Federal Aid Sources

Federal Pell Grant
Pell Grant is a federal Title IV program that provides funds to students who meet certain need-based eligibility requirements. The amount of Pell a student can receive is based on the Student Aid Index (SAI) which is calculated from the information provided on the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and income and tax information provided by the IRS on the FAFSA, along with the cost of attendance, federal appropriations, and the student’s actual class load per semester. Pell Grant is available for associate degrees, diplomas, and some certificate programs. Pell Grant awards are pro-rated by the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled each semester. Students with limited Pell eligibility may receive no funds if enrollment is less than full-time (12 credit hours or more). Eligible students can receive Pell Grant funds for up to the equivalent of six years or twelve semesters of full-time enrollment at any institution or until they earn a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Students who complete the awarding/verification process and have financial aid awarded in excess of tuition and fees will have funds made available for use in the SRTC Bookstore for book and supply purchases one week prior to the term start date.

SRTC verifies all students selected for verification by the US Department of Education, if the student is in a Pell-eligible program and can receive federal funds. Additionally, the Financial Aid Office selects students for verification who appear to have reported potentially incomplete or conflicting FAFSA information. The Financial Aid Office may request additional documentation, as necessary, at any time to determine the validity of reported information. Verification must be completed before Title IV funds are awarded and disbursed to the student.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
FSEOG is a federal grant that is designed to assist those students who receive Pell Grant and who demonstrate exceptional financial need, as determined by their FAFSA information. Due to limited funding by the US Department of Education, not all eligible students will receive this award. Funds are awarded throughout the year.

Federal Work Study (FWS)
The Federal Work Study program provides students the opportunity to work part-time to help pay for the costs of their education. Eligible students must have unmet need as determined by student’s FAFSA information and award package and be enrolled in an eligible program. Students must complete all awarding and verification requirements before being determined eligible for FWS. Due to limited funding by the US Department of Education, only a pre-determined number of positions are available each year. Interested students should apply online at the SRTC website, Human Resources.

Loans
SRTC does not participate in federal or state student loan programs.

State Aid Programs

HERO (Helping Educate Reservist and their Offspring) Scholarship

Georgia HERO Scholarship provides financial assistance to students seeking a post-secondary education who are a current member of the Georgia National Guard or US Military Reserves who are/were deployed overseas on active service on or after February 1, 2003 to a location designated as a combat zone; the dependent of a guard/reservist who meets the above criteria; or a spouse of a guard/reservist who was deployed to combat zone and who was killed, died of severe injuries received while in a combat zone, or became 100% disabled as a result of injuries. Students can apply for the HERO Scholarship on the Georgia Student Finance Commission website, www.gafutures.org.

HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Grant
The HOPE Grant provides funding to students enrolled in diploma and certificate programs. The HOPE Grant pays a portion of tuition up to a maximum of 63 paid semester hours or a limit of 127 paid hours of HOPE/ Zell Miller Grant and HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship hours combined. The percentage of tuition paid is established by the Georgia Student Finance Commission annually. A student’s eligibility for the HOPE Grant is not based on high school performance or high school GPA. Students must meet all Georgia residency requirements to be eligible.

To retain eligibility for the HOPE Grant, a student must maintain a 2.00 HOPE GPA at the 30 and 60 paid hours checkpoints. Students who lose HOPE Grant at the 30 hour checkpoint can regain it, if they have elevated their HOPE GPA up to a 2.00, at 60 hours. HOPE Grant eligible students who have earned a HOPE GPA of 3.50 or higher will be evaluated for Zell Miller Grant eligibility. The HOPE Grant GPA includes all coursework taken, even at prior institutions, for which the student received a HOPE Grant or Zell Miller Grant payment. Additionally, hours taken as a dually enrolled high school student are included in the 63 hours HOPE paid hours limit.

HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Scholarship
The HOPE Scholarship provides funding to students enrolled in degree programs. The HOPE Scholarship pays a portion of tuition up to a maximum of 127 attempted hours. Only students who graduated from high school and were identified as a HOPE Scholar by the Georgia Student Finance Commission for meeting minimum GPA and academic rigor requirements in high school are eligible for the HOPE Scholarship as entering freshmen. Other students may qualify if they achieve a 3.00 HOPE Scholar GPA at the end of 30, 60, or 90 attempted degree-level hours. Students must meet all Georgia residency requirements. The percentage of tuition paid is established by the Georgia Student Finance Commission annually.

