SP, how long has the Hope grant been around? I think our difference experience might be due to Hope grant. I'm pretty sure it was around when my brother was there. (And he was the reason I got to go visit the campus) His final year there was during the Olympics. This years out-of-state enrollment is 28%. A majority of those are from surrounding states, I'm sure.
The Hope grant has been around since the mid 1990's I think. Any GA high school student who maintains a 3.0 (I recall) average gets their tuition paid in any GA accredited college. But you must maintain a 3.0 average in college, but if you fall below that and bring it up then the state will pay for the next quarter. It is funded by the lottery.