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ACCEL Program

ACCEL is a program offered during the fall and spring terms of the school year for students that wish to take college-level (academic-only, degree-level) coursework for credit towards both high school and college graduation requirements.  Eligible students must meet certain criteria included in the section below.  The ACCEL Program is funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education and administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC).

ACCEL Student Requirements
An ACCEL student must:

  • Be classified as a high school junior or senior seeking a high school diploma from an eligible Georgia high school, or be a high school freshman or sophomore who meets the specific academic requirements of the ACCEL program regulations.  Ninth and tenth graders may participate if they have earned a 3.50 cumulative GPA, have been approved by the student’s high school and postsecondary institution for College Credit Now, and the high school has certified that the student has exhausted all core coursework required for graduation in any one or more core subject areas (English, Mathematics, Social Science, Science and Foreign Language),
  • Be enrolled in an eligible college or university or public technical college as a dual credit student taking approved college degree-level course work leading to an Associate or Baccalaureate Degree,
  • Be a legal resident of Georgia,
  • Meet U.S. citizenship requirements, as explained in the ACCEL program regulations, located on the GAcollege411 web site,
  • Be registered with Selective Service, if required,
  • Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education act of 1990,
  • Not be in default or owe a refund on any student financial aid program, and
  • Maintain satisfactory academic progress, as defined by the college.
  • ACCEL students may be enrolled part-time or full-time in college-level coursework.
  • NOTE: All hours paid by the ACCEL program will NOT be included in the combined paid-hours limit of 127 semester hours, which includes payments from the HOPE Scholarship, HOPE Grant and ACCEL programs.
  • As stated above, hours paid under ACCEL will not count against the 127 paid hour cap for the HOPE Scholarship, but college coursework taken by high school students before Fall 2011 will still count against the HOPE cap.