Administrators voice concern at the disparity in who keeps HOPE, and they are at a loss to explain it. He notes that the retention rates of white and black freshmen do not show such a large gap. No matter what controversy or debate HOPE inspires, however, officials here love the scholarships. It has given them a bevy of statistics to boast about. Fifty per cent of those admitted to the university in 1997 chose to enroll, compared with 42 per cent in 1993.
Many alumni complain that the entrance requirements are too high, shutting out their children.
Some members of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia have also said that the flagship does not admit enough state residents. But other Georgians are proud of the new reputation of their alma mater. I understand the debate, but I think, above all, the mission of the university should be excellence. The question of whether HOPE has, in fact, increased the rigor of course work and the quality of students remains an open one. Institutional data are so mixed that even those who believe that HOPE has done wonders for the university acknowledge that students may not be as well prepared as they seem, or classes as immune to grade inflation as officials want to believe.