The Goel Scholarship

The Goel Scholarship is a unique opportunity within the Honors College at Georgia Southern University for students to receive a full-ride scholarship to support the student’s college education and at the same time receive mentorship to ensure success during and after college. This scholarship covers 100% of tuition, mandatory fees, textbooks, meal plan, and housing for up to eight semesters. Recipients must be first generation college students, have demonstrated financial need, and be a resident of Georgia or a border state of Georgia (Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee). 

Benefits of this scholarship includes the following:

• Mentorship from other Goel Scholars and from the leadership of the Honors College
• Special professional development opportunities
• All of the benefits of participation in the Honors College at Georgia Southern University
• 100% financial coverage of the following:
  • Tuition and mandatory fees
  • Housing
  • Textbooks and institutional materials
  • Meal Plan

Recipients of this extraordinary award must meet the following criteria:

• Must be an incoming first-time freshman
• Must have permanent residency in Georgia or in one of the contiguous states (Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee)
• Must be a first-generation college student (defined as when neither parent has earned a bachelor’s degree or higher)
• Must have demonstrated financial need as determined by the Office of Financial Aid based on an applicant’s FAFSA

**Note: The Goel Scholarship operates as a “last dollar” scholarship. If a Goel Scholarship awardee is a Georgia resident with Hope or Zell, then their tuition is covered by the Hope or Zell scholarship and the Goel Scholarship will cover their residence hall, meal plan, and fees.

Application and Selection

To apply to become a Goel Scholar, follow the directions on how to apply to the Honors College at Georgia Southern listed here. 

All applicants to the Honors College who meet the Goel Scholars criteria and who meet the February 1st Honors College scholarship deadline will be considered for the award.  From that pool of applicants, a subset will be invited to interview with the Honors College during the month of February.  Students who are selected will be notified no later than mid-March. 

Those not eligible for the Goel Scholarship or those not selected may be considered for the full-tuition 1906 scholarship, the Honors College half tuition scholarship, the Honors Global Scholarship, the Honors Savannah Scholarship, or other merit awards offered by Georgia Southern University.  

Deadline to Apply

February 1, 2024

Last updated: 1/11/2024