UGA vs Tennessee

UGA

Worth optimizing for if your student is a high-stat Foundation Fellowship contender — the out-of-state package runs roughly 79% richer than the in-state one. For ordinary in-state admits, the math is already settled by HOPE and Zell Miller.

For in-state students, UGA's affordability is driven by the state HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships, not a competitive merit ladder — Zell Miller covers full in-state tuition (tuition-capped) and stacks with the Foundation Fellowship. The real dollar lever is the Foundation Fellowship, applied for through the Morehead Honors College by a November 1 deadline. The biggest computable cliff among the Fellowship tiers is residency: the package runs about $25,084/yr in-state (Zell Miller plus a $15,050 stipend) versus about $44,940/yr out-of-state (a $25,900 stipend plus a $19,040 Presidential tuition waiver) — roughly $19,800 more per year, or about +79%, driven mostly by the waiver closing the OOS tuition gap. The in-state total leans on an estimated ~$10,034 Zell value, so treat it as approximate. International Fellows top out near $47,840/yr. On stacking, UGA reduces loans and work-study before gift aid, but a private scholarship can still reduce or trigger repayment of federal or need-based aid.

Tennessee

Worth optimizing for if your student is high-stat out-of-state. For lower-income Tennessee residents, the gap-filling Tri-Star programs matter more than test prep.

Tennessee's published merit is built for out-of-state applicants. The automatic out-of-state Volunteer Scholarship runs $3,000 (28 ACT, 3.8 weighted core GPA), to $9,000 (30-33 ACT, 4.0+ weighted core GPA), to $18,000 (34 ACT, 4.0+ weighted core GPA). Note the GPA jump: the $3,000 entry tier accepts a 3.8, but both the $9,000 and $18,000 OOS tiers require a 4.0+ weighted core GPA, so a 30 ACT alone does not unlock $9,000. The biggest single dollar move is at the top, where the OOS award jumps from $9,000 to $18,000 — a +$9,000/year step for going 33 to 34 ACT, the largest step in the OOS ladder. The entry floor is hard: below 28 ACT and 3.8 GPA, OOS students get no automatic Volunteer award. Watch two deadlines: apply by December 15 and submit scores by April 1. Stacking is COA-capped to the $56,170 OOS cost of attendance; UT does not publish the order in which outside scholarships reduce other aid, so confirm treatment with One Stop. Volunteer cannot combine with Orange & White.

UGA

• Georgia HOPE Scholarship

  Standard percentage of in-state tuition (state-set rate; cannot exceed total tuition charges for the semester)

  Initial eligibility set by the Georgia Student Finance Commission per the HOPE program rules (typically 3.00 weighted HS GPA on core curriculum) GPA

• Georgia Zell Miller Scholarship

  Standard undergraduate tuition rate (full in-state tuition); cannot exceed total tuition charges for the semester

  Higher initial-eligibility threshold than HOPE — set by Georgia Student Finance Commission (typically 3.70 weighted HS GPA + ACT/SAT minimums) GPA

Tennessee

• Out-of-State Volunteer Scholarship — Top Tier

  $18,000/year ($72,000 over four years)

  4.0+ UT Weighted Core GPA GPA · 34-36 ACT / 1490-1600 SAT

• Out-of-State Volunteer Scholarship — Middle Tier

  $9,000/year ($36,000 over four years)

  4.0+ UT Weighted Core GPA GPA · 30-33 ACT / 1360-1480 SAT

• Out-of-State Volunteer Scholarship — Entry Tier

  $3,000/year ($12,000 over four years)

  3.8+ UT Weighted Core GPA GPA · 28+ ACT / 1300+ SAT

• In-State Volunteer Scholarship — Top Tier

  $9,000/year ($36,000 over four years; $56,400 four-year total when stacked with HOPE)

  3.8+ UT Weighted Core GPA GPA · 34-36 ACT / 1490-1600 SAT

• In-State Volunteer Scholarship — Middle Tier

  $5,000/year ($20,000 over four years; $40,400 four-year total with HOPE)

