Regents Approve Final Guidelines for Millennium Scholarship
LAS VEGAS -- The Class of 2000 will have to wait no more. Eligibility requirements for Nevada's Millennium Scholarship were approved this afternoon by the Board of Regents.
"I'm very excited about the opportunities these scholarships will provide to Nevada students," said Dr. Jill Derby, Board chair. "Our initial estimates show that approximately 6,400 students would be eligible to take advantage of this innovative program next fall and at least 3,700 will do so."
The guidelines specify that students will qualify with a 3.0 overall grade point average at the time of graduation. For students who have honors and similar advanced courses, a weighted grade point average may be used to qualify. If either the weighted or unweighted grade point average is 3.0 or above, the student will meet this requirement.
Students must also have been a resident of Nevada for at least two years and have passed the Nevada High School Proficiency Examination.
Beginning in 2003, high school graduates will qualify on the basis of a 3.0 grade point average calculated only on academic subjects (or vocational/technical courses if appropriate).
A complete copy of the requirements is attached and can also be seen on the UCCSN web site at http://www.nevada.edu/index2.html.
The Office of the State Treasurer will house a Coordinator of the Millennium Scholarships who will be working with parents, students, high school counselors and Nevada's public higher education institutions to complete the details on the administration of the scholarships.
During Governor Kenny Guinn's State of the State address in January, he announced a proposal to use a portion of Nevada's tobacco settlement money to create scholarships for each Nevada high school student starting with the Class of 2000.
For the 2000-2001 academic year, Millennium Scholars will receive $40 per enrolled credit hour at a UCCSN community college and $80 per enrolled credit hour at a UCCSN university.
The maximum lifetime Millennium Scholarship award a student may receive is $10,000.
The Millennium Scholarship program is estimated to cost $7.5 million in the first year and up to $25 million in subsequent years. Unused portions will be reverted to an endowment fund each year with the hope of funding the program in perpetuity.
Financial aid programs like the Millennium Scholarship have begun to make their marks in other states as well. In Georgia, high school seniors with a B grade point average are eligible for a HOPE Scholarship which is funded through the state's lottery.
From 1993 to 1998, Georgia has invested $470 million in state lottery funds to send more than 300,000 students to technical programs, state colleges and universities.
Comprised of two doctoral-granting universities, four comprehensive community colleges and one environmental research institution, the University and Community College System of Nevada serves the educational and job training needs of the nation's fastest growing state. As Nevada's only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to more than 82,000 students.
###
BOARD OF REGENTS
MILLENNIUM SCHOLARSHIP
The following information was adopted by the Board of Regents on October 21, 1999 for inclusion in the University and Community College System of Nevada, Board of Regents Handbook (Section 17 of Title 4, Chapter 18 [Financial Aid])
SECTION 17 - MILLENNIUM SCHOLARSHIP: POLICY AND PROCEDURES
| 17.0 Overview and Objectives |
17.10 Use of Scholarship Funds |
|
| 17.1 Eligibility Requirements for Nevada High School Graduates |
17.11 Appeals of Initial Eligibility |
|
| 17.2 Eligibility Requirements for Students who are not High School Graduates |
17.12 Maintaining Scholarship Eligibility |
|
| 17.3 Certification of Eligibility by High Schools |
17.13 Repayment Conditions |
|
| 17.4 Enrollment Requirements for Receipt of a Scholarship |
17.14 Regaining Scholarship Eligibility |
|
| 17.5 Lifetime Limits |
17.15 Transferring within the UCCSN |
|
| 17.6 Transfer from a non-UCCSN Institution |
17.16 Repayment Waiver |
|
| 17.7 Summer School |
17.17 Refunds |
|
| 17.8 Enrollment at Multiple Institutions |
17.18 Office of the State Treasurer |
|
| 17.9 Amount of the Scholarship |
17.19 Institutional Certification of Enrollment |
|
17.0
The State of Nevada established the Millennium Scholarship in order to increase the number of Nevada students who perform well in high school and then enroll in, and graduate from, an institution of the University and Community College System of Nevada.
To receive a Millennium Scholarship, a student must meet the requirements of this Millennium Scholarship policy and enroll in a UCCSN institution. The admission requirements of the universities are different from the requirements for the Millennium Scholarship. The receipt of a Millennium Scholarship does not guarantee admission to the universities, nor does it guarantee admission to all programs at the universities and the community colleges. The UCCSN recommends that students who plan to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the University of Nevada, Reno, seek an advanced high school diploma and check with the institution for information on admission requirements.
17.1
Eligibility requirements for Nevada high school graduates
17.1.1
To be eligible for a Millennium Scholarship, a student must meet all of the following requirements:
- graduate with a diploma from a public or private high school in Nevada after May 1, 2000 ;
- complete high school, with at least a 3.0 weighted or unweighted grade point average, on a 4.0 grading scale in the core curriculum as defined in section 17.1.2;
- pass all areas of the Nevada High School Proficiency Examination; and
- have been a resident of Nevada, as defined by the residency requirements in Title 4, Chapter 15, for at least two years of high school.
17.1.2
For the high school graduating classes of 2000 through 2003, all high school credit granting course work taken in high school (9th through 12th grades) is used in calculating the final grade point average. This includes course work in academic subjects like math and science as well as other classes. For high school graduating classes after 2003, only the grades earned in core academic high school subjects will be used in calculating the grade point average for Millennium Scholarship eligibility. These subjects are English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, foreign languages, arts, computer education and technology, health, and physical education. An exception is made for students pursuing a vocational-technical program in high school; in this case, vocational-technical courses will also be included in the grade point average.
