HOPE Career Grant

Through the HOPE Career Grant, OFTC offers TUITION-FREE programs in 18 industries.

The HOPE Career Grant, formerly known as the Strategic Industries Workforce Development Grant, is available to HOPE Grant-qualified students who enroll in select majors specifically aligned with industries in which there are more jobs available in Georgia than there are skilled workers to fill them.

The HOPE Career Grant can be the boost a student needs to get started on a rewarding career in a well-paying job, and without accumulating a lot of student debt. It also helps Georgia employers by creating a pipeline of skilled workers they can hire well into the future. To learn more, click on one of the eligible programs at OFTC below.

Diploma Programs

Technical Certificate of Credit Programs

Award Amounts

To qualify, an OFTC student must be fully admitted to the college, enrolled in one of the above programs and receiving the HOPE Grant for the same term. The amount of the HOPE Career Grant award is a fixed amount for each term of enrollment:

• 9 or more credit hours – $500/semester
• 3-8 credit hours – $250/semester
• 1-2 credit hours – $125/semester
• Commercial Truck Driving – $1,100 one time award

Eligibility

To be eligible for the HOPE Career Grant, students must first qualify for and be receiving the HOPE Grant. Please review eligibility requirements below. The two grants together will cover all tuition in these specific programs of study. Students will still be responsible for student fees and any equipment necessary, although in some cases, financial aid is available for those as well.

• Eligibility for the HOPE Career Grant for the Commercial Truck Driving program is for one term only.
• The HOPE GED Grant, HOPE Grant, and HOPE Career Grant can be awarded in the same term, if all other eligibility requirements are met up to cost of attendance.
• High school students in dual or joint enrollment programs are not eligible for the HOPE Career Grant.
• Students who are actively pursuing a GED are eligible for HOPE Career Grant.
• All eligibility requirements for the HOPE Grant apply to HOPE Career Grant.

Eligibility for the HOPE Grant

Basic Eligibility

All HOPE programs require students to meet basic requirements. An eligible student must:

1. Meet HOPE’s U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen requirements;
2. Be a legal resident of Georgia;
3. Meet enrollment requirements;
4. Be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements;
5. Meet academic achievement standards;
6. Be in good standing on all student loans or other financial aid programs;
7. Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990;
8. Not have exceeded the maximum award limits for any HOPE program;

Program Eligibility

Full-time enrollment in a certificate or diploma program is not required and students are not required to graduate from high school with a specific GPA, however, they must have a postsecondary cumulative 2.0 GPA, at certain checkpoints, in order to maintain eligibility.

Note: A student who received a high school diploma (High School Postsecondary Graduation Opportunity Plan) by earning a technical college diploma or two technical college certificates, in one career pathway identified by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), may be eligible for the HOPE Grant, up to 30 degree hours. The student must be enrolled in an associate degree program at a TCSG institution in order to receive the HOPE Grant. After payment for 30 semester hours, the student is no longer eligible for HOPE Grant while enrolled in a degree level program. The student must then meet the HOPE Scholarship eligibility requirements at the 30 semester hour checkpoint.

Source: https://www.gafutures.org/hope-state-aid-programs/hope-zell-miller-grants/hope-grant/eligibility/

If you have questions that are not addressed here, please call the Financial Aid Office or stop by the campus nearest you.

• Sandersville Campus  – Financial Aid Office:  478-553-2090
• Dublin Campus – Financial Aid Office: 478-274-7833 or 478-274-7940

Additional information on financial aid is available in the OFTC Catalog & Handbook.