What does it mean to be an Achieve Atlanta Scholar?

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Believe

As an Achieve Atlanta Scholar, you believe in your ability to write your own story, taking on life after high school with confidence, focus, and persistence. Achieve Atlanta’s staff and partners have that same belief in you and are backing it up with consistent support.

Expect

As an Achieve Atlanta Scholar, you expect excellence from yourself and those around you. By doing this, you and your fellow Scholars create a culture that produces the results you want to see.

Achieve

As an Achieve Atlanta Scholar, achievement starts with advocating for yourself and never being afraid to ask for help when you need it. It means fully embracing the path ahead and responding to challenges with a can-do attitude. Our mission is to encourage, inspire, and put every Scholar in a position to achieve great things.

As an ACHIEVE ATLANTA SCHOLAR, you are part of a growing community of APS alumni who have bold visions for their lives and have chosen higher education as their next step in making those visions real.

Receiving my scholarship

The summer before you start college and each semester thereafter, we will send an update or renewal link to you. You will be asked to provide documentation confirming where you plan to enroll the next semester and that you continue to meet all eligibility criteria. The scholarship check will be mailed to the appropriate institution’s financial aid office.

The scholarship will be split between fall and spring semesters. Students receiving the 4-year college scholarship will receive $2,500 for fall and $2,500 for spring. Students receiving the 2-year/technical college scholarship will receive $750 for fall and $750 for spring.

Contact your school’s financial aid office. The email from Achieve Atlanta includes the check number you can reference. Remember: It usually takes 1–4 weeks for an institution to post a check to a student’s account.

Maintaining my scholarship

In order to maintain your scholarship, you must:

  • Maintain full-time enrollment at an eligible Achieve Atlanta postsecondary institution;
  • Complete the FAFSA for the correct academic year and meet the financial need criterion established by Achieve Atlanta during your initial application year as demonstrated by your Student Aid Report;
  • Meet the Scholarship academic requirements of earning at least 67% of credits attempted and maintaining a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA;
  • Meet with your academic advisor at least once per term/semester;
  • Complete college persistence surveys and information requests from Achieve Atlanta on time;
  • Update student contact information with Achieve Atlanta as necessary and/or requested; and
  • Meet any additional requirements established by your postsecondary institution.

Satisfactory Academic Progress, or SAP, is a set of requirements established by your postsecondary institution to ensure you are earning the grades and course credits required to complete your degree or certification within an acceptable time period. The SAP requirements will likely include a minimum GPA, a minimum number of course credits you need to complete each semester or year, and a minimum ratio of courses passed to courses attempted. See your institution’s website, financial aid officer, or your academic advisor to learn the requirements for SAP at your school. Students who do not meet SAP are at risk of losing financial aid, including the federal Pell grant and potentially other scholarships.

Yes. In order to maintain the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship, you will need to earn at least 67% of credits attempted and maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.

If you are on a 2-year/technical path, your eligibility period is a maximum of three (3) years. If you are on (or transfer to) a 4-year path, your eligibility period is a maximum of five (5) years. Your eligibility period begins when you first enroll at a postsecondary institution as an Achieve Atlanta Scholar. Your Achieve Atlanta Scholarship eligibility will end once you meet the dollar maximum or eligibility period maximum, whichever comes first. The Scholarship will not be awarded for more than one associate’s or bachelor’s degree, nor will the Scholarship be awarded for students to pursue additional credits or credentials beyond their bachelor’s degree—even if the student has remaining eligibility.

The answer here depends on the path you pursue after high school. The maximum amount of scholarship money you can receive on a 2-year/technical path is $3,000. The maximum amount on (or if you transfer to) a 4-year path is $20,000.

Yes. Achieve Atlanta Scholars attending 2-year institutions can qualify for the 4-year scholarship later if you:

  1. Earn a 2-year degree/diploma;
  2. Are accepted into and enroll full-time at an eligible 4-year institution;
  3. Meet the Achieve Atlanta financial need requirement (established at the time of your original application), and
  4. Have not reached the 5-year or $20,000 limit.

Verification is a process that your college will conduct to review your financial need. Most likely, your college will request additional tax or financial documents from you or your parents. Once verification is complete, the college may adjust your EFC. If your EFC increases to more than $8,000, we may review your revised financial aid award from your college to determine continued eligibility for the Scholarship. Remember to check your email consistently so that verification issues can be resolved as quickly as possible and delays in receiving financial aid can be minimized or avoided.

Yes. However, exceptions to the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship eligibility criteria and policies are rare, and will only be made due to extraordinary personal or family circumstances. Please review the eligibility criteria and consider your situation carefully before submitting an appeal.

To request an appeal form, call the Achieve Atlanta office at 404-880-3500. A unique link will be emailed to you, requiring a statement detailing the circumstances that contributed to your inability to meet the requirements, any plans you have to meet the requirements in the future, as well as any supporting documentation.

You can reach Achieve Atlanta two ways:

  1. Use the “Connect” form on the website to send us a message;
  2. Submit a case through the “Help Desk” on your Scholar Dashboard; or
  3. Call us at 404-880-3500 (Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM EST).

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