If you’re homeschooling in Georgia, you’ve probably wondered whether your student can qualify for the HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship.
The good news is yes, but the rules are different depending on whether your homeschool is accredited. Many families hear only part of the story and end up confused about SAT scores, GPA requirements, or when scholarships are awarded.
Last Updated: July 2026
In this guide I’ll explain exactly how the scholarships work for both accredited and unaccredited homeschool students so you can make informed decisions throughout high school.
Many homeschool parents are not informed accurately about how to get the HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarships. This is the biggest amount most typical students will be able to receive in one place in the state of Georgia. These parents might know a piece of the information, but not the full story. In this post, we’ll break it down for you so that you will have all the info you need. For the most current scholarship requirements and award amounts, always verify the information on GAfutures.org, as scholarship regulations can change.
Note to start: the HOPE High School GPA is calculated from only Core High School and Dual enrollment courses in these subject areas: English, Math, Science, Foreign Language, and Social Science. Note: Health / PE and Electives do not count. This is not the same as your high school GPA on your transcript which will include Health/PE and Electives.
You can either be using the HOPE scholarship or the Zell Miller, but not both. It’s one or the other.
| Scholarship | Accredited Homeschool | Unaccredited Homeschool |
|---|---|---|
| HOPE | 3.0 HOPE GPA + rigor requirements | Qualifying college GPA after enrollment |
| Zell Miller | 3.7 HOPE GPA + qualifying ACT/SAT | Higher ACT/SAT pathway or later college pathway |
Part 1: For Unaccredited Homeschoolers (graduating without a transcript accredited by the state of Georgia)
Upfront HOPE/Zell award:
Without accreditation, your student can get the HOPE scholarship before he starts classes at his college (they award right when classes are starting and the bill comes out) if he has a 24 on the ACT or 1160 on the SAT. This would be 90% of the tuition at a public university but does not include books, fees, etc.
If he scores even higher, 29 on the ACT or 1340 on the SAT, he can get the Zell Miller Scholarship which will be for 100% of his tuition at the public university. This is how to get the money upfront.
Retroactive HOPE/Zell award:
If their score is not that high, then the way it works is they pay you after attending for 30 credit hours. This is called retroactive. It’s usually 2 semesters of 15 hrs each you would have to pay full price to get the 30 total hours necessary. At that point, if his High school final HOPE GPA was above a 3.0 and his college GPA after 30 hrs was above a 3.0, he would get the HOPE scholarship (90% of tuition).
If he gets a 3.7 HOPE high school GPA and 3.3 college GPA PLUS a score of 26 on the ACT or 1200 on the SAT, then he could get the Zell Miller retroactive (100% of tuition).
Part 2: For Accredited Homeschoolers (graduating WITH a transcript accredited by the state of Georgia)
Upfront HOPE/Zell award:
With accreditation, your student can get the HOPE scholarship before he starts classes at his college (they award right when classes are starting and the bill comes out) if he has a 3.0 HOPE GPA. Note: no ACT/SAT minimum score is required. This would be 90% of the tuition at a public university but does not include books, fees, etc.
If he has a HOPE GPA of 3.7 and also scores 26 on the ACT or 1200 on the SAT, he can get the Zell Miller Scholarship, which will be for 100% of his tuition at the public university.
For accredited homeschool students, Zell Miller requires a qualifying SAT score of 1200 or the current ACT equivalent as determined annually by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. This can vary each year. It’s usually around 25 or 26.
Concluding Notes
I highly recommend taking both tests (SAT/ACT) as much as you can if you are trying for these scholarships.
Students may apply through either:
- FAFSA (apply every year)
- Georgia Student Finance Application (GSFAPP) (valid for 10 years)
Note: The award amount at a private university or college will be different than the award at public universities in Georgia. You can look up the exact award amount for each college on gafutures.org.
Scholarship regulations occasionally change. Always verify the current eligibility requirements on GAfutures before making final academic planning decisions.
I hope this information helps you when thinking about scholarships for Georgia colleges.
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Blessings,
Michelle
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