The Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) were authorized by the acts and plan signed into law providing financial resources to colleges and universities in response to the duly declared COVID-19 pandemic national emergency.  Each act and plan are listed below and linked for additional information from the Department of Education:

• Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
• Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA)
• American Rescue Plan (ARP)

Georgia Piedmont Technical College received funding from the federal government and as recommended by the Department of Education, students are awarded based on greatest level of financial need. The current year FAFSA is primarily used to assess financial need and students are encouraged to complete a FAFSA.  Students identified as eligible will automatically be awarded and will receive the funds to their Bank Mobile account.

Students that have authorized funds to be used toward tuition and fees will have funds applied toward their balance.  Students must be enrolled and maintain enrollment for the semester to be considered for the funds.

Unfortunately, due limited funding, at this time we are no longer able to offer the ability to apply for assistance through an emergency assistance application.  If funding becomes available at a later date, a notification will be provided to students of this opportunity.

Update August 2022: Remaining funds are limited, and at this time we do not expect any students to be automatically selected to receive funding going forward.

For additional funding information please review the student portion and quarterly institutional portion reports below.

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HEERF Student Reports

Download a PDF copy of the June 2, 2020, GPTC CARES Act report here.

Download a PDF copy of the June 29, 2020, GPTC CARES Act report here.

Download a PDF copy of the September 30, 2020, GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the March 31, 2021, GPTC HEERF Student Report Q1 here.

Download a PDF copy of the June 30, 2021, GPTC HEERF Student Report Q2 here.

Download a PDF copy of the September 30, 2021, GPTC HEERF Student Report Q3 here.

Download a PDF copy of the December 31, 2021 GPTC HEERF Student Report Q4 here.

Download a PDF copy of the March 31, 2022 GPTC HEERF Student Report Q1 here.

HEERF Institutional Reports

Download a PDF copy of the September 30, 2020, GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the December 31, 2020, GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the March 31, 2021, GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the June 30, 2021, GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the September 30, 2021 GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the December 31, 2021 GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the March 31, 2022 GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the June 30, 2022 GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the June 30, 2022 (revised) GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the September 30, 2022 GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the December 31, 2022 GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

Download a PDF copy of the March 31, 2023 GPTC CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report here.

The Pell grant is awarded to students in Diploma and Associate Degree programs, as well as the Basic Law Enforcement Certificate program, who have been determined to be eligible as a result of completing the FAFSA. The amount that is awarded is determined by the FAFSA results. The eligible amount each semester is also determined by the number of hours the student is enrolled. Federal regulations prohibit schools from paying federal aid for more than 30 attempted hours of learning support courses. Students who have already earned a Bachelor’s degree (either in the U.S. or the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree from any country) are not eligible for the Pell grant.

Students who are Pell eligible may have some portion of the Pell grant available in the bookstore to purchase books. This amount will only be available if the student has a credit balance once all tuition and fees have been paid.

The maximum Federal Pell Grant a student can receive for 2022-2023 is $6,895 provided the student has a zero “0” EFC, is attending full-time and meets all other eligibility requirements. The Pell Grant award is disbursed over two terms.

Beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, an eligible student may now receive full Federal Pell Grant for summer 2018 even if they received a full Federal Pell Grant during the fall and spring semesters. Year-round Pell allows students to receive up to 150 percent of a regular grant award over the course of the academic year so that they can continue taking classes in the summer and finish their degrees faster than they would otherwise. ). To be eligible for additional Pell Grant funds a student must be:

• eligible to receive the Pell grant
• enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours) during the summer term
• maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress

Note: The provisions of the new law states that any Pell Grant received will be included in determining the student’s Pell Grant duration of eligibility and Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU).

The Federal SEOG grant is awarded to Pell grant recipients with the greatest financial need as determined by the results of the FAFSA. SEOG is disbursed Fall, Spring and Summer semesters, based on your enrollment. The maximum award a student can receive each award year is $4,000.

The HOPE Program began in 1993 and is entirely funded by the Georgia Lottery. The HOPE Grant program provides assistance to Georgia residents pursuing certificates and diplomas and the HOPE Scholarship provides assistance for students in degree programs of study. The Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) is the state agency that administers the HOPE scholarship and grant programs. Below are some of the highlights of the grant and scholarship programs. For detailed information please visit their website at www.gsfc.org. Students are able to track their eligibility and usage of HOPE funds by logging into MyGAFutures.

HOPE Grant

• The HOPE grant is available to Georgia residents in certificate or diploma programs of study who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens and who also meet residency requirements. If a student was a resident of Georgia at the time of his or her high school graduation, home study program completion or successful GED test, that student must also meet the residency requirement for twelve (12) consecutive months immediately prior to the first day of classes of the school term for which the HOPE grant is sought. Students who do not meet these requirements must meet the Georgia residency requirement for twenty four (24) consecutive months immediately prior to the term for which the HOPE grant is sought.
• The HOPE program currently pays $90.00 per semester hour toward the cost of tuition only, at Georgia Piedmont Technical College. The current rate of tuition is $100 per semester hour. Below is an example to illustrate.
  • A student enrolls in 10 semester hours in a diploma program of study and is eligible for the HOPE grant based on residency requirements. The HOPE grant will pay $900.00. The student is responsible for paying the difference between the actual charges and the amount paid by the HOPE program.
    $100 x 10 semester hours = $1000.00 (tuition charged by Georgia Piedmont Tech).
    $90 x 10 = $900 (this is the amount that will be paid by HOPE).
    $1000 – $900= $100. (The student is responsible for the $100 + $479 in fees, for a total of $579).
    If the student is receiving other types of financial aid assistance (for example, the Pell grant), in excess of the $100 and fees, then the student should not have a balance.
• Students must have a 2.0 GPA at two checkpoints (30/60 semester hours) to remain eligible. Students who do not have a 2.0 GPA at the 30 hour checkpoint will lose the grant but may regain it at the 60 hour checkpoint if the student then has a 2.0 GPA
• There is a solid cap of 63 paid semester hours. The term that a student reaches the Paid-Hours limit of 63 semester hours, the grant will only pay for hours up to the limit. (Example: The student has 60 semester hours that have been paid by HOPE at the end of Fall semester. The student registers for 6 hours for Spring semester. The HOPE grant will only pay for 3 credit hours. The student is responsible for paying for the other 3 credit hours).

Georgia’s Zell Miller Grant is available to Georgia residents who are working towards a certificate or diploma. Full-time enrollment is not required and students are not required to graduate from high school with a specific GPA. At the end of each term a minimum 3.5 cumulative postsecondary GPA is required in order to maintain eligibility. The first term of enrollment will be paid retroactively if the student has the required 3.5 cumulative postsecondary GPA at the end of the term. This award covers full tuition. For example, a student enrolled in 15 hours has a tuition charge of $1500.00 because tuition is currently $100.00 per credit hour. The fees are an additional charge of $479.00. The Zell Miller grant will pay for full tuition of $1500.00. The student is responsible for paying for fees and other charges, which may be covered based on additional awarded aid.

The Georgia Public Safety Memorial (GPSM) Grant provides grant funds to the dependent children of Georgia Public Safety Officers who were permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty. Funds may be used towards the cost of attendance at eligible colleges, universities or technical colleges in Georgia.

Eligibility for the Georgia Public Safety Memorial Grant

To be eligible for the Public Safety Memorial Grant, a student must:

• Be the dependent child of a Georgia Public Safety Officer who was permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty; and
• Be a U.S. citizen or national of the U.S. or have evidence from the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) of eligible permanent resident alien status; and
• Be a legal resident of Georgia 12 months prior to receiving aid; and
• Be enrolled in a Georgia public or private college, university or technical college as a full-time (12 hours) undergraduate student seeking a college degree or technical certificate/diploma; and
• Be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements; and
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress, as defined by the college; and
• Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990; and
• Not be in default or owe a refund on a student financial aid program.

Award Amounts for the Georgia Public Safety Memorial Grant

The grant is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and as appropriated funds are available. Recipients are eligible to receive payment for a maximum of eight semesters or 12 quarters of undergraduate study.

Recipients receive an award that covers their total cost of attendance, minus any other student financial aid, at an eligible postsecondary institution in Georgia, not to exceed $18,000 per award year.