The Georgia Driver’s Education Commission offers the Georgia Driver’s Education Grant Scholarship Program to offer driver’s education to Georgia students. The grant scholarship program is open to Georgia residents ages fifteen through seventeen who possess a valid Georgia Instructional Permit or Driver’s License and wish to satisfy the Joshua’s Law driver’s education requirement by completing thirty hours of classroom instruction and six hours of behind the wheel driving instruction with an approved instructor.
First priority is given to grant scholarship applicants who are a child or dependent of a Georgia first responder disabled or killed in the line of duty or member of the United States military killed in action and to applicants who are in state custody under the care of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services. Second priority is given to scholarship applicants who can demonstrate a need based on family income. All of the first priority level applicants are awarded before any of the second priority level applicants are awarded. Additionally, if there are insufficient scholarships for all applicants in any given priority level, award winners are determined at random by computer selection without human selection and scholarships are evenly distributed among Georgia’s United States Congressional Districts. The date of application submission does not affect the outcome of the scholarship award. Scholarships are awarded on the 1st day of each month by 11:59 pm. Notification of award or denial is sent by email. If awarded a scholarship, the award date of the scholarship must be prior to the first day of Instruction or class by the driver training school.
Students are only eligible to apply for a grant scholarship one time. However, If a student’s application is rejected, the application will be reconsidered for the following two months and given priority over new applicants in their respective priority level. No action is needed to be reconsidered. You will be notified by email on the first day of the following month by 11:59 pm with the outcome of the application on the second consideration.
Please note: Scholarships must be awarded before a student begins his/her driver’s education course, so please be mindful of this policy if the student/parent choses pay for a course out of pocket and begin the driver’s education course before the application is reconsidered. Additionally, GDEC does not obligate driver’s education providers to offer a refund for a payment that is made before the grant scholarship decision is made so be sure that you aware of the refund policy of the driving school that you choose.
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