About the Scholarship

The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship is a need-based award designed to support eligible Fulton County Schools students at Creekside and Tri-Cities High Schools pursing various postsecondary paths after high school.

In February 2026, eligible seniors will be able to apply for the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship—up to $20,000 toward college tuition and fees.

 HOW DO I PAY FOR COLLEGE?

Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

High School Requirements

  • Must be a senior at Creekside High School or Tri-Cities High School
  • Must have been continuously enrolled at one of these schools since at least the start of 11th grade
  • Must graduate from Creekside or Tri-Cities High School
  • Must earn a cumulative weighted GPA of at least 80 in either the fall or spring semester of 12th grade
    • Students who did not earn at least an 80 cumulative weighted GPA in the 12th grade can apply to receive the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship after completing at least 24 credit hours at an eligible postsecondary institution with at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. More information coming soon.

Financial Aid Requirements

  • Must complete the 2026-2027 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
    • All students, regardless of immigration status, can apply! Contact us to use an alternative financial aid form.
  • Must demonstrate financial need through a Student Aid Index (SAI) of -1,500 to 15,000 on your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)
    • The FSS is generated electronically a few days after submitting your FAFSA.

Post High School Graduation Requirements

  • Must complete the Achieve Atlanta Fall Update Application during summer 2026
  • Must enroll in the immediate fall semester after high school graduation
  • Must enroll full-time at an eligible institution

Eligible Postsecondary Institutions

  • Must be a nonprofit, accredited institution
  • Scholarship cannot be used at for-profit schools

4-Year Degree Pathways (Bachelor’s degrees)

  • Can attend any Georgia institution*
  • Out-of-state institutions must have a graduation rate of at least 44 % according to College Scorecard.

*Cannot attend Atlanta Metropolitan State College

2-Year Degree Pathways (Certificate, Technical, Associate Degrees)

  • Limited to the following institutions:
    • Albany State University
    • Georgia State University-Perimeter College
    • Georgia Military College
    • Savannah State University
    • Atlanta Technical College
    • Any institution within the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)

Awards

The amount of your Scholarship depends on the path you choose after high school:

  • 4-Year College/University: $5,000 per year (renewable for up to 8 semesters of school)
  • 2-Year College & Technical: $1,500 per year (renewable for up to 4 semesters of school)

For students who have fully funded their education through other scholarships and aid, Achieve Atlanta offers one-time grants of up to $1,000.

Assistance

When combined with other possible sources of financial aid, the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship can assist in closing affordability gaps and reduce the need for students and families to borrow to pay for school. The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship is an important part of Achieve Atlanta’s broader effort to dramatically increase the number of students who earn a postsecondary degree or credential.

Key Dates

for scholarship eligibility

Oct. 1st

FAFSA Opens

Feb. 2nd

Achieve Atlanta Scholarship Application Opens

June 1st

Achieve Atlanta Scholarship Application Closes

June

Fall Update Application Opens

FAQS

Scholarship Basics

Achieve Atlanta’s mission is to dramatically increase the number of students completing postsecondary education. The goal of the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship is to help remove the financial barriers preventing many students from reaching this important milestone.

The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship will support Creekside and Tri-Cities High School graduates who meet eligibility requirements and need assistance paying for postsecondary education.

No. Achieve Atlanta will support students along multiple paths after high school. This includes students pursuing 4-year degrees, 2-year degrees, and technical diplomas and certificates.

We fund students pursuing their first technical, associate’s, or bachelor’s credential or degree. Students who earn a technical credential or associate’s degree and have remaining eligibility may be awarded funding to continue enrollment in a bachelor’s degree program. Achieve Atlanta will not provide scholarships for more than one associate’s or bachelor’s degree. No additional degrees will be supported once a bachelor’s degree is completed.

See Scholarship Eligibility Criteria at the top of the page.

The scholarship award amount depends on if you enroll in a 2-year or 4-year college. 

  • 4-year college: $5,000 per year for up to a maximum of 4 years (8 terms) of school. The funds must be used within 5 years of the Scholar’s high school graduation.
  • 2-year college & technical program: $1,500 per year for up to a maximum of 2 years (4 terms) of school. The funds must be used within 3 years of the Scholar’s high school graduation.

