The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked educators, policymakers and advocates to share what they deem the most important priorities for the upcoming 2025 General Assembly. Their answers are included in a collection of guest columns. This is the latest of these columns.
In Georgia, the pursuit of a college degree should be a pathway to opportunity and upward mobility. Yet, for many students in the state, that journey ends prematurely — not because they lack ability or ambition, but because they run out of money.
Increased need-based completion grants could make all the difference in helping more Georgians graduate from college.
Need-based completion grants are specifically designed to help students who are in the final semesters of their degree programs but face financial hardship that would prevent them from crossing the graduation stage. These grants are distinct from traditional scholarships or loans because they address the “last-mile” cost of education — the often-overlooked financial burden that several students face in their final semesters or years of college. For many, this last hurdle is the difference between earning a degree and leaving college with nothing but debt.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
By providing this targeted support, completion grants not only help students finish their degrees, but also reduce the number of students who fall into the “some college, no degree” category — a group that is far too large in Georgia.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse, more than 750,000 Georgians under the age of 65 have some college credit but do not have a degree. Many of these students are unable to finish because they lack the financial resources to persist to the finish line.
The benefits of need-based aid are more than financial
Achieve Atlanta helps Atlanta Public Schools students access, afford and earn postsecondary credentials. We do that through services including college advising in high schools, a need-based scholarship and coaching support while students are in college.
More than 6,500 APS students have utilized Achieve Atlanta Scholarship funds to pursue higher education since our founding in 2015. More than 1,840 Achieve Atlanta Scholars (college students receiving our scholarship funds and support services) have already earned degrees, and this number will continue to increase as students progress through college.
However, even with our support, some Achieve Atlanta Scholars struggle to afford college as they near graduation. In each Achieve Atlanta cohort between 15% and 20% of scholars are only one to two terms away from graduating when they use up their Achieve Atlanta Scholarship funding eligibility (which lasts four years). In spring 2020, we launched a completion grant program to provide up to $2,500 per term to Achieve Atlanta Scholars who were on track to graduate within two terms but had exhausted their scholarship eligibility.
Since launching the program, we have awarded more than 450 students with grants of up to $2,500 per term. More than 80% of completion grant recipients go on to earn their degrees.
For many students, the emotional and psychological toll of being so close to finishing but being unable to afford that final push is immense. Need-based financial aid offers not just financial relief, but also a renewed sense of hope, encouragement and improved mental well-being.
In surveys and focus groups for a 2024 study conducted by Georgia State University’s Georgia Policy Labs, Achieve Atlanta Scholars spoke directly about the benefits of the need-based Achieve Atlanta Scholarship. They pointed out the scholarship improved their college experience because they were less stressed about affording basic needs. With the scholarship, they can work fewer hours or afford a place to live that is more conducive to learning.
Scholars also mentioned that feeling less stress helped them perform better academically, and data confirms this: The study shows they earn 0.75 more credit hours than similar students during their first term, representing an 8% increase. Moreover, they earn those credits with a higher grade-point average than similar peers.
“(The Scholarship) allowed me to have more financial security and stability that I may not have had otherwise. … It helped me to get through school without having to worry and stress about funding and where I was going to get money.” — Achieve Atlanta Scholar
Scholars felt reduced financial stress, which allows them to focus on academic pursuits. We believe that awarding more of Georgia’s students with need-based completion grants would result in similar patterns of reduced stress and more mental capacity to focus on completing their degrees.
Georgia’s College Completion Grant Program is a great start, but needs improvements
Thanks to persistent advocacy, Georgia’s College Completion Grant Program was created in 2022 and is currently funded at $10 million, providing need-based completion grants to a limited number of Georgia college students.
Another piece of legislation would have helped more students. House Bill 1124 would have lowered the portion of credits students must have completed in order to qualify for the grant. It would have changed to 70% of credits completed, from 80%, for students enrolled in four-year programs, and to 45% from 80% for students enrolled in two-year programs. The bill would have also extended the sunset date for the completion grant program to 2027, allowing more time to understand the program’s impact. While the bill received a favorable vote in the Georgia House, unfortunately, it did not make it through the Senate.
During the 2025 legislative session, we urge policymakers to:
● Increase funding for the College Completion Grant Program to enable more students to access need-based completion grants.
● Lower the credits-completed requirement to increase the number of students eligible for the grant.
● Extend the sunset date for this program to allow more time for the state to see the impact of these completion grants.
● Support other statewide efforts for need-based financial aid to assist Georgia’s students in earning their degrees.
By helping students finish their degrees, we empower them to achieve personal success and economic mobility. Just as importantly, we ensure that Georgia’s future workforce is competitive, skilled and diverse.
It’s time for Georgia to take a more holistic approach to college completion by expanding access to need-based completion grants. By doing so, we will help thousands of students finish their degrees and invest in our state’s economic vitality — creating a stronger, more economically competitive, more equitable Georgia for all.
Cheryl Watson-Harris is the president and executive director of Achieve Atlanta. She is a former DeKalb County School District superintendent.
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