Types of Aid

Federal Grants, Loans, and Employment

The federal government is the largest contributor to financial aid programs. Students enrolled at West Georgia Technical College receive more than $16 million in federal grants, loans and work study annually.

These need-based programs offer access to advanced education to eligible students based on demonstrated financial need and program of study. Grants are free forms of financial aid that does not have to be repaid. Loans are the only form of financial aid that must be repaid with interest. Federal Work Study allows students to earn money to defray the cost of attending school. Students interested in these programs must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually.

Federal Pell Grant is a federally funded grant available to students who meet certain income guidelines. It is not available to anyone who has received a bachelor’s degree or owes a refund to any Title IV Aid Program or is in default on a student loan. Students must be in a Pell-eligible program.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a federally funded, campus-based grant that is administered through the Office of Financial Aid to eligible Pell Grant applicants based on exceptional financial need. The award amount is contingent upon the availability of FSEOG funds and the amount of other aid received by the student. Eligible students are processed first by selection of those with the lowest Pell Expected Family Contribution (EFC), attending at least half-time and making satisfactory academic progress.

Federal Direct Loans are low-interest federal loan programs available from the U.S. Department of Education that is available to students pursuing higher education regardless of income.  Federal Direct Loans are composed of subsidized and unsubsidized loans.

Federal Work Study is a need-based federal work program to help students fund educational expenses by providing employment opportunities on campus and off-campus with community service organizations. The student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have a valid EFC (expected family contribution) before being considered for this program.

 

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State Grants, Scholarships, and Loan Financial Aid Programs

The state of Georgia provides state and lottery-funded grants and scholarships to support educational goals of its residents. To qualify for state financial aid programs, the student must be an U.S. citizen or eligible non- citizen and a legal resident of Georgia. In general, a Georgia resident must have maintained a domicile in the state for at least 12 consecutive months immediately prior to the first day of classes of the school term for which the student is seeking assistance from one or more state programs and graduated from a Georgia high school. Other eligibility requirements may apply for each state program.

Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) is a program for Georgia residents that provides students with financial assistance in degree, diploma and certificate programs. HOPE is administered in accordance with Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) regulations.

HOPE Grant is a state grant funded by the Georgia lottery. The HOPE Grant is available to Georgia residents pursuing a certificate or diploma at an eligible Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).  The HOPE Grant covers a portion of assessed tuition on a per credit hour basis.  Students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average at the 30 and 60 paid-hour checkpoints in order to maintain eligibility.

Zell Miller HOPE Grant is a state grant funded by the Georgia lottery. It is available to Georgia residents pursuing a certificate or diploma at a Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) or University System of Georgia institution. An expansion of the HOPE Grant program, recipients of the Zell Miller Grant who maintain a 3.5 grade point average or higher will receive a grant for 100 percent of assessed tuition each semester.

Georgia’s HOPE Career Grant is available to HOPE Grant eligible students pursuing certificates or diplomas in programs in high demand for qualified workers. In order to qualify, the student must be fully admitted into the college, enrolled in one of the high demand programs and eligible for HOPE Grant for the same term. The HOPE Career Grant eligible programs at West Georgia Technical College can be found at this link.

 HOPE Scholarship is funded by the Georgia lottery. The HOPE Scholarship covers a portion of assessed tuition on a per credit hour basis for students seeking a degree at a technical college or university. The student must be a 1993 or later high school graduate with a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in a college preparatory track or a 3.2 GPA in a technical curriculum track to be eligible for the HOPE Scholarship. A nontraditional student may qualify for the HOPE Scholarship after completing 30 semester hours in a degree program with a 3.0 GPA. GPAs are reviewed at the 30, 60 and 90 semester hours checkpoint, at which time the student must maintain a 3.0 GPA to retain the HOPE Scholarship. The student must be Georgia resident and not be in default of a student loan. Apply online at GAFutures.

Zell Miller Scholarship is funded by the Georgia Lottery and is available to Georgia residents who graduated from high school with a 3.7 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale and earned an SAT score of 1200 or an ACT score of 26, on a single administered test. The valedictorian or salutatorian from a high school graduating class are considered automatically eligible, regardless of GPA/SAT/ACT. Current students also have to meet the GPA/SAT/ACT requirement from high school and maintain at least a 3.3 GPA at the 30, 60 or 90 attempted-hours checkpoint and at the end of spring checkpoint in their college coursework.

Georgia HERO (Helping Educate Reservists and their Offspring) Scholarship is a scholarship that provides educational grant assistance to Georgia residents who are members of the Georgia National Guard and U.S. Military Reservists and served in combat zones or the children or spouses of such members of the Georgia National Guard and U.S. Military Reserves. The award is $2,000 per year for full-time students.

Public Safety Memorial Grant is a grant awarded to the dependent children of Georgia Public Safety Officers who were permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty.  Funds may be used towards the cost of attendance at eligible colleges, universities or technical colleges in Georgia.

Dual Enrollment is a grant for students at eligible high schools that wish to take college level coursework for credit towards both high school and college graduation requirements.

Student Access Loan is a state-funded loan program administered by the Georgia Student Finance Authority (GSFA) for eligible students attending an eligible University System of Georgia (USG), Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) or private postsecondary institution in Georgia. The SAL is a 1 percent fixed rate loan, designed to assist undergraduate and technical college students who have a gap in meeting their educational costs. Eligible students attending a TCSG institution may borrow up to $3,000 annually up to a maximum of $12,000 from the Student Access Loan Program.  Eligible recipients are required to make Keep in Touch (KIT) payments on the loan while in school.  Failure to do so will result in ineligibility for future loans from the program.

 

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West Georgia Technical College Foundation Scholarships

Local scholarships are awarded to students each semester. Students wishing to apply for local scholarships will need to complete a local scholarship application each semester.

Local scholarships consist of funds donated by the West Georgia Technical College Foundation and other community and civic groups. Awards will be determined each semester based on the amount of available funds. Students must be enrolled in a program of study and making Satisfactory Academic Progress in order to be eligible. Some scholarships may have additional requirements for eligibility. Students must be enrolled during the term when the scholarship is granted or the scholarship will be forfeited.  The link to the WGTC Foundation Scholarships and application deadlines can be found at the link below.

https://www.westgatech.edu/discover-wgtc/foundation/foundation-scholarship/

 

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