Gates Millennium Scholar Program Eligibility.

The 2008-2009 Application period is closed.

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, national or legal permanent resident of the United States.
Have attained a cumulative high school GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) or have earned a GED.
Will be enrolling for the first time at a US accredited college or university as a full time, degree-seeking, first year student in fall 2008.
Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities.
Meet the federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria.
Have completed and submitted all three required forms (Nominee Personal Information Form, Nominator Form, and Recommender Form) by the deadline.

If you are Native American, you will be asked to provide proof of tribal enrollment or certificate of descent from a state or federally recognized tribe if selected as a GMS Candidate.

To be eligible for the GMS Scholarship, the student must matriculate at a college or university that is accrediting agency recognized by the US Secretary on 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 Nomination Process

Nominee
Each student is required to provide a completed Nominee Personal Information Form. Nominees are encouraged to request assistance from Nominators with this step. Please note that Students are allowed to submit a Nominee Personal Information Form on their own and may secure a Nominator Afterwards.
Nominator
Principals, teachers guidance counselors, higher education representatives and other professional educators are invited to nominate students with outstanding academic qualifications, particularly those likely to succeed in the fields of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science. Nominees should also possess strong leadership potential and a demonstrated commitment to community service. Nominators must be sufficiently familiar wit the student’s academic performance to respond to questions concerning academic achievement. Nominators should carefully review GMS eligibility requirements and nominate only those students who are eligible. We encourage Nominators to assist student s in completing the Nominee Personal Information Form.
Recommender
A Recommender can be an adult who is familiar with the Nominee’s community service and leadership activities, such as a supervisor at work or a community leader. All Recommenders must act within their personal capacity. If the person who serves as a Nominator is also familiar with the student’s non-academic activities, he or she may serve as a Recommender as well. Note: Relatives may not serve as Recommenders.