To retain eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship, a student must maintain a 3.00 HOPE Scholar GPA at the 30, 60, and 90 attempted hours checkpoints and at the end of each Spring term, even if not enrolled for Spring term. A HOPE Scholarship recipient who has lost HOPE Scholarship eligibility at two checkpoints cannot regain eligibility. A student must have been receiving the HOPE Scholarship to be considered as having lost the HOPE Scholarship. HOPE Scholarship eligible students enrolled part-time for their first three terms of enrollment will have their HOPE Scholar GPA evaluated after the third term, regardless of the number of attempted hours. All attempted degree-level coursework is included in the HOPE Scholar GPA, even hours from previous institutions. Degree level courses taken as a high school student after Summer term 2011 are excluded from HOPE Scholar GPA calculations, as well.

A student who received his or her first HOPE Scholarship payment for Summer term 2019 or later may receive the HOPE Scholarship until June 30 following the completion of the tenth full year after his or her high school graduation date, Home Study completion date, or High School Equivalency diploma date. A student who received his or her first HOPE Scholarship payment between Summer term 2011 and Spring term 2019 may receive the HOPE Scholarship until June 30 following the completion of the seventh full year after his or her high school graduation date, Home Study completion date, or High School Equivalency diploma date. Once a student has reached the 127 attempted hours limit, the 127 combined paid hours limit of HOPE/Zell Miller Grant and HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship hours combined, or earned a Bachelor’s degree, the student is no longer eligible for HOPE Scholarship. Students who feel they meet HOPE Scholarship eligibility requirements should submit a request for HOPE Scholar evaluation to the Financial Aid Office.

HOPE Career Grant
The HOPE Career Grant program is available to HOPE Grant or Zell Miller Grant eligible students who are enrolled in designated diploma and certificate programs identified as high-demand fields in Georgia. Georgia Student Finance Commission establishes the list of designated programs annually. HOPE Career Grant is awarded to eligible students in designated programs only. A student must receive a HOPE Grant or Zell Miller Grant payment for the term of enrollment in which the HOPE Career Grant is awarded. Students who lose HOPE Grant eligibility will also lose HOPE Career Grant eligibility and are subject to the 63 paid semester hours limit.

Zell Miller Grant
The Zell Miller Grant provides funding to students enrolled in diploma and certificate programs who maintain a 3.50 HOPE GPA. The Zell Miller Grant pays a portion of tuition up to a maximum of 63 paid semester hours or a limit of 127 paid hours of HOPE/ Zell Miller Grant and HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship hours combined. The Zell Miller Grant pays a higher portion of tuition than the HOPE Grant. The percentage of tuition paid is established by the Georgia Student Finance Commission annually. A student’s eligibility for the Zell Miller Grant is not based on high school performance or high school GPA. Students must meet all Georgia residency requirements to be eligible.

To retain eligibility for the Zell Miller Grant, a student must maintain a 3.50 HOPE GPA at the end of each term of enrollment. Students who do not earn a 3.50 HOPE GPA will be evaluated for HOPE Grant eligibility. Students are subject to HOPE GPA evaluation at the 30 and 60 paid hour checkpoints. The HOPE GPA includes all coursework taken, even at prior institutions, for which the student received a HOPE Grant or Zell Miller Grant payment. Additionally, hours taken as a dually enrolled high school student are included in the 63 hours HOPE Grant paid hours limit.

First-time post-secondary students enrolled in a diploma or certificate program, who received a HOPE Grant payment, may be eligible for a retroactive Zell Miller Grant payment following their first term of enrollment, if the student earns a 3.50 HOPE GPA after that one term.

Zell Miller Scholarship
The Zell Miller Scholarship provides funding to students enrolled in degree programs. The Zell Miller Scholarship pays a portion of tuition up to a maximum of 127 attempted hours. The Zell Miller Scholarship pays a higher portion of tuition than the HOPE Scholarship. The percentage of tuition paid is established by the Georgia Student Finance Commission annually. Only students who graduated from high school and were identified as a Zell Miller Scholar by the Georgia Student Finance Commission for meeting GPA requirements, academic rigor requirements, and SAT or ACT test score requirements or being named the valedictorian or salutatorian in high school are eligible for the Zell Miller Scholarship. Students must meet all Georgia residency requirements.To retain eligibility for the Zell Miller Scholarship, a student must maintain a 3.30 HOPE Scholar GPA at the 30, 60, and 90 attempted hours checkpoints. A Zell Miller Scholarship recipient who has lost Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility at two checkpoints cannot regain eligibility. A student must have been receiving the Zell Miller Scholarship to be considered as having lost the Zell Miller Scholarship. Students are subject to the end of Spring checkpoints, even if not enrolled for Spring term. Students who do not have a 3.30 HOPE Scholar GPA at designated checkpoints will be evaluated for HOPE Scholarship eligibility. Zell Miller Scholarship eligible students enrolled part-time for their first three terms of enrollment will have their HOPE Scholar GPA evaluated after the third term, regardless of the number of attempted hours. All attempted degree-level coursework is included in the HOPE Scholar GPA, even hours from previous institutions. Degree level courses taken as a high school student after Summer term 2011 are excluded from HOPE Scholar GPA calculations, as well.

