60 Georgia colleges, universities to waive application fees
The fee waivers come to Georgia high school seniors through the GSFC's Find Your MATCH in March initiative.
For the special initiative, any high school seniors who apply for colleges in the state would have their fees waived, but they have to apply between March 1 and March 30.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
Some Cobb Co. parents uneasy after teacher charged in family violence case
Man meeting Gwinnett County teens with luxury gifts banned from schools
New FBI Atlanta head says agency's biggest goal is keeping Georgians safe: 'We follow the facts'
'We are working to let every Georgian know there is a path to a successful career for them right here in the Peach State, starting at one of our institutions of higher learning,' Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement. 'That's why allowing our prospective students and their families an opportunity to apply to college with no application fee this month is so important. It further opens the door to a rewarding career and lets young Georgians know they can find success right here in their home state.'
State officials said this is the eighth time the waivers for application fees have been used since 2022, and that there is no limit on how many schools a student can apply to fee-free.
'Over 137,000 Georgia high school seniors have an opportunity to apply to college free in March through the GEORGIA MATCH dashboard,' Georgia Student Finance Commission President Lynne Riley said. 'The Find Your MATCH in March initiative encourages seniors to take advantage of college application fee waivers, direct admissions through GEORGIA MATCH, and over $1 billion in financial aid available annually through Georgia's HOPE Scholarship and other grant and loan programs.'
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
GA lawmakers trying to eliminate state income tax, replace $16B shortfall
Efforts are underway to eliminate Georgia's state income tax, a move that could create a $16 billion hole in the state budget. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The proposed elimination of the state income tax is being led by state Sen. Blake Tillery, who is also running for lieutenant governor. 'The end goal is already clear: Elimination of the personal income tax in Georgia,' Tillery told Channel 2's Richard Elliot. The initiative is supported by current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has also made it a cornerstone of his campaign for governor. 'If we want to continue to stay competitive here in the state of Georgia and continue to be the number one state to do business, we've got to be looking for ways to keep competitive,' Jones said. The state income tax currently generates $16.2 billion annually, funding essential services such as education and law enforcement. Democrats, including state Sen. Nan Orrock, have expressed willingness to listen but raised concerns about the revenue gap. 'How are we going to fund things? Essential services in the state of Georgia? The schools, the teachers and the payroll?' state Sen. Ed Haribson said. The study committee, chaired by Tillery, is tasked with investigating possible alternatives to replace the lost revenue. Georgia lawmakers are particularly concerned about staying competitive with other Southeastern states like Texas, Tennessee and Florida, which do not have a state income tax. Those states generate revenue through other means, such as corporate income taxes, franchise taxes, fees, and toll roads. Tillery said he has been developing this plan for several years, acknowledging the need to find alternative revenue sources to compensate for the potential loss. This is the purpose of the study committee, which aims to explore viable solutions. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rivian moving forward on $5B Georgia EV plant
This story was originally published on Automotive Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Automotive Dive newsletter. Rivian will host two special events next month to mark the restart of construction of its $5 billion Georgia electric vehicle factory, a company spokesperson said in an email to Automotive Dive. A community event is set for Sept. 14, which will be followed by a formal kickoff ceremony on Sept. 16 'in celebration of our strong partnership with Georgia and the planned resumption of construction in 2026,' the spokesperson said. The kickoff will be attended by stakeholders and government officials including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The plant near Social Circle is expected to start production in 2028 with an annual capacity of about 200,000 units. The battery electric vehicle maker has faced hurdles with its Georgia factory project. In March 2024, Rivian announced it was stopping construction to save money, deciding instead to move production of its upcoming R2 SUV to its plant in Normal, Illinois, to expedite sales. Rivian was able to get the project back on track after it won final approval for a $6.6 billion Department of Energy loan, in January. However, Rivian cannot access the funds—which are available through September 2028—until it resumes work on the Georgia factory. Rivian is investing heavily in Georgia. The company in July announced that it was opening a new East Coast headquarters in Atlanta later this year that will initially employ 100 people, but will ultimately house 500 workers to support its operations in the state. Recommended Reading Rivian announces new Atlanta headquarters
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Forbes
Gubernatorial Candidates Campaign On Phasing Out State Income Taxes
