private Georgia college or university that accepts Zell Miller.
4. Selective Service registration (if required) — Federal Selective Service registration is required under Georgia law for males born on or after January 1, 1960, who are at least 18 and who are citizens or eligible non-citizens who arrived in the U.S. before age 26.
5. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) — You must meet your college’s SAP policy.
6. Good standing on loans and aid — You must be in good standing on all student loans and other financial aid programs.
7. Compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990 — You must comply with that law.
8. Not exceeded HOPE limits — You must not have passed the maximum award limits for any HOPE program.

Important note about defaults and refunds
- You cannot be in default on any federal or Georgia student loan, grant, or scholarship. If you are in default, you must resolve it or repay the loan in full before you can be eligible for the Zell Miller Scholarship.
- If you owe a refund to any Georgia scholarship or grant program, that refund must be repaid in full before your Zell Miller eligibility can be determined.

If you want, I can help you check any one of these items for a specific student (for example, how to verify SAP, or where to find the school’s residency rules).