Top APS Students to Get Full Tuition Scholarship to Georgia Tech

The idea’s simple: Graduate as valedictorian or salutatorian of your high school class, and you get comp’d four years of tuition as a Yellow Jacket.

Speaking Thursday at Booker T. Washington High School in southwest Atlanta, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen praised the partnership for opening new doors.

“No matter what your household income, or anything about it, you can receive a world-class, top-notch, first-rate, awesome college education by being part of this scholars program with Georgia Tech.”

Outside Washington High School’s assembly hall, junior Usiel Hernandez poses for a “selfie” with Georgia Tech President Bud Peterson and Superintendent Carstarphen. He says before today, Tech hadn’t been on his radar. It is now.

“It’s a really big deal, especially if you go to Georgia Tech. It’s a very prestigious institution, so the tuition is going to be really high.  So with the scholarships, it’s good.”  

Although there are other scholarship programs for students across the state, this partnership is only for APS students.  At least for now.

“We’ll start with this, and see how it works,” says Tech President Bud Peterson. ”And if it works well, we can entertain the opportunity of trying to expand it.”

The program starts with class of 2015 graduates.  The scholarships are worth about $36,000 over the course of four years.