Some future HOPE scholars may have to foot part of the bill for college — even if they're straight-A students.

Legislation approved by the House on Tuesday would restrict tuition for students receiving a HOPE scholarship to a maximum of 127 credit hours, even if their degrees demand more credits to earn a diploma. It would take effect for students enrolling next fall.

Rep. Bill Hembree (R-Douglasville), the bill's sponsor, said some students are getting lottery-funded HOPE benefits to pay for up to 150 credit hours when most degrees require 120.

"This is an issue of fairness. All programs and all HOPE scholars should be equal," said Hembree, who is chairman of the House Higher Education Committee.

About 7,300 of the 120,000 HOPE scholars in public and private colleges in Georgia are in programs that require more than 127 credits to graduate, including more than 2,000 enrolled in Georgia Tech engineering programs and about 200 pharmacy students at the University of Georgia. If a student had to pay undergraduate tuition for an additional semester at Tech or UGA, it would cost nearly $1,700.

"I don't think a student should be punished because they're studying something that the university or the state of Georgia has decided requires a couple of more classes," said Will Childs, student body president at UGA. He wrote to lawmakers Tuesday, pleading with them to vote against the bill.

Full-time public college students with HOPE scholarships get full tuition, mandatory fees and a book allowance.

Many Democrats opposed Hembree's measure, saying students deserve to finish their degrees on HOPE if they can keep up their grades. HOPE scholars must maintain a 3.0 grade point average.

"Let's vote for the students of this state who are willing to work a little harder and have earned that HOPE scholarship," said House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin). "This is not abuse when you enter a harder career track and it takes more hours. It is wrong to come in here and take that away."

Hembree said some of the lengthy degree programs offer students a chance to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree. For instance, Georgia Southern University has nursing and accounting programs in which students earn two degrees, officials said. HOPE pays for 150 hours for qualified students in those programs.

Hembree said HOPE wasn't designed to pay for master's degrees. He presented House members with letters from the presidents of the University of Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern and the chancellor of the University System of Georgia supporting his bill.

"I support this bill and believe it will help preserve the HOPE program for years to come without negatively affecting many of our current HOPE scholars," wrote Georgia State President Carl Patton.

Rep. Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta) argued that in many cases, students still would be able to complete their degrees on HOPE. Most undergraduates would get a one-semester grace period after hitting the limit on credit hours, he said. The grace period isn't part of the legislation but is a policy of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which administers the HOPE program. Members of the commission assured lawmakers that the grace period will continue.

Rep. Terry Coleman (D-Eastman) said limiting credit hours paid by HOPE might cause college counselors to advise students to take the wrong classes. Students also could run into financial trouble when they switch to schools that don't accept the credits they earned elsewhere or if they change majors.

"The problem is that this [bill] is intended for a perfect world. We don't live in a perfect world," Coleman said. "If you vote for this bill, you are going to get kicked around at home," he warned his colleagues.

Rep. Amos Amerson (R-Dahlonega), who taught at North Georgia College & State University, said some students take advantage of HOPE by taking extra courses or switching degree programs. "Students in college are not dumb," he said. "They know how to work the system."

Lowell Mooney, the academic director for the School of Accountancy at Georgia Southern, said he was concerned that the proposal could discourage students from seeking the five-year degree. There are currently more than 60 students in the dual bachelor's and master's degree program.

Students are required to take 150 credit hours of classes to become certified accountants, Mooney said.

Without HOPE, "it will be up to students to decide whether to finish the fifth year or move home. We're not sure what will happen to the numbers," he said.

Marie Mons, the director of student financial planning and services at Georgia Tech, called the cuts a "darn shame."

"These are the students that HOPE was created for," Mons said. "I just hate it that the belt-tightening had to come to this."

— Staff writer Andrea Jones contributed to this article.