Georgia Zell Miller Scholarship

Zell Miller is the higher merit tier above the HOPE Scholarship for Georgia's top-performing graduates, also funded by the Georgia Lottery and administered by GSFC. Graduates of an eligible high school qualify with a minimum 3.7 calculated HOPE GPA, 4 rigor-course credits, and a 1200 SAT (math+reading) or 25 composite ACT on a single test date — or, alternatively, valedictorian/salutatorian status with a 3.0 GPA and 4 rigor credits. Graduates of ineligible/unaccredited high schools instead need a 29 ACT / 1340 SAT. It pays a per-credit-hour tuition rate (up to 15 hours/term at public colleges, 12 hours/term at private colleges) — higher than the standard HOPE rate. Renewal requires a 3.3 calculated HOPE GPA at each attempted-hours checkpoint, with a 10-year eligibility window from first receipt (for students first receiving it Summer 2019 or later).

Eligibility

DemographicsAlternate path: valedictorian/salutatorian with a 3.0 GPA (plus the same 4 rigor credits) qualifies without a test score. Graduates of ineligible high schools or unaccredited home study need 1340 SAT / 29 ACT instead. College renewal requires a 3.3 calculated HOPE GPA at each attempted-hours checkpoint (30/60/90 semester hours).

Applying

Pays a per-credit-hour tuition rate set annually by GSFC, applied up to 15 hours/term at public colleges or 12 hours/term at private colleges; higher than the standard HOPE rate. No single dollar figure is published on GSFC's Award Amounts page — it is institution- and enrollment-dependent.