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Georgia counselor guide

Three things Georgia counselors ask about that national scholarship lists rarely cover: students who are undocumented or have DACA, students who have been in foster care, and the community foundations that run local scholarship portals. Everything here comes from the sources linked at the bottom, which we last read on October 28, 2026. State rules change, so confirm with the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) or the college before you tell a family something is final. This page is information for counselors, not legal advice.

Students who are undocumented or have DACA

What Georgia law and policy say

  • Tuition and state aid. Since S.B. 492 (2008), undocumented students in Georgia, including DACA recipients, pay out-of-state tuition and can't get state financial aid.
  • HOPE. The first HOPE Scholarship requirement GAfutures lists is meeting U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen requirements. Ask GSFC about any particular student's status.
  • Which public colleges. Board of Regents Policy 4.1.6 bars undocumented students from enrolling at any University System of Georgia college that turned away academically qualified applicants in either of the two most recent years. One summary names Georgia Tech, Georgia College & State University and the University of Georgia as examples. That list can change from year to year, so check the current policy.
  • Dual enrollment. In a letter dated February 6, 2026 (DCL 2026-02), GSFC said that starting with the summer 2026 term, students applying for Dual Enrollment funding must meet the citizenship requirements of federal Title IV aid, and Georgia residency, before the first day of classes. The college decides whether the student qualifies. Title IV's test is the one the FAFSA uses, and undocumented students and DACA recipients do not meet it. The letter doesn't discuss self-pay, so ask the college whether a student who isn't eligible for funding can still enroll and pay.

What is still open

  • Private scholarships with no citizenship rule. Many private awards never ask about status. Many others require citizenship or permanent residency. Choosing “DACA or undocumented” in our finder leaves out the ones that do. Right now a Georgia student who is undocumented or has DACA fits 336 of the 429 open scholarships a Georgia student can look at. Open that search.
  • Colleges that give their own aid. Some private colleges and a few out-of-state public colleges offer institutional aid to undocumented students. That is a college-by-college question for each financial aid office.
  • The FAFSA still matters to the family. A student without eligible status can't receive federal aid, but a parent without a Social Security number can still take part as a contributor. See our FAFSA page for that path.

A good practice is to talk with these students privately and early, before senior fall, so they can plan for cost and apply to the colleges that can help. If a family needs legal advice, point them to an immigration attorney or a legal aid group, not to us.

Students who have been in foster care

  • Post-Secondary Tuition Waiver. Georgia's foster care and adoption tuition waiver is applied for online with the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). The student must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, and be enrolled, or accepted to a Technical College System of Georgia school or program, within three years of earning a diploma or GED.
  • FAFSA first. The application asks the student to confirm the FAFSA is done before they submit.
  • Where it works. When we read the page, only Technical College System of Georgia schools took part.
  • Not at the same time as the ETV. A student approved for the waiver can't take part in the federal Chafee Education and Training Voucher program at the same time, so a student choosing between them should ask about both before applying.
  • The FAFSA treats many of these students as independent. The FAFSA asks whether the student was in foster care, or a ward of the court, at any time since turning 13. A yes can mean the student doesn't need a parent's information, and the college will usually ask for proof such as a court order or a caseworker letter. NASFAA notes that the court has to be in the student's state of legal residence.
  • Federal voucher. Embark Georgia runs the ETV, which helps current and former foster youth pay for college or training.
  • Questions. DFCS lists a phone line at (877) 423-4746. The page lists no deadline, so students shouldn't wait to apply.

We don't yet list a scholarship aimed at Georgia foster youth, and the finder has no foster care filter because too few listings mention it to make one useful. If you know of one, send it to us. Students can still use the Georgia search in the finder.

Community foundations with their own portals

Georgia has no single portal for local scholarships. Each regional community foundation runs its own, with its own dates and rules, and many small local awards sit inside them. We link to each portal and don't copy deadlines, because they change every year.

Don't see your area? Savannah, Columbus, Rome and many smaller counties have foundations too. Tell us the link and we'll add it. Georgia awards we already list are on the state and local awards page.

Sources, read October 28, 2026

Something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.