FAFSA-eligible grants for medical field students in Georgia - any recommendations?

Georgia has several state-specific grants you should look into:\n\n1. HOPE Grant - specifically for certificate/diploma programs at technical colleges in GA\n2. Zell Miller Grant - similar to HOPE but covers full tuition if you maintain a 3.5 GPA\n3. Georgia HOPE Career Grant - this is KEY for medical fields! Covers additional costs for certain healthcare programs\n\nFor medical field grants, check out:\n- The HRSA (Health Resources & Services Administration) has the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program\n- The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program (if you're willing to work in underserved areas after graduation)\n- Georgia Board for Physician Workforce scholarships (depending on your specific program)\n\nYour SAI score may limit federal grants, but these state/field-specific options often have different criteria.

Thank you SO much for this detailed info! I had no idea about the Georgia HOPE Career Grant specifically for healthcare. Do you know if I need to file a separate application for these or do they automatically consider me once I've done my FAFSA?

im in nursing school in GA right now and got the HOPE grant it helps but doesnt cover everything. you need to apply seprate from fafsa on gafutures.org for the georgia specific ones. the career grant is awsome if ur program qualifies!!

Thanks for the tip about gafutures.org! I'll check that out today. How long did it take for you to hear back about your HOPE grant after applying?

I JUST went through this whole thing last semester and it's so frustrating!!! The Georgia grants are OK but there's all these weird requirements that nobody tells you about. Like for the HOPE Career Grant your program has to be on their specific list and some medical programs aren't included for some stupid reason. And they don't tell you that some grants require you to be full-time! I found out the hard way and lost funding. The whole system is DESIGNED to confuse us!!

same!! and they keep changing the rules every year! my cousin got more grant $ than me in the exact same program just because she started a year earlier. makes no sense

If you're having trouble figuring out which grants apply to your specific situation, I'd recommend scheduling an appointment with both your school's financial aid office AND the Georgia Student Finance Commission. They can run a personalized assessment based on your specific program and circumstances.\n\nOne thing to note: the FAFSA results (your SAI score) will impact some state grants but not all of them. Also, many medical field employers in Georgia offer tuition reimbursement programs that aren't tied to FAFSA at all - worth asking about during your job search after completing your program.\n\nLastly, for specific medical assistant scholarships, check with the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and the American Medical Technologists (AMT), as both offer scholarships specifically for MA students.

Thank you for these suggestions! I've been trying to call the Georgia Student Finance Commission but keep getting stuck on hold forever. Do you know if there's a better time of day to reach them?

I used Claimyr to get through to the financial aid office when I was dealing with my Georgia grants application. Saved me hours of waiting on hold! You can see how it works at claimyr.com or check their demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. I was skeptical but it actually got me through to someone who could help with my specific situation. Much better than hitting redial for days!

Does this actually work? I've been trying to reach someone at GA Student Finance for WEEKS about my HOPE grant issue.

Yeah it does! That's exactly who I needed to reach. They connected me directly with a real person who could access my account and fix the verification issue I was having with my HOPE eligibility.

Just wanted to add - don't forget to check with your specific school/program too. My daughter is in radiologic technology in Georgia and her program had some department-specific scholarships that weren't advertised anywhere except at the department orientation. Also check with local hospitals - many have

That's a great idea! I hadn't thought about looking into local hospital programs. I'll definitely ask about department scholarships too - those hidden opportunities could make a huge difference.

also make sure u submit evrything before deadlines!! i missed out on like $1200 because my tax info was late for one of the GA grants

Ouch! That's painful. Do you remember what the deadlines were for the Georgia grants? Are they the same as the FAFSA priority deadlines?

To answer your follow-up questions:\n\n1. Georgia grant deadlines vary by program but many follow priority dates similar to the FAFSA. For the 2025-2026 academic year, you should aim to complete all Georgia applications by April 15, 2025.\n\n2. Many Georgia grants require a separate application through GAFutures.org, as mentioned above. Your FAFSA data gets imported, but you need to initiate the state grant applications separately.\n\n3. Meeting with your school's financial aid counselor is crucial - they can see which specific programs at your school qualify for the Career Grant (the list changes regularly).\n\n4. For Georgia Student Finance Commission contact, early mornings (8-9am) tend to have shorter wait times in my experience.\n\nAlso, don't overlook professional organizations specific to medical assistants - they often have smaller grants with less competition.

This is incredibly helpful! I'll definitely aim to get everything submitted well before April 15th and will try calling GSFC first thing tomorrow morning. Really appreciate all this guidance - the financial aid process is so much more complicated than I expected!

Welcome to the FAFSA community, Jabari-Jo! I see you're getting some fantastic advice here. As someone new to navigating financial aid, I'd also recommend creating a spreadsheet to track all the different grants, their deadlines, requirements, and application status. It really helps keep everything organized when you're juggling FAFSA, state grants, and program-specific funding. One additional resource that might help - many Georgia community and technical colleges have dedicated healthcare program advisors who specialize in medical field funding. They often know about smaller, local scholarships that don't show up in online searches. Since you're doing a medical assistant program, they might also connect you with clinical site partners who offer educational support. Good luck with your applications! The medical field needs more dedicated people like you, and I'm sure you'll find the funding you need to make it happen.