ATLANTA – Aspiring students will have a few more years to use Georgia’s HOPE scholarship funds under a bill that is now sitting on the governor’s desk.

“Sometimes life just gets in the way,” said Rep. Rick Williams, a Republican from Milledgeville, who is the sponsor. “And we need people to be able to have a little more time to complete their education.”

The measure gives would-be students a decade to take advantage of the lottery-funded scholarship program. Currently, they have seven years.

And time spent serving in the military would not eat up a person’s eligibility time.

“Whether it’s starting a family or military service or illness or whatever circumstance, this allows them to go back and get a degree, further their education and participate more in the workforce,” Williams said.

The extension would only apply to those who become eligible for HOPE starting this year, meaning the changes would not begin to have an impact until 2027.

At that point, the state estimates that as many as 1,300 people would benefit from the extended time period, costing the state as much as $3.2 million the first year.