All Georgia HS Seniors being recruited into state postsecondary schools

Under a new state program, Georgia is turning the table on college admissions by proactively recruiting high school seniors into state postsecondary schools.

Next Tuesday, October 10, as a part of the newly-created Georgia Match program, the Georgia Student Finance Commission, or GSFC, will begin mailing out personalized letters to Georgia’s approximate 120,000 graduating seniors, telling them which technical schools, colleges, and universities are holding a reserved spot for them based on academic eligibility.

Students will be matched based on their 11th-grade GPA and test scores. The letters will give specific instructions on how to apply for guaranteed admission and include QR codes that the student can scan to connect with the listed schools, get information on enrollment and financial aid, or claim a provisional spot, subject to completion of required high school classes. 

Application fees will be waived for students who apply in November to one of their listed schools through the Georgia Match program.

Students will also be able to view their personalized MATCH list, request more information, and claim a spot for fall 2024 by visiting gafutures.org/GEORGIAMATCH beginning next week.

Governor Brian Kemp, who announced the program yesterday, Oct. 5, at the inaugural Governor’s Workforce Summit in Atlanta, urges students and parents not to throw out the letters, which will be mailed in envelopes with a big blue and green Georgia Match logo on the front and a return address from the Georgia Student Finance Commision. 

He said, “This is not junk mail. This is your ticket to economic prosperity in the state of Georgia and we’re just extremely excited about it.”

All students will receive a letter of academic eligibility for admission to the 22 Technical College System of Georgia institutions. Students with higher GPAs will also see up to 23 University System of Georgia institutions. Georgia Match program information notes that three schools, The University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia College and State University, will not appear on any of the letters. Those schools use an application process that considers multiple different factors, not just GPA, and thus are not included in the Georgia Match program. Students are still able to apply directly to those schools, and Georgia Tech is waiving application fees for Georgia students in November.

Georgia Student Finance Commission President Lynne Riley said the goal is to show students who do not think college was an option for them, that a degree is reachable.

She stated, “We want every Georgia high school student to know that there is a place for them to be able to enroll in higher education.”

She added that the Student Finance Commission has numerous types of scholarships, grants and other awards available to students. The HOPE Grant program pays for two years of technical college tuition for any high school graduate, as long as the student maintains a C average. There is also enhanced aid for students studying in career fields the state classifies as being in high demand.

The HOPE Scholarship program pays for four years of college or university tuition for any student who graduates high school with a B average and maintains a B average in college.

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue stressed that the program’s primary goal is to reach kids who otherwise would not consider college, saying “The great news about this program is that students who may have never been encouraged by their parents or their teachers to pursue college can understand that they’ve got the opportunity to qualify to go to college.”

High school counselors will have access to the information in the students’ letters and are expected to begin to communicate with families of seniors starting on Friday.

According to the commission, the program’s first year will come with a price tag of $1.3 million for infrastructure, marketing, printing and mailing.