HB 1417: Education; inclusion of advanced placement, international baccalaureate, and Cambridge fine arts courses in calculation of grade point averages for determining student eligibility for HOPE scholarships and other scholarships; provide

Right now, Georgia's HOPE scholarship grade point average is calculated from grades in English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language, weighted for advanced placement, dual credit, and international baccalaureate coursework. Fine arts courses are not part of that calculation. This bill amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-157 to add advanced placement, international baccalaureate, and Cambridge fine arts courses to the list of subjects the Georgia Student Finance Commission uses when calculating grade point averages for HOPE and other referenced scholarships. The bill defines 'fine arts' as an advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or Cambridge course that the Department of Education has given a unique course number and name identifying it as one of those course types. It specifies that the Georgia Student Finance Commission will not apply this change to students who graduated from high school before July 1, 2026, the date the law would take effect.

• Adds fine arts coursework (limited to advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or Cambridge fine arts courses) to the subjects used in calculating HOPE scholarship grade point averages.
• Defines 'fine arts' as an AP, IB, or Cambridge course that the Department of Education has coded with a unique course number identifying it as such.
• Blocks retroactive application by barring the Georgia Student Finance Commission from including fine arts grades for students who graduated high school before July 1, 2026.
• Sets the effective date of the changes as July 1, 2026.

Georgia high school students taking advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or Cambridge fine arts courses who are applying for the HOPE scholarship or other referenced scholarships, along with the Georgia Student Finance Commission and the Department of Education, which administer and code these courses.

Students who take advanced fine arts coursework could see it factored into their HOPE eligibility calculation, potentially affecting whether they qualify or how their grade point average is weighted, while students who already graduated before July 1, 2026 would not have their past grade point averages recalculated.

• Section 1 revises subsection (a.1) of O.C.G.A. § 20-2-157 to define 'fine arts' as AP, IB, or Cambridge fine arts courses specifically coded by the Department of Education.
• Section 1 revises paragraph (3.1) of subsection (b) to add fine arts to the list of subjects (English, math, science, social studies, foreign language) used in the GPA calculation for HOPE eligibility.
• Section 1 revises paragraph (3) of subsection (c) to bar the Georgia Student Finance Commission from including fine arts grades for students who graduated before July 1, 2026.
• Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-25House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-24House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-20House Hopper (House)

• Lisa Campbell (D, HD-035)Primary sponsor
• Karen Lupton (D, HD-083)
• Chris Erwin (R, HD-032)
• David Wilkerson (D, HD-038)
• Doreen Carter (D, HD-093)
• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)

• HOPE scholarship
• fine arts education
• grade point average
• Georgia high schools
• scholarship eligibility