The New Mexico Legislative Lottery Scholarship is automatically awarded to qualified students beginning in the second semester of their freshman year.
No application is necessary; however, we strongly recommend that students complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at fafsa.ed.gov.
Award Amount: Tuition only (Fees are not included)
The Scholarship award amount is the same for all students and is set annually by the New Mexico NM Higher Education Department by June 1st of each year.
To qualify for the Lottery Scholarship, students must:
• Be a New Mexico resident (regardless of immigration status)
• Enroll in fifteen credit hours at a four year public New Mexico college or twelve credits at a public New Mexico community college the first regular semester following high school graduation or receipt of a high school equivalency credential (GED). Home-school students must have a high school equivalency credential dated prior to the entering semester.
• Be declared in a financial aid eligible program
Complete 15 credit hours (12 at a community college) and earn a 2.5 GPA or greater for the first semester.
• Not been awarded any other state scholarship that pays 100% tuition.
To maintain eligibility for the scholarship, students must:
• Complete 15 credit hours at a four-year college each semester (12 at a community college) and maintain a GPA of 2.5 or greater.
• Maintain enrollment without breaks in attendance during fall and spring terms
Duration of Scholarship
At Northern the scholarship can be awarded for a total of three semesters if student is pursuing an Associate’s degree or seven semesters if pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. This means that a student can receive three semesters of Lottery Scholarship award while pursuing an Associate’s degree and may then be eligible for four more scholarship awards if the student declares a four-year degree and is enrolled without any break in attendance.
Legacy Students: If a student has received at least three semesters of Legislative Lottery Scholarship by the end of spring of 2014, they are considered a legacy student and will continue eligibility under the old Lottery eligibility requirements. Legacy students must complete 12 credit hours each semester and maintain a GPA of 2.5 or greater and are eligible to receive the scholarship for eight semesters.
Students with Disabilities
Students with qualified disabilities who are registered with Northern’s Accessability Resource Center (ARC) may be approved to attend part-time, but no less than six credits per semester. These students must have prior approval from the Accessability Director by completing a waiver for a reduction of credit hours at least 30 days prior to the start of the semester.
Probation
A qualified student whose cumulative GPA falls below a 2.5 or who does not complete 15 credits each fall and spring term will automatically lose eligibility for the Lottery scholarship. However, probation consideration to regain eligibility can be considered by the Financial Aid Director if the student has exceptional mitigating circumstances that caused the loss of eligibility (documentation required). The student must complete a Lottery Appeal Form, (available in the Financial Aid Office).
** Developmental courses will count toward the minimum required hours.
Disclaimer:
The rules and regulations for the Lottery Scholarship for all students, legacy or otherwise, are determined by and are subject to change by the New Mexico Higher Education Department and the New Mexico Legislature.
For further information go to the nnmc.edu website or contact Viviane Medina, Financial Aid Specialist at 747-2127
Tagged: Financial Aid, Lottery Scholarship
