After Kari Zimmer applied to Georgia Tech last year, she worried how she would pay for it.
Zimmer has worked part-time jobs since she was 15 and knew her mother wouldn't be able to help with college. She assumed she'd take out loans and graduate tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Instead, she will graduate debt free.
Zimmer, a freshman from Buford, is among 539 students who have received the Tech Promise, a program that picks up where the HOPE scholarship and other financial aid leave off so qualified Georgians can attend Tech without worrying about the bill. The program is just one example of how public colleges are attempting to close the gaps caused by higher tuition, changes to federal financial aid programs, cuts to Georgia's popular HOPE scholarship and the economic uncertainty facing the nation.
Requests for financial aid have increased since the recession and college leaders predict demand will grow again after the State Board of Regents increases tuition during today's meeting in Americus. If there is a tuition increase, then it's likely most the system's more than 300,000 students will face paying more to cover the cost of attendance.
With affordability one of the main reasons why students drop out, some college leaders said they are constantly asking for more donations to expand scholarships. Smaller and newer colleges say they're directing students to federal programs because they don't have the fund-raising capacity to help students.
"I think every college in the country has become less accessible and I regret that," University of Georgia President Michael Adams said.
Georgia students graduate with $18,888 in debt on average, according to Project on Student Debt. Nationally, graduates assume $25,250 in debt, as U.S. student loan debt has reached $1 trillion.
The number of UGA students receiving needs-based scholarships has more than tripled over the past decade, while overall enrollment increased by just 11 percent. During that same time, the amount of needs-based scholarships awarded has more than quadrupled to $1.1 million during 2011 fiscal year. The figures don't include any merit-based aid or other awards students may have received.
More students are applying and qualifying for needs-based financial aid and they are appealing their awards to get more help, according to reports from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. About 60 percent of financial-aid offices saw a 10-percent-or-greater increase in the number of financial-aid applications received for the 2009-10 award year, compared with the 2008-9 award year, the group's surveys found.
"We can't raise enough in this economic environment," Adams said. "We are simply going to have to raise more money to help students and families go through school."
Younger colleges, such as Kennesaw State, are in a more precarious position. The only need-based funds awarded are funded by the federal government, spokesman David Arnold said. With the college growing so fast, fund-raising has focused on infrastructure. "It is highly likely" that raising money for needs-based scholarships will become more important as the college finalizes a strategic plan and hires a new vice president for advancement, Arnold said.
Gov. Nathan Deal announced a privately-funded needs-based scholarship program that will hand out the first awards in 2017 and more than a dozen colleges, including UGA and Georgia Tech, pledged to match the scholarships students receive.
Deal announced the new scholarship at Georgia Tech and acknowledged the school's track record in needs-based aid. The school announced Tech Promise in 2007, focusing on students whose families earn less than $33,300 a year. The average parental income of the 232 students currently on the program is $20,480.
Crystal Johnston, a Tech sophomore from Blue Ridge, is the first person in her family to go to college. She's on Tech Promise but didn't know of the program when she applied.
"My family doesn't have money so I was just going to go to whoever gave me the best scholarship," said Johnston, who is majoring in computer science. "I never thought I would get free college. It's just awesome … I feel like I'm setting a standard for my brother and sister."
The award is tailored to meet each students' financial gaps and Tech estimated it is spending about $2 million annually on the program. The college plans to have a $50 million endowment to support the program and has raised about $28.4 million so far, said Barrett Carson,vice president for development. Institutional funds and some foundation covers the difference. Raising money for the program is part of Georgia Tech's ongoing $1.5 billion fund-raising campaign.
Zimmer has talked at foundation events to explain the importance the program. She's unsure whether she'd be at Tech without it.
"If you're smart enough to go here, you should be able to afford it," Zimmer said. "This has completely changed my life. I will be successful and be able to afford to send my kids to college because of the help I'm getting now."
Growth in needs-based aid
As the largest public college in the state, the University of Georgia teaches a diverse cross-section of students and has seen a drastic increase in the number of students receiving needs-based scholarship support. The number of students receiving needs-based scholarships has tripled over the past decade, while overall enrollment increased by just 11 percent.
Fiscal Year ... No. students w/needs-based scholarships
2011 1,699
2010 1,347
2009 841
2008 788
2007 774
2006 616
2005 550
2004 505
2003 734
2002 556
2001 498
Source: University of Georgia.