  3.8+ UT Weighted Core GPA GPA · 30-33 ACT / 1360-1480 SAT

• In-State Volunteer Scholarship — Entry Tier

  $3,000/year ($12,000 over four years; $32,400 four-year total with HOPE)

  3.8+ UT Weighted Core GPA GPA · 28-29 ACT / 1300-1350 SAT

• Flagship Scholarship

  Tuition and mandatory fees for up to 8 semesters when combined with HOPE

• Provost Scholarship (National Merit and National Achievement Finalists)

  $2,000/year in combination with the National Merit Scholarship

UGA

5 renewable awards · 5 distinct renewal rules

• Maintain a 3.00 HOPE GPA. GPA is checked at 30, 60, and 90 attempted-credit-hour benchmarks plus every Spring semester. Eligibility through 127 HOPE Attempted or Paid hours, whichever comes first. Students can only regain eligibility at the 30/60/90 benchmarks; lose eligibility at two checkpoints and you cannot regain it. UGA's +/- grades do not count in HOPE GPA; STEM courses get a 0.5 weight bonus on B/C/D grades. Award decreases below 15-credit-hour enrollment and cannot increase above 15 hours.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • Georgia HOPE Scholarship

• Maintain a 3.30 Zell Miller Scholarship GPA. Same 30/60/90 attempted-hour checkpoints, 127-hour cap, two-loss permanent ineligibility, and STEM weight rules as HOPE. Falling below 3.30 but above 3.00 demotes the student to HOPE.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • Georgia Zell Miller Scholarship

• Maintain a minimum 3.40 cumulative UGA undergraduate GPA. Take a minimum of 12 hours of classes per semester (except summer). Remain in good standing in the Morehead Honors College. Live in Myers Hall (the Honors magnet housing) during the first year.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • Foundation Fellowship — In-State Package

• Same 3.40 GPA, 12 hours/semester, Honors good standing, and first-year Myers Hall housing requirements as the in-state package.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • Foundation Fellowship — Out-of-State Package

• Same renewal requirements as in-state and OOS Fellows.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • Foundation Fellowship — International Package

Tennessee

10 renewable awards · 6 distinct renewal rules

• 3.0 cumulative GPA at UT, federal SAP, full-time enrollment.

  Applies to 5 awards

  Show award names

  • Out-of-State Volunteer Scholarship — Middle Tier
  • Out-of-State Volunteer Scholarship — Entry Tier
  • In-State Volunteer Scholarship — Top Tier
  • In-State Volunteer Scholarship — Middle Tier
  • In-State Volunteer Scholarship — Entry Tier

• Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA at UT, federal Satisfactory Academic Progress, and full-time enrollment throughout each semester.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • Out-of-State Volunteer Scholarship — Top Tier

• Maintain federal Satisfactory Academic Progress and submit FAFSA annually by the UT Priority Filing Date. Available for first-year, transfer, current, and non-traditional students receiving the HOPE Scholarship.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • UT Promise Scholarship (Tennessee residents)

• Federal SAP, full-time enrollment, FAFSA by UT Priority Filing Date annually.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • Tennessee Pledge Scholarship

• FAFSA by UT Priority Filing Date, federal SAP.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • Flagship Scholarship

• Maintain academic progress and full-time enrollment.

  Applies to 1 award

  Show award names

  • Provost Scholarship (National Merit and National Achievement Finalists)

UGA

• 147 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.

  UGA is in a recognizable cluster (147 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

• 667 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

  UGA is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

• 63 of 749 verified schools publish a marginal-value cliff table we can quantify.

  UGA is one of them. Most schools won't tell families what one ACT point is actually worth. At the schools that do, a strategic retake is sometimes mathematically more valuable than test-optional positioning.

Tennessee

• 241 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

  Tennessee is in a recognizable cluster (241 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

• 667 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

  Tennessee is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

• 63 of 749 verified schools publish a marginal-value cliff table we can quantify.

  Tennessee is one of them. Most schools won't tell families what one ACT point is actually worth. At the schools that do, a strategic retake is sometimes mathematically more valuable than test-optional positioning.