New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 5 - POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Chapter 7 - TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID
Part 20 - LEGISLATIVE LOTTERY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Section 5.7.20.7 - DEFINITIONS

Universal Citation: 5 NM Admin Code 5.7.20.7

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 6, March 26, 2024

A. "Academic year" means any consecutive period of two semesters (or three semesters for accelerated programs), three quarters or other comparable units commencing with the fall term each year.

B. "Accelerated program" means one in which a summer semester is a program requirement and not a student choice; a cohort that requires sequence of courses taken in summer semester.

C. "Community college" means a branch community college of a four-year state educational institution, a two-year state educational institution or a community college or technical and vocational institute established pursuant to Chapter 21, Article 13 or 16 NMSA 1978, respectively.

D. "Comprehensive institution" means eastern New Mexico university, New Mexico Highlands university, northern New Mexico college or western New Mexico university.

E. "Consortium" means a written agreement between a home institution and one or more host institutions for consideration of combined enrollment for eligibility:

(1) home institution is the institution where the student is enrolled in a degree or certificate seeking program and is receiving lottery scholarship funds;

(2) host institution is the secondary institution where the student is taking part of their program requirements.

F. "Department" means the New Mexico higher education department (NMHED).

G. "Full-time" means 15 or more credit hours completed each program semester of the regular academic year at a research institution, comprehensive institution or tribal college; or 12 or more credit hours completed for each program semester at community colleges; or through a consortium agreement between the home and host institutions. For students enrolled through a consortium agreement the minimum credit hour eligibility requirement shall be based on the student's home institution. Qualified students in their graduating semester are only required to take the number of credit hours required to graduate.

H. "GPA" means grade point average.

I. "Legislative lottery scholarship" means a scholarship awarded from proceeds of the New Mexico lottery tuition fund, to defray all or part of the cost of tuition.

J. "Non-enrollment" means a student is not enrolled in a public post-secondary educational institution.

K. "Probation" means a period of time that a student fails to meet continuing eligibility for exceptional mitigating circumstances as determined by the lead financial aid officer at the institution; as described in Subsection D of 5.7.20.8 NMAC.

L. "Program semesters" means those semesters for which a qualified student may receive a tuition scholarship and excludes the first semester of full-time attendance at a public post-secondary educational institution or tribal college.

M. "Public post-secondary educational institution" means a four-year state educational institution or a community college.

N. "Qualified student" means a full-time student who completed high school at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school, graduated from a public or accredited private New Mexico high school, a student who registered with the New Mexico public education department and completed the requirements of a home-based or non-public-school primary educational program in the state, or who received a high school equivalency credential recognized by the state of New Mexico while maintaining residency in New Mexico and who either:

(1) within 16 months of graduation, completion of the requirements of a home-based or non-public-school primary educational program, or receipt of a high school equivalency credential recognized by the State of New Mexico, was accepted for entrance to and subsequently enrolled full-time at a public post-secondary educational institution or tribal college without having previously enrolled at a non-qualifying post-secondary institution; or

(2) within four months of graduation, completion of the requirements of a home-based or non-public-school primary educational program, or receipt of a high school equivalency credential recognized by the state of New Mexico, began service in the United States armed forces and within 16 months of completion of honorable service or medical discharge from the service, subsequently enrolled full-time at a public post-secondary educational institution or tribal college without having previously enrolled at a non-qualifying post-secondary institution; and

(3) successfully completed the qualifying semester at a public post-secondary educational institution or tribal college with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during the first semester of full time enrollment.

O. "Research institution" means New Mexico institute of mining and technology, New Mexico state university and the university of New Mexico.

P. "State educational institution" means an institution of higher education enumerated in Article 12, Section 11 of the Constitution of New Mexico.

Q. "Summer semester" means a semester equal to fall and spring semester in duration and intensity that is required as part of an accelerated program.

R. "Tribal college" means a tribally, federally or congressionally chartered post-secondary educational institution with a physical campus in New Mexico that is accredited by the higher learning commission.

S. "Tuition scholarship" means the scholarship that provides tuition assistance per semester for qualified students.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Mexico may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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