When Effingham County High School senior Jordan Chisley checks into North Georgia College and State University, he won’t have many bills to worry about.

Chisley received a Georgia Military Scholarship on Thursday, worth thn $83,960.

“What a huge accomplishment,” said ECHS Principal Yancy Ford.

Chisley has entered the Army National Guard and will be a health care specialist. He will study nursing at North Georgia, located in Dahlonega. Once he graduates from North Georgia, he will serve for four years in the National Guard.

The only thing Chisley will have to pay for at North Georgia is a $150 room deposit, said Staff Sgt. Verdis Hall of the Georgia Army National Guard.

“So it’s a pretty significant scholarship,” he said.

Chisley is also a member of ECHS’ Air Force JROTC, but being a member of JROTC is not necessary to earn a Georgia Military Scholarship, said Staff Sgt. Hall.

“You don’t have to be ROTC to apply for the scholarship, but you have to go to North Georgia College and State University.”

They also have to serve for four years in the National Guard upon graduation, Hall said.

Though there are normally three scholarships for each Congressional district, Hall’s been able to secure five for this part of Georgia, including those for students at Screven County and Southeast Bulloch. Staff Sgt. Hall credited state Rep. Ann Purcell (R-Rincon) for coming up with the scholarship during her previous time in office.

North Georgia is one of only six senior military colleges in the nation, and applicants must be nominated by a member of the Georgia General Assembly. They are chosen by a selection committee through a competitive process.

“All I did was give a little push, and it was very little,” Rep. Purcell said. “The scholarship was deserved by Jordan.”

“I want to thank my parents,” Chisley said. “I don’t know what I’d do without them.”