For Parents
GOAL Scholarship
The Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program provides tuition scholarships to children from low-income families in grades K through 12 for use at private schools.
Only students who are Georgia residents enrolled in a Georgia secondary or primary public school or eligible to enroll in a qualified kindergarten program or pre-kindergarten program are eligible for GOAL Scholarships.
GOAL Scholarships are awarded on a sliding scale based on the availability of funds, the annual household income of applicant families, and household size. Income is verified by income tax returns and/or other documentation.
In order for a child to receive a GOAL Scholarship in any amount, total household income cannot exceed $85,000. The maximum scholarship that may be awarded is an amount equal to 85 percent of the private school’s lowest published rate of tuition for the recipient’s grade or $10,000, whichever is less.
Under Georgia law, the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program is required to obligate 90 percent of all of its annual contributions to the provision of scholarships. GOAL Scholarships may only be offered to students who have attended public school immediately prior to their enrollment in their selected private schools.
However, once awarded to a student, a GOAL Scholarship will be renewed for as long as there are available funds and the recipient student is enrolled in the private school; adheres (along with his or her parent(s) or guardian(s)) to the academic, disciplinary, parental involvement, and other policies adopted by the school from time to time; and remains within the income eligibility guidelines. All schools participating in the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program will be responsible for confirming in writing to Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program staff that each recipient student attending their school (and his or her parent(s) or guardian(s)) is in compliance with the requirements for renewal of his or her GOAL Scholarship.
Scholarship Application
On June 26, 2008, the Georgia Department of Education listed Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, Inc. as a student scholarship organization that is approved to accept contributions and offer K-12 scholarships.
Parents or guardians who are interested in applying for a GOAL Scholarship for their child should contact the private school in which they intend to enroll their child. In granting GOAL Scholarships, GOAL Scholarship Program officials will be working very closely with existing private school financial aid offices or scholarship committees. At the appropriate time during the private school’s financial aid review process, private school officials and the parents or guardians of the student hoping to transfer from a public school should complete the GOAL Scholarship Application that the GOAL Scholarship Program has provided to the private school. The private school will then send GOAL officials the completed application along with the recommended scholarship award based on household income, family size, and, if applicable, the amount of available GOAL Scholarship funds that have been designated by donors to GOAL for use at the private school. Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program officials will review the submitted application and scholarship recommendation and either approve, reject, or modify the GOAL Scholarship award recommended by the private school. The private school is responsible for initiating the application process on behalf of a family seeking a GOAL Scholarship. The GOAL Scholarship Program will not accept GOAL Scholarship applications directly from individual parents or guardians.