Author: Caroline King

In 2010, Georgia State University (GSU) administrators discovered that more than 1,000 students were being dropped each semester due to unpaid tuition and fee balances. To address this, GSU piloted and subsequently implemented a no-application microgrant program for students who were in good academic standing and had a modest unpaid balance. Eligibility requirements and logistics evolved over the years, but overall, the selection process can be thought of as operating as follows: 

Funded by the Georgia Lottery, the Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) scholarship is awarded to Georgia residents who demonstrate academic excellence. Over the last 30 years, HOPE has assisted more than 2.1 million students by covering part of their tuition at eligible higher education institutions (Georgia State Finance Commission, n.d.). From 2012 to 2017, over 15,000 first-time, full-time students enrolled at GSU with the HOPE scholarship. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of students were losing the scholarship each year (see Fig. 1). While some were never able to regain HOPE, there was a group of students for whom a little support went a long way. In 2012, GSU introduced the Keep HOPE Alive (KHA) program to help students regain their scholarships.