DREAMS: A Long-Overdue Investment in Georgia’s Students

Earlier this month, the Georgia General Assembly took a significant action to increase college affordability by passing a state budget and legislation to officially establish the DREAMS need-based college scholarship. Once signed by the Governor, DREAMS will mark a turning point for Georgia— one of only two states without a state-funded, need-based financial aid program—and a long-overdue investment in students with the greatest financial barriers. 

This moment reflects what families have always known: education beyond high school is essential to economic mobility and workforce readiness. Yet for too many Georgians, the cost of college remains the single greatest obstacle, an obstacle that talent and hard work cannot overcome. DREAMS begins to change that reality. 

Achieve Atlanta was founded on the same core principle: when students receive targeted, reliable financial support, they enroll in college, persist, and graduate. Since our founding, we have supported more than 7,500 students through need-based scholarships and wraparound services. Our results speak for themselves: Achieve Atlanta Scholars persist through college at a rate 11 percentage points higher than similar peers and report lower unmet financial need, reduced student debt, and less financial stress, allowing them to stay focused on academic success.  

As one Scholar shared, “The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship lifted a burden that allowed me to focus on learning, growing, and pursuing my goals without constant worry.”  

Tens of thousands of students across Georgia face the same financial challenges as Achieve Atlanta’s Scholars. Our results show that need-based aid works. DREAMS builds on this evidence, extending opportunity statewide and bringing Georgia into alignment with nearly every other state that already recognizes need-based financial aid as a cornerstone of higher education policy. 

With the General Assembly’s action and the Governor’s signature as a final step, Georgia is sending a clear message: investing in students is investing in the state’s future. By expanding access to need-based aid, we can close attainment gaps, strengthen Georgia’s talent pipeline, and ensure that more students complete credentials that lead to meaningful careers. Achieve Atlanta applauds the leadership that made DREAMS possible and looks forward to continuing our work to ensure that students not only have access to college but also complete it. 

Achieve Atlanta

Achieve Atlanta

Our mission is to help students access, afford, and earn postsecondary credentials.