When they made that change, we knew that was going to have a negative impact on some of our institutions more than it would on others. Lawmakers began griping shortly after the inception of the lottery-funded HOPE scholarship program in 1993 that private college students had an unfair advantage. While public school students had to maintain a B average for a scholarship, private college attendees received a HOPE check regardless of their grades. I thought it was totally unfair to let everyone in on the money tree just because they went to a private college. Boosters of the scholarship program contend state aid to private colleges is appropriate because it relieves potential crowding at the 34 state-operated colleges.
HOPE provides B-average public college students with free tuition, fees and a book allowance.
The phase-in for private school students began with the freshman class of 1996. That fall, the number of private college freshmen receiving the award dropped from 12,800 the previous year, when it was essentially a grant, to 9,000. This year, through the end of May, the freshman private college HOPE count was 7,291. Glenn Newsome, director of the Student Finance Commission, which administers HOPE, said the figures for the 1998-99 school year may increase some by the time the final numbers are in. When you raise standards, you are going to have fewer that can meet the standards.