The published price is not the bill, and the bill is not what you pay. Here is all three for 2026-27, for a Georgia student living on campus. A student starting in fall 2027 will pay 2027-28 prices, which colleges publish next spring and which usually run a little higher.
Across the 13 Georgia public colleges and universities compared here, the four-year gap after HOPE runs from $46,472 to $70,960 at Georgia State University. Clayton State University is 3rd cheapest at $53,608, roughly $17,352 less than the dearest. That is a real number, not a rounding difference.
Colleges publish a "cost of attendance" that includes books, travel and personal spending. Those are real costs, but the college never bills you for them, so the number you plan around is the smaller one.
| What it is | |
|---|---|
| Tuition, in state | $5,280 |
| Mandatory fees | $1,116 |
| Housing and meals on campus | $12,226 |
| Tuition, fees, housing and meals a year | $18,622 |
| Published cost of attendance | $25,742 |
The gap between the bill ($18,622) and the published figure ($25,742) is $7,120 of books, travel and spending money. Budget for it, but do not expect an invoice.
Housing and meals are the college's own figure for a first-year student living on campus. Your actual room and meal plan choices change them.
| Award | |
|---|---|
| HOPE Scholarship pays | $5,220 |
| Left to pay a year, with HOPE | $13,402 |
| Zell Miller Scholarship pays | $5,280 |
| Left to pay a year, with Zell Miller | $13,342 |
HOPE needs a 3.0 on the state's own recalculated HOPE GPA, which is not the one on your school report card, plus four rigor credits: advanced math or science, a foreign language, or AP, IB or dual enrollment core courses. Zell Miller needs a 3.7 HOPE GPA, the same rigor credits, and either a 1200 SAT (reading plus math) from a single national test date or a 25 ACT from a single test date. Both pay toward tuition only, never fees, housing or meals. The amounts here assume a full load of 15 credit hours a semester, which is where HOPE tops out.
With HOPE the whole degree leaves $53,608 to find. With Zell Miller, $53,368. That assumes this year's prices and first-year housing hold for all four years, and that HOPE is kept throughout (it takes a 3.0 in college at set checkpoints), so treat it as a starting point rather than a quote.
A dependent undergraduate can borrow $27,000 in federal student loans over four years: $5,500 the first year, $6,500 the second and $7,500 each year after. The gap here is $53,608, so the rest lands on a parent, on a Parent PLUS loan at a higher rate than the student's.
| Who borrows | |
|---|---|
| Student borrows, federal loans at 6.52% | $27,000 |
| Student owes when repayment starts, with interest from school | $31,546 |
| Student pays each month, 15 years | $275 |
| Parent borrows, Parent PLUS at 9.07% | $28,081 |
| Parent owes when repayment starts | $35,317 |
| Parent pays each month, 15 years | $360 |
| Paid every month once school ends | $635 |
An estimate for a student starting in fall 2027, at this year's rates: next year's rates are set each July. It includes the 1.057% and 4.228% loan fees, which come out of each loan, and the interest that builds while the student is in school. It assumes unsubsidized loans (subsidized loans need financial need and cost less) and that the parent postpones payments until six months after graduation, as most do; otherwise Parent PLUS payments start right away.
For this family, every $1,000 won in scholarships is about $2,385 less repaid over the life of the loans, because it comes off what would have been borrowed. If you were going to pay cash instead, winning $1,000 simply saves you $1,000. Outside scholarships also count toward your total aid, and if that total passes your financial need or the cost of attendance, federal rules make the college reduce other aid, usually loans or work-study first. Some colleges also reduce their own grants when they do not have to, so ask how yours handles it.
No. HOPE pays toward tuition only. At Clayton State University, housing and meals on campus are $12,226 a year and HOPE covers none of it, so after HOPE a student still owes $13,402 a year.
About $13,402 a year for tuition, fees, housing and meals, or $53,608 over four years, for a Georgia resident living on campus. Before HOPE, Clayton State University bills $18,622 a year.
No. Zell Miller covers in-state tuition in full, which is $5,280 here, but not the $1,116 in mandatory fees or the $12,226 for housing and meals. A Zell Miller student still owes $13,342 a year.
A dependent undergraduate can borrow up to $27,000 in federal student loans over four years ($5,500 the first year, $6,500 the second, $7,500 each year after). The four-year gap at Clayton State University after HOPE is $53,608, so a parent would borrow about $28,081 more, usually through a Parent PLUS loan at 9.07%, repaid over 15 years under the plan that applies to loans made after July 1, 2026.
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These are 2026-27 published figures for a Georgia resident living on campus, and the current federal loan rules. They are estimates to plan with, not a quote. Colleges change their figures, aid depends on your own circumstances, and your actual bill will differ. Confirm anything you are about to make a decision on with Clayton State University's financial aid office. Figures from the college's own published cost page.