Licensee Scholarships
The Georgia! Association of REALTORS® Scholarship Foundation, Inc. was established in 1985 primarily due to the efforts of the late Ed Isakson, a Past President of the Georgia Association of REALTORS®. The ultimate goal is to accumulate a total of $1,000,000.00 for the scholarship program to benefit real estate licensees in the State of Georgia. The current balance is over $1 million which includes a 1987 and 1995 grant from the Georgia Real Estate Commission. Only the interest from this total is available for awarding scholarships.
The scholarship program was developed to assist persons in the real estate field who are seeking to obtain a related designation such as the GRI (Graduate, REALTOR® Institute), CPM (Certified Property Manager), CAE (Certified Association Executive), CRS (Certified Residential Specialist), CRB (Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager) and the many other designations in real estate related fields. For a list of approved certifications/or designations see below. If a course is not included on this list, contact the Professional Development Department at to request a form to submit the course for scholarship consideration . Once the form has been submitted, the Scholarship Foundation will determine whether that course meets the requirements for scholarship eligibility.
GAR will contact you via when your application is complete and provide additional information on the timeline for consideration. If you do not receive that completion email before the application deadline, please contact GAR. Your scholarship application will automatically be denied if information is missing / ineligible after the application deadline.
GAR Scholarship applications are for one designation or certification course required towards obtaining an approved designation or certification, not the entire designation or certification requirements. Please fill out one application per certification or designation.
The Scholarship Foundation is a tax-exempt foundation; therefore, applicants are encouraged regardless of any affiliation. Recipients are chosen on a non-discriminatory basis without preference for employment or affiliation with any real estate firm, broker, or membership in a professional organization. In fact, the scholarship application is designed to be separated so that the Trustees are unaware of the applicant’s name, firm, or affiliation.
Once you complete the eligible course, you may begin the application process. Be sure to complete the application by the appropriate application deadline noted in the “Application Deadlines” section below. One course per application.
Georgia licensees with an active real estate license and/or employees of Georgia real estate trade or professional organizations are eligible for a GAR Scholarship. GAR staff and their immediate families (spouses, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, grandchildren and their spouses) are not eligible.
Recipients will be chosen without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, age, or membership in any organization. Recipients will be chosen without preference for employment or affiliation with any licensed real estate firm or broker or membership in a professional organization. In fact, the Trustees are unaware of the applicant’s name, firm, or affiliation when considering scholarship requests.
A scholarship application may be for the combined total of the registration fees for completion of the approved bundling of courses listed below. The application deadline date will be determined based on the date of completion of the last course in the bundle.
- CCIM CI 101 -104 Courses
- CRS “Listing Strategies for the Residential Specialist” and “Effective Buyer Sales Strategies” when purchased as a bundled package for Georgia Sales Post-License credit.
- CRS “Listing Strategies for the Residential Specialist” and “Effective Buyer Sales Strategies” purchased as two separate courses when completed in the same calendar year.
- GRI Core Courses (GRI Risk Management, GRI Skill Building and/or GRI Systems and Tools) completed in the same calendar year.
Applications and all supporting documentation must be received electronically via the ONLINE APPLICATION FORM by the Georgia Association of REALTORS® Scholarship Foundation, Inc. by the following dates:
- April 15 for courses completed January 1 through March 31
- July 15 for courses completed April 1 through June 30
- October 15 for courses completed July 1 through September 30
- January 15 for courses completed October 1 through December 31 of the previous year
Applicants will be notified once scholarship applications have been considered. (Please allow 4 weeks from the application deadline date to receive notification.)
Requests for scholarships must be accompanied by:
- Itemized proof of payment (For example, a detailed registration confirmation email that includes student name, course and fee paid.)
- Proof of successful completion (For example, a GREC license record showing CE credit or a personalized certificate showing student name, course name and completion date.)
If you have any questions, please contact the Georgia REALTORS® at or 678-597-4135.
There is no predetermined number of scholarships or dollar amount of scholarships awarded in any given year. The decision on scholarships awarded is dependent on the number of completed applications for eligible courses and the amounts requested. Only the interest earned on Scholarship funds the previous calendar year, less administrative expenses authorized by the Board of Directors, may be used for awarding scholarships. No part of the principal may be used except as authorized in the Bylaws of the Foundation and approved by the Trustees of the Foundation.
Scholarships are for tuition only and are limited to two per person per calendar year. Scholarships will be granted for the course requested and only for such courses that lead to a real estate-related professional designation. The Board of Trustees will determine the dollar amount of scholarships for a particular course, which may vary from time to time, depending upon the funds available.
Courses towards earning the following designations and certifications are eligible for a GAR Scholarship:
- All NAR designation/certification courses
- ASP (Accredited Staging Professional)
- ASR (Accredited Seller Representative)
- CCT (Client-Centric Training) – This is one course that combines two courses. Registration and completion proof must show this the CCT as the course. The two embedded courses are not eligible for bundling: ABR and SRS.
- CDEI (Certified Distance Education Instructor)
- CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert)
- CLHMS (Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist)
- CNE (Certified Negotiation Expert)
- DPP (Distressed Properties Professional)
- GRI (Graduate, REALTOR® Institute)
- Master of Corporate Real Estate (MCR)
- Military Residential Specialist (MilRES)
- TRC (Transnational Referral Certification)