Georgia Promise Scholarship draws 15K+ applicants. Here's how many met the eligibility requirements – WJCL
Thousands of Georgians have applied for a new scholarship program that could change how their children learn and where.
The Georgia Promise Scholarship provides qualifying students with $6,500 per school year. That money can be used for private school tuition, tutoring, or other educational expenses.
“We’re very excited about the launch of this brand new school choice program, the Georgia Promise Scholarship,” said Chris Green, president of the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
So far this year, more than 15,000 Georgia families have applied for the program. However, not everyone who applied qualified. Out of roughly 15,300 applicants, only about 8,600 met the eligibility requirements, according to the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
“The student has to have tried a public school and been enrolled for two semesters,” Green said. “They also have to be zoned to attend a low-performing school.”
In our area, preliminary numbers show that 427 students in Chatham County, 129 in Liberty County, 69 in Wayne County, 59 in Long County, 57 in Bulloch County, 29 in Toombs County, 14 in Tattnall County and 11 in Evans County are set to receive funds.
“So we’re already seeing lots of activity,” Green said.
The $6,500 per student is paid out quarterly and deposited into an education savings account. This means participating students will receive $1,625 deposits in July 2025, October 2025, January 2026 and April 2026.
“The funds never go directly to a citizen,” Green said. “They are in a secure marketplace, and then a family directs those funds based on any eligible education expense.”
So far, 64% of preliminarily eligible students have chosen to use the funds for private schools, 16% plan to pursue a home study program, 14% plan to utilize other educational support services like tutors and speech therapists, and 6% have not yet made a selection.
“We’ll continue to watch throughout the year to see, you know, how do families use these funds? We will be excited to report in January on the initial launch of the program,” Green said.
According to Georgia Student Finance Commission, approximately 3 out of 4 preliminarily eligible students come from lower-income households.
During the 2025-2026 school year, approximately 32% of eligible students will be in kindergarten, 45% will be in grades 1-6, 11% will be in grades 7-8, and 12% will be in grades 9-12.
More than 360 private schools and 350 service providers (tutors/therapists/physicians) and vendors have been approved to participate in the Promise Scholarship program.
Applications for the Georgia Promise Scholarship are still open in September and December for participation in spring 2026. Families must provide a state ID, proof of residency, the most recent federal 1040 tax form, and proof of public school enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year.
For more information, click here: https://mygeorgiapromise.org/
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