Congress is out for August recess and most state legislatures won't be back in regular session until January, but reform-minded state lawmakers are already working on their legislative priorities for 2026. Take Georgia, where Lt. Governor Burt Jones (R), the leading contender to succeed Governor Brian Kemp (R), recently announced the formation of a state senate committee tasked with formulating a plan by the end of this year to phase out Georgia's state income tax over time. 'Last year alone, nine states cut individual income taxes, and three others cut corporate income taxes,' Lt. Governor Jones said in his July 17 statement announcing the committee's creation, adding that 'among southeast states, only South Carolina has a higher income tax rate than Georgia. If we wish to remain the number one state for business and keep our state competitive, we must expand on the progress made over the past four years to eliminate Georgia's income tax.' Georgia lawmakers have had success in flattening and reducing the state income tax, with Georgia's personal income tax now on track to fall below 5% by the time Governor Kemp leaves office, but it hasn't kept pace with the rate reduction that lawmakers in neighboring and other competing states have enacted in recent years. The 6% top marginal rate that Georgia had before Governor Kemp started cutting and flattening the state income tax wasn't regionally uncompetitive back when North Carolina had a progressive income tax code with a top rate of 7.75% and when South Carolina levied a top marginal rate of 7%. But times have changed. Even when the state income tax drops to 4.99%, Georgia will still impose a higher income tax rate than North Carolina's now 4.25% personal income tax, which is scheduled to fall to 3.99% at the end of 2025 and then as low as 2.49% by the end of this decade if annual revenue triggers are met. Meanwhile South Carolina, which had been a tax cut laggard for most of the past decade, is now poised to leapfrog Georgia, North Carolina, and many other states when it comes to income tax rate reduction. Lt. Governor Jones noted that South Carolina is the only state in the region with a higher personal income tax rate than Georgia, but Palmetto State lawmakers are working to make it so that is no longer the case. This past spring, South Carolina House Speaker Murrell Smith (R), House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Bruce Bannister (R), and their colleagues passed legislation that will move South Carolina over the next five years from a progressive income tax code with rates of 3.5% and 6% to a 1.99% single rate income tax. The South Carolina Senate will take up that tax reform package in January and Governor Henry McMaster (R-S.C.) has urged legislators to send further income tax relief to his desk. Should the South Carolina Senate pass a tax reform package next year that matches the 1.99% flat rate approved by the House, that would give South Carolina the nation's lowest flat income tax. In a crowded field to be South Carolina's next governor, meanwhile, nearly every GOP candidate running in the primary has declared that, like Burt Jones in Georgia, their top fiscal goal is elimination of the state income tax. 'When I'm Governor, we're going to eliminate the state income tax,' said South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R), who is now running for governor. 'Not only will it be the jet fuel we need to boost South Carolina to new economic heights, it's also the right thing to do—putting more money back in South Carolina families' pockets.' Wilson's commitment to eliminating South Carolina's income tax has been echoed by by his fellow gubernatorial primary candidates, including Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Lt. Governor Pamela Evette (R-S.C.). As Wilson, Jones, and other leading state officials work to have their states join nearby Tennessee and Florida in the club of no-income-tax states, they'll find they can strengthen their tax cutting capacity by growing state spending at a more modest clip moving forward, one in line with population growth plus inflation. In Georgia, for example, the state would've spent $2.5 billion less last year than it actually did had the state budget grown in line with population growth plus inflation over the past decade. Meanwhile in South Carolina, the state would've spent $6.8 billion less last year than it actually did had lawmakers in Columbia grown state spending over the past decade in line with population growth plus inflation. Nationwide, had all 50 states grown their budgets in line with population growth plus inflation over the past decade, total state outlays in 2024 would've been $328 billion less than the $1.9 trillion that was actually spent. Put another way, the 50 state governments spent 20% more than they would have last year had spending grown in step with population growth plus inflation for the previous decade. Members of the Georgia Tax Elimination Committee will hold their first monthly hearing on August 19 in Atlanta. Members of that bipartisan committee, which will be chaired by Senator Blake Tillery (R), include outgoing Senate President Pro Tempore John Kennedy (R), Senator Steve Gooch (R), Senator Greg Dolezal (R), incoming Senate President Pro Tempore Larry Walker (R), Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte (R), Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R), Senator Sam Watson (R), Senators Ed Harbison (D), Senator Nan Orrock (D), and Michael Rhett (D). Since 2019, nine states have moved from a progressive to a flat income tax, with Georgia being one of them. In the first half of this year alone, lawmakers in 12 states cut their income tax rate, with Georgia once again among them. In three states, meanwhile, governors signed legislation this year to phase out their income tax entirely in the coming years. Though Georgia wasn't one of those three, Georgia could very well beat all of those states to zero income tax if Lt. Governor Jones' committee is successful.
