Save on Higher Education Costs, Explore Promising Career Options

By LaTINA EMERSON, Special to The Coweta Shopper

Higher education can open doors to better job opportunities and earning potential, but it can also come with a hefty price tag. Whether students choose to attend a technical college or four-year institution, they’re faced with the rising costs of tuition, books, fees and more. To avoid taking on crippling student loan debt, aspiring learners must find ways to get the best academic or technical training for the lowest out-of-pocket expenses.

To reduce future education costs, high school students can take advantage of Georgia’s Dual Enrollment Program, which allows students enrolled at eligible high schools or home study programs the opportunity to earn high school and college credit at a participating, eligible postsecondary institution in Georgia.

Georgia has also launched a new online tool called the Georgia Career Navigator to help students make educated decisions on future career paths. In addition, the Georgia Match Program, now in its third year, is designed to make higher education more accessible by directly connecting students with eligible colleges, including technical schools. Learn more about these resources:

Georgia’s Dual Enrollment Program

Georgia’s Dual Enrollment Program gives students the opportunity to take college courses and begin their college academic career while still in high school. The program provides for standard tuition, mandatory fees and required books. To be eligible, students must:

• Be enrolled in and physically attending a participating eligible public or private high school in Georgia or an eligible participating home study program in Georgia.

• Be approved, by the participating high school or home study program where the student is enrolled, to participate in dual enrollment.

• Have completed the admission process and been accepted and approved by the participating postsecondary institution. The student and their parent/guardian must also complete the Student Participation Agreement.

• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined by the college or university they are attending.

• Complete all postsecondary coursework prior to high school graduation or home study completion in order to receive Dual Enrollment credit and funding.

• Meet federal Selective Service registration requirements, per Georgia state law.

Eligibility (Grade Level, Age)

• 11th & 12th Graders: Eligible students may take any approved Dual Enrollment courses listed on the Course Directory at an eligible participating postsecondary institution (University System of Georgia (USG), Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) or private).

• 10th Graders: Eligible students may enroll in approved Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) courses listed on the Course Directory at a participating TCSG institution only. Also, eligible students who have a minimum SAT score of 1200 or minimum ACT composite score of 26 in a single national test administration may enroll in any approved courses listed on the Course Directory at a TCSG, USG or private eligible participating postsecondary institution.

• 9th Graders: Students in the 9th grade aren’t eligible to participate in the Dual Enrollment funding Program.

• Students must be younger than 22 years old on the start date of the postsecondary term of enrollment for which funding is sought. Students who turn 22 during the postsecondary term may complete the term.

• Length of eligibility concludes at the end of the term in which the student has either 1) reached the age limit, 2) reached the funding cap or 3) received a high school diploma, a General Education Development (GED) diploma or completed a Home Study program.

Available courses

• The Dual Enrollment Course Directory lists all eligible courses by participating postsecondary institutions for Dual Enrollment funding. These approved courses include: 1) Core academic areas (English, math, science, social studies and world (foreign) languages) and 2) Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) courses.

Dual Enrollment Award amounts

• The Dual Enrollment award amount will vary based on the postsecondary institution and the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled.
• The approved award rates to be paid for Tuition, Mandatory Fees and Book costs are published each year and subject to change.
• Dual Enrollment funding availability is limited per term to 15 semester or 12 quarter hours and 3 semesters or 4 quarters per academic year if the student meets all eligibility requirements.
• Funding is available up to the student’s high school graduation or home study completion date or the 30 semester or 45 quarter hours Funding Cap, whichever occurs first

For more information about Georgia’s Dual Enrollment Program, visit https://www.gafutures.org/hope-state-aid-programs/scholarships-grants/dual-enrollment/

Georgia Career Navigator

The new Georgia Career Navigator is a tool designed to help students and parents explore education and career pathways (college, technical training, military service, etc.). Students can search by industry to identify high-demand careers, including those eligible for debt free education. The tool provides information on salaries for specific careers, 10-year outlook and difficulty level.

For more information, visit https://gacareernavigator.com/.

Georgia Match Program

Georgia Match is a program that informs students where they are eligible for college admission based on their high school calculated HOPE grade point average (GPA) through the 11th grade. High schools submit transcript data after students’ 11th grade year, and then students receive a personalized letter with a list of Georgia colleges and universities they could be accepted into based on academic eligibility.

The highest test score record on file in GAfutures by early September of the senior year is used for the colleges and universities that require a minimum score or a freshman index. This program enables students to see where they could attend college in Georgia based on their current academic record, but they’ll still need to submit an application on their GAfutures Student Dashboard. The college or university will determine an official admissions status based on their admission criteria and the student’s final transcript and high school graduation status.

For more information, visit https://www.gafutures.org/college-planning/georgia-match.