There is less HOPE for high-school graduates in Georgia, at least according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The newspaper reported today that it is significantly harder for students to qualify for the state’s popular merit-aid program because of new eligibility rules that took effect this year. About 18,000 fewer high-school seniors qualified for HOPE this year, compared with the average for the last two years, early state figures indicate. More than 200,000 college students in Georgia receive the award annually, which covers full tuition and fees at public institutions in the state and part of those expenses at private colleges in Georgia, according to the Georgia Student Finance Commission.

The new rules, approved by lawmakers back in 2004, set a tougher and more-uniform standard for students, replacing the scholarship’s B-average requirement — which school districts calculate differently — with a requirement that students carry at least a 3.0 grade-point average.

The changes were put in place to save the pioneering scholarship program from a projected financial deficit. Since that time, however, lottery revenues, which support the program, have soared, prompting some parents to argue that the new eligibility requirements should have been put on hold. They also note that the new system doesn’t give extra weight to tougher honors courses.

But some elected officials said it had been too easy for students to qualify for HOPE and that tougher standards were needed. —Karin Fischer