Our awards are intended to substantially support students’ cost of attendance, but we do expect students to pursue all other possible aid (federal aid, grants, scholarships, etc.) to pay for their education. We anticipate that when combined with other sources of financial aid, the Achieve Atlanta scholarship will help students and families finance their postsecondary education and reduce the need to borrow.

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

Please note that these are award maximums. If you exhaust your time eligibility or maximum funded term count before reaching the maximum award dollar amount, you will not receive the full award.

Achieve Atlanta Scholarship awards can be used for any part of the cost of attendance at accredited nonprofit or public colleges/universities, in and out-of-state. Cost of attendance (COA) includes tuition, fees, room and board, allowances for books, travel, and other fees. Visit your college’s website to find the COA for your college.

Yes. The Achieve Atlanta Scholarship is renewable for up to a maximum of 2 years (4 terms) of school for students on the 2-year/technical path. The funds must be used within 3 years of the Scholar’s high school graduation.

Scholars enrolling in a bachelor’s degree program (4-year school) can renew their scholarship for up to a maximum of 4 years (8 terms) of school. The funds must be used within 5 years of the Scholar’s high school graduation.

To renew your Achieve Atlanta Scholarship for the next academic year, you must:

  1. Be within the maximum time eligibility period, award dollar amount, and funded term count limits for the Scholarship;
  2. Enroll full-time at an eligible Achieve Atlanta postsecondary college/university;
  3. Complete the Achieve Atlanta Renewal Application every term, including uploading all required documents (your FAFSA Submission Summary, transcript, course schedule(s) and other documents as requested) to your Scholar Dashboard portal;
  4. Meet the Scholarship academic requirements of earning at least 67% of credits attempted and maintaining a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA;
  5. Complete the FAFSA;
  6. Continue to meet our financial need criteria by submitting your FAFSA Submission Summary annually; and
  7. Submit up-to-date contact information to Achieve Atlanta.

Eligibility

Yes. Please reach out to the Achieve Atlanta office at 404-880-3500 or scholarship@achieveatlanta.org for assistance with your application.

If you are on a 2-year/technical path, your time eligibility period is a maximum of 3 years. Within this period, you can be funded for a maximum of 4 terms. If you are on (or transfer to) a 4-year path, your time eligibility period is a maximum of 5 years. Within this period, you can be funded for a maximum of 8 terms.

Your eligibility period begins when you first enroll at a postsecondary college/university as an Achieve Atlanta Scholar. Your Achieve Atlanta Scholarship eligibility will end once you exhaust the time eligibility period, maximum award dollar amount, or maximum funded term count, 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.

For the 2025-2026 school year, applicants must be current seniors (Class of 2026) at Creekside or Tri-Cities High School.

No, only seniors enrolled at Creekside High School or Tri-Cities High School are eligible to apply.

Unfortunately, no. To be fair to everyone, we will maintain strict minimum GPA standards and will not round up.

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

  1. Are accepted into and enroll full-time at an eligible 4-year college/university;
  2. Meet all Achieve Atlanta renewal eligibility criteria; and
  3. Are within the maximum time eligibility period, award dollar amount, and funded term count limits for the four-year Scholarship.

Yes, provided you have been enrolled in Creekside or Tri-Cities High School for the last two full school years prior to your graduation and meet all other eligibility criteria, you can receive the Scholarship. As an early graduate, you should contact Achieve Atlanta directly to alert us of your early graduation and to receive instructions on how to apply in your special circumstance.

Yes. However, exceptions to the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship eligibility criteria and policies are rare and will only be made due to exceptional 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 or email us at scholarship@achieveatlanta.org. A unique link will be emailed to you, requiring a statement detailing the circumstances that contributed to your inability to meet the requirements and any plans you have to meet the requirements in the future, as well as any supporting documentation.

Applying for the Scholarship

  1. Starting October 2025 of your high school senior year, go to www.studentaid.gov and complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

    • All students, regardless of immigration status, can apply! Contact us to use an alternative financial aid form.

