Committee recommends expansion of Georgia College Completion Grant; bill sent forward by voice vote

The House Higher Education Committee on Wednesday recommended House Bill 38 (LC 610053) to expand eligibility for the Georgia College Completion Grant and extend the program’s sunset. The committee, chaired by Rep. Chuck Martin, approved the recommendation by voice vote after a presentation from Lynn Riley, president of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, and public testimony from nonprofit education advocates.

The bill would lower the completion threshold for a 4‑year program from 80% to 70% and set a 45% threshold for 2‑year programs. It would also extend the program’s statutory sunset beyond the current June 30, 2025 date. The grant carries a lifetime maximum award per recipient of $25,100 and is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission to participating institutions, which select eligible students.

Committee members said the change aims to let more students — particularly those in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and community colleges — access “last‑mile” aid in time to finish their credential. Lynn Riley told the committee the 80% threshold has limited participation, especially at TCSG institutions where short program lengths make meeting an 80% threshold unlikely: “TCSG institutions forfeited or lapsed most of their allocation in the first two years because they did not have sufficient number of students that would meet all of this eligibility criteria.”

Riley presented utilization data from the program’s first two fiscal years. In the first year (FY23) $7.3 million of a $10 million appropriation was awarded; roughly half of recipients were Pell eligible and 58% of award recipients completed their credential during the award period. In FY24 a $2.7 million carryover produced $12.7 million available; $10.9 million was awarded, benefitting about 8,860 students with 10,000 awards issued. Riley said roughly 94.6% of credit hours attempted by award recipients were successfully earned in the first year and about 93% in the second year.

Committee members asked whether the grant pays only direct costs; Riley confirmed current program rules limit awards to direct cost of attendance but said statute or administrative direction could change that. Chair Martin and members urged caution about changing statutory language while the program seeks to meet a fast legislative deadline and noted the governor’s proposed FY2026 budget includes a $10 million recommendation for the program.

Nonprofit witnesses endorsed the change. Corinne Schooley of Achieve Atlanta said her group’s internal completion grant produced an 87% completion rate for students who needed a small additional award to finish and noted that 15–20% of her program’s scholars exhaust their private scholarship funds before finishing. Ashley Young, senior education policy analyst at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said Georgia ranks third nationally for student loan debt per borrower and that roughly 40% of Georgia students are Pell eligible; GBPI supports the bill but urged consideration of broader, renewable need‑based funding.

Discussion in committee emphasized that the program was designed as targeted “last‑mile” aid for students who have largely completed their coursework but face a financial barrier to finishing. Several members and witnesses suggested data collection improvements, outreach to institutions to reallocate unused allocations, and collecting student success stories to demonstrate impact.

The committee adopted the bill recommendation by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was taken. With the committee’s recommendation, HB38 will proceed to the next steps in the legislative process where final funding and statutory language will be decided.

Ending: Committee members noted the program’s sunset makes timely legislative action important so institutions can plan awards for upcoming semesters. The governor’s FY2026 budget proposal and future appropriations decisions will determine the program’s overall funding level and whether the sunset is removed or extended.