Georgia Senate Discuss New Funding For Need-Based College Aid

State senators will meet on Aug. 25 to study ways to help more students afford college. The talks start as the HOPE Scholarship fund holds a surplus $1.6 billion.

Atlanta Democrat Nan Orrock will guide the Senate Study Committee on Higher Education Affordability. "In my conversations on both sides of the aisle, there's been a recognition that getting more students into college is a must," said Orrock to Savannah Now.

Among all U.S. states, only Georgia and New Hampshire lack aid programs based on financial need for public universities. Since 1993, the HOPE Scholarship has paid college costs for 2.2 million students who met academic standards.

School advisors see kids skip college due to costs, despite good grades. The GEORGIA MATCH system tries to fix this by showing students where they fit, but sign-ups stay low.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones backed the study group and picked Orrock to lead. "There's interest in it by leadership. If we can put together a good-faith grant program, it will be win-win for Georgia and a win-win for bipartisanship," Orrock said to Savannah Now.

High school students (10th grade and above) interested in checking their HOPE scholarship eligibility can do so by creating a GAfutures account here. For more information about the program visit GAfutures.org.