AmericanScholarship - Update on Scholarships in America

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS), funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding low income African American, American Indian/Alaska Natives, Asian Pacific Islander American*, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline area of interest. Continuing GMS Scholars may request funding for a graduate degree program in one of the following discipline areas: education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence by providing thousands of outstanding students, who have significant financial need, the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation established the initiative to encourage and support students in completing their college education and earning a graduate degree (Masters and/or doctoral degree) in disciplines in which their racial and ethnic groups are currently underrepresented. The Gates Millennium Scholars award enables young Americans to attend undergraduate and graduate institutions of their choice. In addition to increasing access to higher education for these underrepresented groups, GMS also provides leadership training. Through participation in a comprehensive leadership development program, Scholars enhance academic and leadership skills, which prepare them to assume important roles in their professions and in their communities.

FOOTNOTE:

*Asian Pacific Islander Americans are U.S. citizens, nationals or legal permanent residents having origins in any of the original peoples of Asia and/or the Pacific Islands. Asian refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia and/or the Indian subcontinent. These include but are not limited to: Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Laotian (including Khmu, Lahu, Mien, ThaiDam and other ethnic groups from Laos), Malaysian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Thai and Vietnamese (including Montagnards and Khmer Krom). Pacific Islander refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawai’i, Guam, Samoa or other Pacific Islands. These include but are not limited to: Chamorro/Guamanian, Chuukese, Fijian, Kosraen, Maori, Marshallese, Native Hawai’ian, Pohnpeian, Palauan, Samoan, Tahitian, Tongan, and Yapese. Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau are eligible to be nominated.

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the administrator of the GMS initiative. To reach, coordinate, and support the constituent groups, UNCF has partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS), the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) and the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) to assist in implementing the initiative.

Below are functions provided for submitting or downloading the Nomination, Recommendation and Nominee forms for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.

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The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Nomination Forms may also be downloaded for submission by mail by clicking on Nomination Forms .

Eligibility: Students are eligible to be considered for a GMS scholarship if they:

    * Are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American,
    * Are a citizen/legal permanent resident or national of the United States,
    * Have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.00 scale (unweighted) at the time of nomination,
    * Will be entering a U.S. accredited college or university as full-time, degree seeking freshmen in the Fall of 2007,
    * Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities, and
    * Meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria.
    * Have all three required forms (Nominee Personal Information Form, Nominator Form, and Recommender Form) completed and submitted by the deadline.

We expect that Nominees who meet all of the eligibility requirements and who are selected as GMS candidates will have a federal Pell Grant as part of their financial aid package for the 2007-2008 academic year in order to be confirmed as a Scholar. Eligibility for Federal Pell Grant can only be determined through the submission of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid Programs. Nominees are urged to file a 2007-2008 FAFSA at the earliest opportunity and no later than February 1, 2007. Federal Pell Grants typically are awarded to families demonstrating the greatest need. Eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant is a function of many factors, including dependency status, family income, family size and the number of students in the family. To determine if a student is likely to be eligible, the student and his or her parent or independent student should consult with the student’s high school counselor or the financial aid officer at the college or university he or she plans to attend. Please visit www.fafsa.ed.gov to establish eligibility.

This is a highly competitive process, and students are urged to submit their nomination packets as soon as possible to ensure that their packets are complete and meet all requirements.

FOOTNOTE:

* In order to be eligible for the GMS scholarship, the student must matriculate at a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The following are accreditation resources: Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education Programs Candidates, American Council of Education- published in consultation with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation; Higher Education Directory published by Higher Education Publications, Inc. The Deadline for Submission of Nomination Materials is January 12, 2007 11:59 P.M. (EST).

Note: We strongly recommend that you type your essay responses in a word processing document, so you may copy and paste the answer into the online form.  This important step will reduce the possibility of losing data due to a timeout situation.

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