Unlocking Opportunities: A Guide to Scholarships for Atlanta Public Schools Students

Every Atlanta Public School (APS) student deserves the opportunity to pursue postsecondary education and reap the rewards that higher learning offers. Achieve Atlanta firmly believes in this principle and works to make it a reality for APS graduates. This article explores the various scholarship opportunities available to students within the Atlanta Public Schools system, focusing on the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship and the APS Scholars Program at Georgia Tech.

Achieve Atlanta Scholarship: Bridging the Affordability Gap

Achieve Atlanta's mission is to dramatically increase the number of Atlanta Public Schools (APS) students completing postsecondary education. Created in 2014 through a partnership between the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, Achieve Atlanta provides need-based scholarships to APS graduates pursuing technical certificates, associate's degrees, or bachelor's degrees. The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship is designed to support APS students pursuing various postsecondary paths after high school. The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship will support Atlanta Public School graduates who meet eligibility requirements and need assistance paying for postsecondary education. By supplementing other financial aid sources, the scholarship helps to close affordability gaps and reduces reliance on high-interest college loans.

Eligibility and Award Details

To be eligible for the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship, students must meet specific criteria, including seamless enrollment at an eligible college or university immediately following graduation. However, exceptions to the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship eligibility criteria and policies are rare and will only be made due to exceptional personal or family circumstances. Students must have been enrolled in an APS high school for the last two full school years prior to their graduation. The scholarship is applicable at accredited, nonprofit private or public colleges or technical programs in Georgia. In limited circumstances, the scholarship can be used out-of-state at accredited nonprofit/public colleges or technical programs with a graduation rate of 44% or higher. All students, regardless of immigration status, can apply! Undocumented students are eligible to complete an alternative financial aid form.

The scholarship provides up to $5,000 per year for a maximum of 4 years (8 terms) for students attending a 4-year college. For those pursuing a 2-year college or technical program, the award is $1,500 per year for up to 2 years (4 terms). The maximum amount of scholarship money you can receive on (or transfer to) a 4-year path is $20,000. It depends on the path you pursue after high school. These awards are intended to substantially support students’ cost of attendance, but we do expect students to pursue all other possible aid (federal aid, grants, scholarships, etc.) to pay for their education. Achieve Atlanta Scholarship awards can be used for any part of the cost of attendance at accredited nonprofit or public colleges/universities, in and out-of-state. Cost of attendance (COA) includes tuition, fees, room and board, allowances for books, travel, and other fees.

Renewal and Timeframe

The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship is renewable. Scholars enrolling in a bachelor’s degree program (4-year school) can renew their scholarship for up to a maximum of 4 years (8 terms) of school. Yes. The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship is renewable for up to a maximum of 2 years (4 terms) of school for students on the 2-year/technical path. If you are on a 2-year/technical path, your time eligibility period is a maximum of 3 years. Within this period, you can be funded for a maximum of 4 terms. If you are on (or transfer to) a 4-year path, your time eligibility period is a maximum of 5 years. Your eligibility period begins when you first enroll at a postsecondary college/university as an Achieve Atlanta Scholar.

Read also: A Look at Atlanta College of Art

Application Process

Applications for high school seniors open February 2nd and close on June 1st. Starting February 2nd of your high school senior year, go to www.achieveatlanta.org and find the “Apply” button at the top of the page to access the online Scholarship application. To maintain the scholarship, students must complete the Achieve Atlanta Fall Update Application, providing documentation confirming their enrollment plans for the upcoming semester. Complete the Achieve Atlanta Fall Update Application! You’ll need to upload your acceptance letter or course schedule for the college you’ve chosen to attend. After you complete the Application, we will verify that you’re attending an eligible institution and will send your scholarship check. Enroll full-time in college next fall! If you do not enroll in college by next fall, you will permanently forfeit the scholarship. You will be asked to provide documentation confirming where you plan to enroll the next semester. The Fall Update Application will be our final check to confirm that you’re meeting all eligibility criteria. The scholarship will be split between fall and spring semesters. Students receiving the 4-year college scholarship will receive $2,500 for fall and $2,500 for spring.

FAFSA, which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is required to receive any federal financial aid (such as Pell Grant, Perkins, etc.).

Atlanta Public School (APS) Scholars Program at Georgia Tech: Recognizing Academic Excellence

The Atlanta Public School (APS) Scholars Program at Georgia Tech is designed to recruit, enroll, support and graduate the most academically talented students within APS. This program underscores Georgia Tech's commitment to partnering with K-12 schools to encourage more students to pursue STEM-related fields. Georgia Tech recognizes its role within the Atlanta community and aims to foster strong connections with local schools.

Eligibility Criteria and Award Details

Georgia Tech will offer acceptance and cover four-year in-state tuition and mandatory fees for all APS valedictorians and salutatorians who meet specific requirements. To be eligible, students must:

Be named either the valedictorian or the salutatorian of any of the accredited public high schools or charter high schools in APS.
Successfully complete a math course at the pre-calculus level or above during high school.

This program ensures in-state tuition and mandatory fees will be covered through a combination of scholarships and grants from all sources for up to eight semesters of full-time enrollment at Georgia Tech. Yes, all admitted students will be eligible for full consideration for all the merit and need-based aid that Georgia Tech offers.

Admission Process

Students may be admitted in either the Early Action or Regular Decision round. Our selection committee uses the information supplied on the application for admission to identify, admit, and name APS Scholars each year. In order to be considered for financial assistance, students must complete appropriate financial aid documents.

Additional Scholarship Resources

In addition to the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship and the APS Scholars Program at Georgia Tech, APS students should explore other potential scholarship opportunities.

Georgia Special Scholarship

Parents who are interested in transferring their child to a private school in Georgia may be able to take advantage of a Georgia Special Scholarship. These scholarships provide funding that can be used to offset tuition costs at participating private schools in the state of Georgia. In order to be eligible to receive the scholarship, a student must be in attendance at an authorized private school for the Fall. *Prior school year in attendance - the student was enrolled and reported by a public school system or school systems for funding purposes at the time of both FTE program counts, conducted each school year in October and March.

School Counselor

Speak to your college adviser or school counselor. Contact your school’s financial aid office.

tags: #atlanta #public #schools #scholarships #opportunities