Is a driving school scholarship available at Drive Smart Georgia?
What is a driving school scholarship and is it available at Drive Smart Georgia? The easy answer is yes, but the program is not really called a driving school scholarship. Instead, it’s called the Georgia Driver’s Ed Scholarship Program.
It’s a grant initiative aimed at assisting teens in covering the costs associated with completing a driver’s education course, as required by Joshua’s Law. This program is a fantastic resource for eligible teens who might otherwise face financial barriers to completing their mandatory driver’s education requirements. The best news is that recipients can then apply the scholarship to take Driver’s Ed at a state-approved driving school, like Drive Smart Georgia.
Overview of the Georgia Driver’s Ed Scholarship Program
The Georgia Driver’s Ed Scholarship Program is a financial aid initiative designed to help teens meet the Joshua’s Law requirements necessary to obtain a Georgia driver’s license. This program provides eligible students with a scholarship to cover the cost of a 30-hour Driver’s Ed course and in-car driving lessons at a certified driving school – with NO out-of-pocket expense.
The scholarship ensures that financial barriers do not prevent teens from receiving proper driver education, promoting safer roads and responsible driving habits.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Age: Be between 15 and 17 years old.
- Permit/License: Possess a valid Georgia Instructional Permit (Learner’s Permit) or Driver’s License.
Enrollment Requirements
Applicants must enroll in a driver’s education program that includes:
- Classroom Instruction: 30 hours of in-person classroom training or participation in an approved online program (such as Zoom-based sessions).
- Behind-the-Wheel Training: 6 hours of hands-on driving instruction with a certified instructor.
Administering Body
The Georgia Driver’s Education Commission manages and oversees the program.
How are driving school scholarships awarded in Georgia?
The Georgia Driver’s Ed Scholarship Program ensures an impartial and fair distribution of scholarships by prioritizing applicants based on specific eligibility criteria. Additionally, the program maintains a geographic balance across Georgia, ensuring that teens from all regions have an equal opportunity to receive funding for their driver’s education. This approach helps to make the program accessible to a diverse range of students while promoting road safety statewide.
Priority Levels
First Priority:
- Children or dependents of Georgia first responders who were disabled or killed in the line of duty.
- Children or dependents of U.S. military members who were killed in action.
- Applicants in state custody under the care of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
Second Priority:
Georgia Driver’s Ed Scholarship are then awarded to applicants who demonstrate financial need based on family income.
Fairness and Selection
- Scholarships within each priority level are distributed fairly.
- If there are insufficient funds to cover all eligible applicants within a priority group, recipients are selected randomly by computer to ensure impartiality.
- Efforts are made to balance scholarship distribution across different geographic regions of the state.
Geographic Equity:
Scholarships are evenly distributed across Georgia’s U.S. Congressional Districts, maintaining balance and accessibility across regions.
Application Timing:
The date of application submission does not influence the selection process, ensuring no undue advantage for early or late applicants.
Award Timing:
- The Georgia Driver’s Education Commission grants scholarships on the 1st day of each month by 11:59 PM, with notifications sent via email.
- Awards must be confirmed before the start date of the driver’s training program the recipient plans to attend.
- This policy ensures transparency, fairness, and equal opportunity across applicants, regardless of submission timing or external influence.
Simply follow these steps to apply for a no-cost Georgia Driver’s Ed scholarship at Drive Smart Georgia.
Driver’s Ed scholarship: Step #1
- To begin, click on THIS LINK and scroll to the bottom of the page to fill out the fields listed in the “Parent/Student Sign-Up” section.
- You will then see this message appear on your screen, “Thank you for submitting your information.”
- After an account has been created, the commission will send an email with credentials and link to login.
- If you do not receive the login email in your inbox, check your spam folder for the email.
How soon will I hear back from the State of Georgia about the scholarship?
- Grant scholarships are awarded monthly
- Applications for the scholarships are due by the 5th of every month.
- Awards and denials are issued by the 20th of each month and will be sent by email.
- For more information, and to see if you qualify, please CLICK HERE.
Driver’s Ed scholarship: Step #2
- After receiving notification of your grant scholarship award, you will then receive an email that includes a redemption code.
- After you receive your code, forward the email with the redemption code to us at [email protected]. Please attach a digital photo of your learner’s permit because we will need it and the email with the redemption code before we can register you for the Driver’s Ed class.
- You will then receive an email from Drive Smart Georgia stating we received your confirmation code and learner’s permit. Let us know what location and the start date of your chosen class.
We will be more than happy to help you register for our $599 Road Wise package that includes the 30-hour Driver’s Ed class and 6 hours of in-car driving lessons. There are no out-of-pocket costs for teens that receive the scholarship.
Benefits of taking Driver’s Ed at Drive Smart Georgia
If you’re a Georgia Driver’s Ed Scholarship recipient looking for the best driving school in Atlanta, it’s important to choose wisely – not all driving schools are the same. At Drive Smart Georgia, we go beyond just helping students pass their driving test – we focus on building lifelong safe driving habits.
- Endorsed by Alan Brown – We are the ONLY driving school that is endorsed by Alan Brown, the Founder of Joshua’s Law.
- State-of-the-art classrooms – Equipped with large 72” screens.
- AAA Endorsed – Backed by the nation’s top automobile safety authority
- Proven experience – We’ve trained more than 60,000 students in the last 16 years.
- Multiple locations – Students can take Driver’s Ed in a classroom setting at our Johns Creek, Alpharetta or Cumming location or from the comfort of their own home with a Zoom class.
- High success rate – 93% of our students pass their driving test.
Choosing the right driving school makes all the difference. If you want top-tier driver’s education, Drive Smart Georgia is the way to go!
When can scholarship recipients begin in-car driving lessons?
After completion of the 30-hour Drivers Ed class, scholarship recipients or their parents can then login to Drive Scout (our exclusive scheduling app) to sign up for three 2-hour in-car driving lessons. There is no cost for Drivers Ed scholarship recipients!
Drive Smart Georgia Locations:
- Johns Creek: 11380 Southbridge Pkwy., Suite 220. Alpharetta, GA 30022. Call (770) 232-0903.
- Alpharetta: 5354 McGinnis Ferry Rd., Suite 226B. Alpharetta, GA 30005. Call (770) 232-0900.
- Cumming: 1790 Peachtree Pkwy, Suite 202, Cumming, GA 30041. Call (470) 239-4294.
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- What to expect during Driver’s Ed classes
- What to expect during in-car driving lessons at Drive Smart Georgia
- Defensive Driving is now available at Drive Smart Georgia