  2. Save your FAFSA email confirmation OR your FAFSA Submission Summary that you can access electronically a few days after completing your FAFSA.
  3. Starting February 2nd of your high school senior year, go to www.achieveatlanta.org and find the “Apply” button at the top of the page to access the online Scholarship application. You’ll need your saved FSS to complete the application.

Applications for high school seniors open February 2nd and close on June 1st.

No, there are no fees to apply for the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship.

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The application is required to receive any federal financial aid (such as Pell Grant, Perkins, etc.). You may complete this application online at www.studentaid.gov.

Undocumented students are eligible to complete an alternative financial aid form. Please contact us for assistance.

 

Speak to your college adviser or school counselor. Also, see the Resources below.

Receiving My Scholarship

In June, you will receive a personalized link to the Fall Update application via email. This link cannot be shared with or accessed by other Scholars.

The summer before you start college we will email a unique Fall Update Application to you. You will be asked to provide documentation confirming where you plan to enroll the next semester. It is important to complete this information as soon as you’re certain of your college choice to avoid any delays with your check being mailed.

The Fall Update Application will be our final check to confirm that you’re meeting all eligibility criteria. Once your eligibility is confirmed, the check will be mailed to the appropriate college’s/university’s financial aid office.

As long as the college choice on your Fall Update Application meets the eligible institution criteria, Achieve Atlanta will mail a check to the college’s financial aid office. The financial aid office will then place the funds on your student account.

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 a college/university to post a check to a student’s account.

You can reach Achieve Atlanta multiple ways:

  1. Email us at scholarship@achieveatlanta.org;
  2. Submit a case through the “Help Desk” on your Scholar Dashboard; or
  3. Call us at 404-880-3500 (option 1) (Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM EST).

Resources

Videos and links to help you apply for an Achieve Atlanta Scholarship.

    Next Steps

    Apply for an Achieve Atlanta Scholarship!

    Complete Your FAFSA

    Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) starting October 2025.

    Save the FSS

    Save the FAFSA Submission Summary that you can access electronically a few days after completing your application.

    Apply for the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship

    The application opens online on February 2. Click here to apply!

    What’s Next After Submitting the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship Application?

    After submitting the scholarship application, you will receive an email within two weeks providing an update on your eligibility status.

    If you do qualify for the scholarship, there are a few more steps that you must take to remain eligible and officially accept your scholarship.

    Research Achieve Atlanta-Eligible Institutions

    Our scholarship does have restrictions on which institutions you can use our funds to attend. If you choose to attend an ineligible institution, you will forfeit your scholarship.

    Complete the Achieve Atlanta Fall Update Application

    We’ll email the application to you in June. You’ll need to upload your acceptance letter or course schedule for the college you’ve chosen to attend. After you complete the application, we will verify that you’re attending an eligible institution and send your scholarship check.

    You must complete the Fall Update Application to officially accept your scholarship.

    Enroll Full-time

    If you do not enroll in college by next fall, you will permanently forfeit the scholarship. We expect our Scholars to enroll full-time (usually 12+ credit hours) each semester while they’re in college.

    Scholar Night is a special celebration for future Scholars and their families to learn about the benefits and requirements of receiving the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship.

    You and a parent/family member should plan to attend one of our in-person Scholar Night events in Spring 2026!

    Registration information will be emailed to applicants who qualify for the Scholarship.

    Paying for College

    You can find tips and resources below to help you better understand the cost of college and how to pay for college.

    How Much Will College Cost Me?

    Tips:

    • Financial aid can help you pay for college.
    • Tools and people resources can help you figure out what you will pay.
    • Affordability needs to be part of your college choice conversations (but don’t solely rely on a college’s sticker price).

    Resources:

    • Big Future’s Focus on Net Price, Not Sticker Price Resources.
    • Speak with your high school counselors, CAC adviser, or with your college’s financial aid office.

    How Do I Pay for College?

    Tips:

    • Financial aid (grants, scholarships, and loans) can help you pay for college.
    • Any amount of personal savings can help.

    Resources: