Academic Scholarships – College

To be considered for funding through the Academic Scholarships – College program, you must apply for financial aid or show proof you are ineligible for financial aid.

How would I know if I’m ineligible? If you have already earned a Bachelor’s degree in another field, you will not be eligible to receive any more funding from HOPE or Pell. If this is the case, simply submit a copy of your diploma or an unofficial transcript with your Academic Scholarships application. Or, if you’ve maxed out Pell, please submit documentation of that.

Once approved for Academic Scholarships, you will receive a support stipend each semester you’re enrolled, even if tuition and mandatory fees are covered in full by financial aid.

The Academic Scholarships POWER-ED wage supplement program will end at the conclusion of the Fall 2024 semester.

DECAL Scholars Academic Scholarships recipients (earning college credentials/degrees and the Montessori Program Credential) will receive one final $1,000 POWER-ED wage supplement for fall of 2024. There is not a separate application for this final POWER-ED payment.

Yes, there is a minimum GPA requirement for our Academic Scholarships program if you would like to renew your scholarship each semester.

For Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC), Technical College Diploma (TCD), and Associate Degree programs, the requirement is a 2.0 GPA. For Bachelor’s Degree programs, the requirement is a 2.5 GPA.

Academic Scholarships cannot pay a past amount due with a college or university. The student must settle their debt with the college or university before they can become eligible to apply and receive Academic Scholarships.

If you are not eligible for Pell or other financial aid because your student loans are in default, then you cannot receive Academic Scholarships. You must submit proof that your loans are no longer in default before you can receive Academic Scholarships. To find out more information about managing loans in default, click here.

The Georgia Professional Development System (GaPDS) is an innovative service provided by Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning for the early care and education workforce. It allows you to develop a profile of your career in early care and education including employment history, training hours and credentials/degrees earned.

Registering is easy! You can sign up immediately, even if you have not earned a credential or degree. Click here to download your free guide to creating a GaPDS account. To learn more about the GaPDS or to create your own GaPDS account visit gapds.decal.ga.gov.

If you have questions or need technical support, contact the GaPDS at 404-334-6461 (866-258-7737 outside the metro Atlanta area) or email gapds@decal.ga.gov.

As FAFSA processes large volumes of applications, we understand that it may take some time to receive notice of award or denial from financial aid. Please complete your Academic Scholarships application and attach your FAFSA Submission Summary with your application. Once your financial aid is reflected in your account statement for the term (or you have received a denial notice), please upload that information to your DECAL Scholars account, or email it to support@decalscholars.com.

The one-step method of determining the financial aid available to you is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online or with assistance through the financial aid office of the educational institution you plan to attend. Upon notification of the outcome, your school will determine your eligibility for both federal and state aid (i.e., HOPE Grant, HOPE Scholarship and Pell Grant). To track your academic eligibility for HOPE, click here.

You can renew your Academic Scholarship if you maintain an eligible employment status and minimum GPA requirement. The requirement is a 2.0 GPA for TCC, TCD, and Associate Degree programs. The requirement is a 2.5 GPA for Bachelor’s Degree programs.

No earlier than 60 days prior to the start of your next semester, submit a renewal application. Please include the following documents (if there isn’t a designated upload category for any of these documents, you can upload them as “Additional Documents” under the “Documents” section of your application):

• Copy of your grades upon completion of the prior term (or Good Standing Letter from Montessori Credential Program).
• Copy of schedule of classes for the next term.
• Copies of two recent pay stubs reflecting your name, the name of your employer, and your gross (before deductions) wages. Family child care learning home providers and owners who do not pay themselves W2 wages submit a copy of last year’s Schedule C or other federal tax form documenting net business income.
• Copy of updated financial aid documentation (if eligible for FAFSA (HOPE and Pell)) (documentation is only needed once per year).

As long as you continue to meet the eligibility requirements for our Academic Scholarships program, you can continue to apply each time you are working towards a new credential or degree.

If you are enrolled in two different educational programs (for example, you are earning your CDA credential and Associate degree at the same time), you can apply to our CDA Scholarships program and Academic Scholarships program at the same time.

If you have earned your Bachelor’s degree with tuition assistance from DECAL Scholars, and desire to further your education, you could go back and earn your CDA or TCC (such as a TCC in Early Childhood Care and Education Program Administration) and apply to receive tuition assistance from DECAL Scholars. However, you may not be eligible for any additional Incentives payments once you complete your program.

(1) Tuition and Fees

If you meet the eligibility requirements each semester you are enrolled, you will receive Academic Scholarships funds as follows, after any financial aid or outside scholarships are taken into account:

• 80% of tuition and mandatory fees per semester at a public college/university
• Up to $2,496 of tuition and mandatory fees per semester at a private college/university

Tuition and fees are paid directly to the college or university.

(2) Support Stipend

You will also receive a support stipend as follows:

• $250 per semester for 1-3 credit hours
• $500 per semester for 4(+) credit hours
• Special programs
  • Infant/Toddler program of study: $500 per semester for 1-3 credit hours or $1,000 for 4(+) credit hours
  • DECAL-licensed Family Child Care Learning Home providers: $750 per semester for 1-3 credit hours or $1,500 for 4(+) credit hours

The support stipend is paid directly to the applicant after the end of the drop/add period each semester.

The substitute stipend program is available to employers of DECAL Scholars Scholarships recipients so Scholarships recipients can have paid time off (PTO) to attend class, study, or complete assignments. To participate in the substitute stipend program, employers of Scholarships recipients must give the Scholarships recipient paid time off (PTO) to attend class, study, or prepare for class. In return, the employer will receive a stipend of $15/hour to cover the cost of substitute teachers while the Scholarships recipient is away from the classroom. Each employer can receive a maximum of $1,500 in substitute stipends per semester for each Scholarships recipient, in exchange for the Scholarships recipient to receive up to 100 hours of PTO. It is ultimately up to the employer to decide whether they will allow their employees to take part in this program. The employer must also determine how many hours of PTO will be granted to the employee in exchange for the $15/hour stipend.

Scholarships Paid Time Off Logs must be completed, signed, and submitted to support@decalscholars.com by the end of the last month of class to be considered for reimbursement.

It is important that you send all supporting documents at the time of completing your application to avoid any delays in processing.

DECAL Scholars accepts legible PDFs, screenshots, photo copies, scans, and photos. Please do not send documents as links.

The following documents must be uploaded with your application:

• Copies of two recent paystubs reflecting the name of your employer, your name and gross and net wages. If you are a Family Child Care Learning Home or a Director/Owner and do not pay yourself W-2 wages, you should submit a copy of last year’s Schedule C, Schedule K or other federal tax form documenting net business income.
• Copy of your Submission Summary from financial aid and then your award/denial letter once available.
• Your schedule of classes.
• Copy of your Professional Development System (GaPDS) profile reflecting your GaPDS number, the name of your current employer, and a “Pending” or “Active” status.
• Copy of the front and back of a secure and verifiable document.