§ 21-21N-3 — Tuition scholarships authorized; qualified students

A. To the extent that funds are made available by the legislature from the fund, the boards of regents or governing bodies of public post-secondary educational institutions and tribal colleges shall award tuition scholarships in department-approved amounts to qualified students attending their respective public post-secondary educational institutions. B. A qualified student is eligible to receive the tuition scholarship for a maximum of seven fall and spring program semesters and a maximum of three summer semesters, or no more than three and one-half years for a bachelor's degree, in an amount determined pursuant to the provisions of Section 21-21N-4 NMSA 1978. C. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a tuition scholarship may be awarded to a qualified student who: (1) maintains residency in New Mexico; (2) maintains a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale; and (3) completes: (a) for a student attending a four-year public post-secondary educational institution or a tribal college, thirty credit hours, which may be apportioned among fall through summer semesters, with no fewer than twelve credit hours in the fall and spring semesters and between three and nine credit hours for summer semesters; provided that the department may provide by rule for exceptions to the number of summer semester credit hours; and provided further that a student is not required to attend summer semesters to maintain eligibility; and provided further that credit-hour limits do not apply to the last semester before graduation; and (b) for a student attending a two-year public post-secondary educational institution, twenty-four credit hours, which may be apportioned among fall through summer semesters, with no fewer than nine credit hours in the fall and spring semesters and between three and nine credit hours for summer semesters; provided that the department may provide by rule for exceptions to the number of summer semester credit hours; and provided further that a student is not required to attend summer semesters to maintain eligibility; and provided further that credit-hour limits do not apply to the last semester before graduation. D. For students with disabilities who may require accommodations, the department, in consultation with the student and the office at the public post-secondary educational institution or the tribal college that serves students with disabilities, shall review both the definition of "full time" and the maximum number of consecutive program semesters of eligibility and adjust either or both as deemed reasonable and appropriate, based on the student's disability needs. In no case, however, shall "full time" mean fewer than six credit hours per semester during the fall and spring semesters or three credit hours per summer semester, if attending, and in no case shall eligibility extend beyond fourteen consecutive program semesters. The definition of "qualified student" notwithstanding, a New Mexico resident who had to leave the state to receive an education pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act shall be eligible for a tuition scholarship if the student graduated from an accredited high school in another state and otherwise meets the qualifications for a tuition scholarship pursuant to the definition of "qualified student" and this section.

Legislative History

Laws 2014, ch. 80, § 3; 2016, ch. 21, § 2; 2019, ch. 33, § 1; 2019, ch. 54, § 2