17.2
Eligibility requirements for students who are not high school graduates
To be eligible for a Millennium Scholarship, a student who is not a high school graduate must meet all of the following requirements:
- would have graduated from high school after May 1, 2000 had the student been enrolled in high school;
- receive an enhanced ACT composite score of 21 or higher or a combined recentered SAT score of 990 or higher;
- have at least a 3.0 weighted or unweighted grade point average on a 4.0 grading scale in all courses completed in a Nevada high school as defined in section 17.1.2;
- pass all areas of the Nevada High School Proficiency Examination; and
- have been a resident of Nevada, as defined by the residency requirements in Title 4, Chapter 15, for at least two years of the normal years of high school attendance.
17.3
Certification of eligibility for high school graduates will be established by a list provided by Nevada high schools. In other circumstances, evidence may be submitted by applicants to the Millennium Scholarship Office.
17.4
A Nevada resident who meets the requirements set forth in section 17.1 or 17.2 shall receive a Millennium Scholarship if the student:
- enrolls in at least 12 semester credits at a UCCSN university or 6 semester credits at a UCCSN community college; and
- enrolls in a program of study leading to a recognized associate degree, baccalaureate degree, or pre-baccalaureate certificate.
17.5
Millennium Scholarship lifetime limits
17.5.1
The maximum total Millennium Scholarship award is $10,000.
17.5.2
All qualified students may receive a Millennium Scholarship during the eight academic years following (a) their high school graduation date or (b) the date when they would have graduated under section 17.2.
17.6
Students who enroll in a non-UCCSN institution of higher education and then transfer to a UCCSN institution shall receive the Millennium Scholarship if they are eligible under section 17.1 or 17.2 and transfer with a minimum cumulative 2.0 grade point average on course work at the previous institution.
17.7
Millennium Scholarship recipients may enroll in and receive the scholarship for summer term as long as they meet all eligibility requirements and all continuation requirements, excluding the requirements of 17.4a.
17.8
A student may simultaneously receive a Millennium Scholarship at more than one UCCSN institution if the student meets all of the conditions specified in section 17.4.
An exception to the requirements of 17.4 is made for a student who is a Millennium Scholar at an institution where a course not taught by that institution is a requirement of the student's program. In that case, the required course, with the approval of the student's institution, may be taken with Millennium Scholarship support at a different UCCSN institution.
17.9
The maximum amount of a Millennium Scholarship award each semester or summer term is determined on a dollars-per-credit enrolled basis as set by the State of Nevada . The Millennium Scholarship may only be used for costs related to attendance that are not covered by other grants or scholarships. The financial aid office in each UCCSN institution shall administer the Millennium Scholarship and calculate the amount of the scholarship for each student.
17.10
The Millennium Scholarship may be used for registration fees, class fees, laboratory fees and expenses; required textbooks and course materials; and other costs related to the attendance of a student at the university or community college. Costs of attendance shall be defined by the institution and shall include, but not be limited to, all costs defined under federal financial aid guidelines.
17.11
Appeals related to initial eligibility shall be handled on a case-by-case basis by a standing Millennium Scholarship Appeals Committee appointed by the Chair of the Board of Regents. The committee shall consist of representatives of the Board of Regents, the universities, the community colleges, and the Governor and State Treasurer or their designees.
17.12
To remain eligible for a Millennium Scholarship, a student with a Millennium Scholarship must:
- make satisfactory academic progress, as defined by the institution, toward a recognized associate degree, baccalaureate degree, or pre-baccalaureate certificate;
- maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average; and
- satisfactorily complete at least 12 credits in a university or 6 credits in a community college in each fall and spring semester in which enrolled.
17.13
A student who drops out of school or fails to maintain at least a cumulative 2.0 grade point average shall repay the Millennium Scholarship for the semester in which the failure or dropout occurred, before the student can be eligible for further Millennium Scholarship funds. All repayments shall be transferred to the Office of the State Treasurer.
17.14
A Millennium Scholarship recipient who fails to maintain the conditions of continuing eligibility as required in section 17.12 or 17.13 is no longer eligible for the Millennium Scholarship. Eligibility may be reinstated if the student subsequently enrolls without Millennium Scholarship support and meets the criteria of section 17.12 for the semester enrolled and completes any repayment required under 17.13.
17.15
A student receiving a Millennium Scholarship who transfers to another UCCSN institution shall continue the Millennium Scholarship provided all criteria in section 17.12 are met. The enrolling institution shall use the grade point average from the previous institution for initial Millennium Scholarship eligibility. After transferring, a student must maintain at least a cumulative 2.0 grade point average at the new institution.
17.16
A waiver of the repayment requirements of section 17.13 may be granted for unavoidable circumstances related to conditions of hardship or duty. Unavoidable circumstances shall include, but not be limited to, medical necessity, family illness and death, service in the military, or a mandatory change in work conditions that adversely affects academic performance. Each UCCSN institution shall develop a process for the review of requests for waiver of the repayment requirement; the decision of the institution is final.
17.17
Any refund that would normally be given to a student who has withdrawn from courses for which Millennium Scholarship support has been given shall be transferred to the State Treasurer's Office.
17.18
The Millennium Scholarship Office established by the State Treasurer is responsible for transferring funds in a timely fashion to UCCSN institutions for all eligible students, maintaining data on all Millennium Scholarship candidates and recipients, and verifying that students have not exceeded the $10,000 lifetime maximum.
17.19
Each campus shall develop a list of eligible students each semester or summer term. This list shall be conveyed to the Chancellor for transmittal to the Board of Regents and the State Treasurer.