A student who received his or her first HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship payment for Summer term 2019 or later may receive the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship until June 30 following the completion of the tenth full year after his or her high school graduation date, Home Study completion date, or High School Equivalency diploma date. A student who received his or her first HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship payment between Summer term 2011 and Spring term 2019 may receive the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship until June 30 following the completion of the seventh full year after his or her high school graduation date, Home Study completion date, or High School Equivalency diploma date. Once a student has reached the 127 attempted hours limit, the 127 combined paid hours limit of HOPE/Zell Miller Grant and HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship hours combined, or earned a Bachelor’s degree, the student is no longer eligible for Zell Miller Scholarship. Students who feel they meet Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility requirements should submit a request for Zell Miller evaluation to the Financial Aid Office.

State of Georgia Post-Secondary Tuition Waiver

The State of Georgia Post-Secondary Tuition Waiver Program exempts or waives payment of tuition and fees (and where applicable, on-campus housing) for students attending a technical college within the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Eligible students must be a youth or young adult under the age of 28 who is currently in foster care, has experienced foster care, or who was placed for adoption by the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.

Find more information here – https://dfcs.georgia.gov/services/state-georgia-post-secondary-tuition-waiver

Other Sources of Aid

SRTC Foundation Scholarships
The Southern Regional Technical College Foundation awards scholarships based on academic excellence and financial need to eligible students. Information on available Foundation scholarships, as well as access to the online application portal, can be found here.

Veterans Benefits
Former service personnel, current military service members, and their dependents may be eligible for education benefits provided by Veterans Affairs. Southern Regional Technical College has staff available in the Financial Aid Offices on our Thomasville Campus and Moultrie Veterans Parkway Campus to help you understand and maximize the benefits you’ve earned. Learn more >>

External Scholarships
Various civic, social, and professional organizations provide scholarships to deserving students. In most cases, these scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence and financial need. Other selection criteria may be used based on donor preferences. Information on available scholarships can be located on the SRTC website and in the Financial Aid Office.

Vocational Rehabilitation
Vocational Rehabilitation is a state funded, federally supplemented program that is designed to provide financial assistance for educational expenses for students with documented disabilities who wish to enter the workforce. The SRTC Special Population Coordinators can assist students in obtaining a referral for services under Vocational Rehabilitation. Students who feel they may meet Vocational Rehabilitation eligibility should contact an SRTC Special Populations Coordinator at 229-227-2676 (Thomasville) or 229-217-4132 (Moultrie and Tifton).

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
The purpose of this act is to prepare economically disadvantaged youth, unskilled adults, or people facing serious barriers to employment with the training necessary for entry into the labor force. For those who qualify, WIOA can assist with tuition, fees, books and supplies, and provide additional monies in certain cases. Not all programs are covered by WIOA. Interested students should visit the SRTC website, Financial Aid page to obtain contact information for the WIOA Office.

Student Rights and Responsibility

As a student receiving federal aid funds, you should:

Renew your financial aid annually before the beginning of each fall term. https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
Supply all required documents to the Financial Aid Office immediately upon request to expedite the financial aid awarding process. How to Apply
Know the initial eligibility requirements for each financial aid program that you are awarded and understand how to maintain continued eligibility. FA Sources
Understand the requirements of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy and maintain the minimum qualifications necessary to stay eligible for financial aid. SRTC Procedure: Satisfactory Academic Progress
Know the method and frequency by which financial aid funds are disbursed and understand how funds are made available to you. SRTC Procedure: Refunds
Review your student account and award information via the secure login area of BannerWeb and contact the Financial Aid Office with questions or concerns, finaid@southernregional.edu & BannerWeb link
Access your SRTC email account regularly to obtain notifications from the College.

Other Resources

Financial Aid Forms

Contact Us

You may email us at finaid@southernregional.edu.

You may also contact our office at:

Bainbridge
229.243.3193 phone
229.248.2623 fax

Moultrie (Veterans Parkway)
229.217.4162 phone
229.891.7010 fax

Thomasville
229.225.5036 phone
229.227.2727 fax

Tifton
229.386.3164 phone
229.386.3164 fax

Additional Links