House higher education panel advances extension and eligibility changes to Georgia College Completion Grant

At a meeting of the Georgia House Committee on Higher Education, lawmakers heard a presentation on the Georgia College Completion Grant program and voted to advance House Bill 38 (LC 610053), a measure that would lower eligibility thresholds for the grant and extend the program’s sunset.

The committee heard from Lynn Riley, president of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, who reviewed three years of program data and described barriers that have limited full utilization of the grant. “This is strictly based on a unmet financial need to get the student across that finish line to complete their credential,” Riley said. She told the committee the program has a lifetime maximum award per recipient of $25,100 and that award funds are paid directly to institutions rather than to students.

The committee’s action followed Riley’s summary of fiscal-year results and institutional feedback. Riley said the program awarded $7.3 million in FY2023 (the program’s first year) and that in FY2024—after a $2.7 million carryover—institutions awarded $10.9 million to 8,860 students. She reported that recipients earned credit at high rates (about 94.6% of attempted…