ATHENS, GA- Beginning with the high school graduating class of 2015, there will be new qualifications to receive the HOPE scholarship. The Georgia Lottery funded scholarship aids Georgia resident students who meet certain academic criteria with college costs.

Starting with the class of 2015, high school students will be required to take at least two rigorous courses. The class of 2016 will be required to take 3 rigorous courses, and classes after that will have to take 4. This includes upper level courses, honors, advanced placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual-enrollment. North Oconee guidance counselor Michael Kulp says he worked with both students and parents in order to ensure his students stayed on track to be HOPE-eligible by graduation.

Aspects of the new requirements can lead to confusion because some courses are labeled differently from school-to-school and some courses are not offered at every school. For a more detailed explanation of the new requirements, including the list of rigorous courses and an outline of how the new policies will be implemented in the next few years, visit the Georgia Student Finance Commission website at www.gsfc.org