Georgia Promise Scholarship Approved Expenses: What You Can and Cannot Buy

What the $6,500 Can Cover

The Georgia Promise Scholarship lets families direct up to $6,500 per student per year toward approved educational expenses. All spending flows through the Odyssey marketplace platform — no cash changes hands, and families cannot receive direct reimbursements under standard workflows.

Here's what qualifies:

Tuition and mandatory fees. Payments to participating private schools go directly from the student's Odyssey account to the school's bank account. This also covers non-public online learning programs for home study families.

Curriculum and course materials. Core subject textbooks, instructional supplements, and required course materials for reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science all qualify.

Tutoring services. The tutor must hold certification from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC). Uncertified tutors, family members, and parents cannot bill the account, even if they provide instruction.

Therapy services. Occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language therapy from licensed practitioners are approved. The provider must hold a valid state professional license.

Standardized testing fees. Annual assessment costs and approved norm-referenced exam fees are covered. Since Promise students must test every year (unlike the every-three-years rule for standard homeschoolers), this adds up.

Transportation. Capped at $500 per academic year for travel to approved educational providers.

What's Explicitly Prohibited

General technology and devices. During the legislative drafting of SB 233, language permitting laptops, computers, and consumer electronics was specifically removed from the final statute. Hardware purchases are restricted and generally unapproved unless GESA authorizes a specific item as a specialized educational accessibility device.

Family-billed services. Parents, siblings, and other family members cannot bill the scholarship account for any services or products. Period.

Institutional rebates. Private schools and vendors cannot refund, rebate, or return account funds directly to parents. If a vendor gives you a credit, it stays within the Odyssey system.

Office supplies. General office supplies that aren't directly tied to core curriculum instruction typically fall outside the approved categories. If you're unsure about a specific item, submit a pre-approval request through GESA before purchasing.

The Pre-Approval Process for Non-Marketplace Items

Not everything you need will appear in the Odyssey catalog. If you want to use scholarship funds for a service or product that isn't listed, you need to go through the custom vendor approval process.

Vendors apply for approved-vendor status with GESA and Odyssey, submitting credentials like PSC certificates or state medical licenses. The timeline varies — first-year families reported vendor verification taking anywhere from several days to eight months.

For parents, the practical path is:

1. Check whether the vendor or item already exists in the Odyssey marketplace
2. If not, ask the vendor to apply for GESA/Odyssey approved status
3. Wait for approval before committing to the purchase
4. Only then direct a payment from your account

Any invoice flagged for non-qualifying line items triggers an automatic hold. Submitting unauthorized invoices or misrepresenting purchases can result in account suspension and referral to the Georgia Attorney General.

Home Study vs. Private School: Different Spending Realities

The approved expense categories overlap heavily between home study and private school families, but the experience is different.

Private school families typically direct most of their $6,500 straight to tuition. The quarterly payment schedule means $1,625 lands per quarter — for schools charging $10,000+ annually, the scholarship covers a meaningful chunk but won't eliminate the gap entirely.

Home study families have more spending decisions to make. They're choosing between curriculum packages, individual tutors, therapy providers, and testing services, all while tracking which purchases qualify and which don't. The Odyssey marketplace provides some guardrails (pre-approved items clear at checkout), but the catalog doesn't include every available educational option.

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Parent Guide includes an itemized expense matrix breaking down what qualifies in each spending category, plus a pre-approval request walkthrough for vendors that aren't yet in the Odyssey system.

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