Second deadline approaches for Georgia Promise Scholarship applications | Everything you need to know – 13WMAZ
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MACON, Ga. — Monday marks the final day for Georgia families to apply for the Georgia Promise Scholarship ahead of the 2025–2026 school year.
The scholarship, widely referred to as a private school voucher, offers eligible families up to $6,500 annually to cover education-related expenses, including private school tuition, homeschooling costs, and supplemental services like tutoring or speech therapy.
Between March 1 and June 27, Georgia Promise reports receiving more than 14,000 applications. Of those, over 8,400 students have been deemed preliminarily eligible, with approximately 75% coming from lower-income households — defined as those not exceeding 400% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Georgia Promise said about 61% of eligible students plan to use the funds at a private school, while 15% intend to pursue a home study program. 13% have opted for other educational support services, and 11% have not yet selected a path.
In Macon, St. Peter Claver Catholic School is preparing to welcome several new students whose families are using Georgia Promise funds. Regina Sweeney, the school’s director of development, said the program fits seamlessly into their financial aid framework.
“Our preparation for Georgia Promise scholars versus any other scholar is no different than any other year because all it is is just a scholar coming with a different source of funding,” Sweeney said.
She added the school has been informing new families about the opportunity.
“Any prospective parents that have been coming in this year for the next year of school, we’ve been telling them about the program as an opportunity for helping them to pay for the education here,” Sweeney said.
For some parents, the scholarship offers relief and the ability to choose alternative learning environments. Cee Michelle, a Macon mother of two, said she plans to use the money for curriculum materials and individualized learning tools. She said in public school, her sons did not excel as much as she liked.
“There’s 30 kids, 40 kids in the class,” Michelle said. “They don’t have the time to spend the entire class period on my student, but my student needs some individualized attention.”
Georgia Promise reports eligible families can expect their first quarterly payments between July 7 and July 14.
Those who miss the June 30 deadline still have two more chances to apply: the next application window opens September 1 through 30, followed by another round December 1 through January 31. Both future cycles apply to the Spring 2026 semester.
To apply, visit mygeorgiapromise.org. Required documents include a state-issued ID, proof of residency, the most recent federal 1040 tax form, and documentation of public school enrollment for the 2024–2025 year.
RELATED: LIST: Georgia updates list of schools where students could be eligible for private school vouchers
