New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 5 - POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Chapter 7 - TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID
Part 37 - NEW MEXICO OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Section 5.7.37.13 - ADMINISTRATION OF THE OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP

Universal Citation: 5 NM Admin Code 5.7.37.13

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024

A. Eligible public post-secondary educational institutions and tribal colleges shall:

(1) notify students of their possible eligibility, during their first regular semester of enrollment including transfer students who had the opportunity scholarship at previous institutions;

(2) designate their institution's lead financial aid officer to be responsible for determining initial and continuing student eligibility for the opportunity scholarship under the terms of these rules and regulations;

(3) maintain a listing of each participating student to include, but not be limited to:
(a) social security number as appropriate;

(b) cumulative grade point average and completed enrollment hours in prior semesters;

(c) proof of initial and continuing enrollment;

(d) award semester; and

(e) other data fields deemed important by the department;

(4) draw-down files should be submitted to the department for qualified students as each semester; all fiscal year draw-downs shall be for qualified students enrolled during the same fiscal year;

(5) for students that satisfied the first semester eligibility requirements and seek continuing eligibility consideration, use professional judgment to determine that exceptional mitigating circumstances beyond the students control, for which documentation exists in the student's file; the institutions shall defer to their institutional satisfactory academic progress policy when considering circumstances which include, but are not limited to, consideration for falling below the cumulative grade point average requirement or successfully maintaining enrollment as defined in Paragraphs (2) through (3) of Subsection A of 5.7.37.8 NMAC;

(6) provide to the department by April 15 each year the projected enrollment and tuition rates for the following academic year for their institution;

(7) publish the probation policy as defined in 5.7.37.9 NMAC;

(8) encourage consortium agreements, as defined in the code of federal regulations, 34 CFR 6685, in order to facilitate the enrollment of students and to facilitate the student's participation in this program; and

(9) each semester, ensure that all available merit-based aid packages, three percent scholarships, institutional award packages, and state aid other than the New Mexico opportunity scholarship and New Mexico legislative lottery scholarships are awarded first before granting the New Mexico opportunity scholarship for tuition and fee costs.

B. The department shall:

(1) Enter into a memorandum of understanding on or before June 1st with each eligible institution describing:
(a) the maximum amount of tuition and fees per student that may be paid by the opportunity scholarship fund each fiscal year;

(b) the total amount available to the eligible institution for opportunity scholarships each fiscal year;

(c) the reimbursement of any reimbursable costs that exceed tuition and fees; and

(d) eligible workforce certificate programs.

(2) make available to the legislative finance committee and department of finance and administration, by November 1, the following information:
(a) the status of the fund;

(b) scholarship program participation data aggregated for each public post-secondary education institution and tribal college to show:
(i) the number of qualified students who received opportunity scholarships and in the prior 12-month period;

(ii) the total number of qualified students enrolled in the prior 12-month period;

(iii) the amount of tuition scholarships funded by semester and the amount of tuition costs that were not offset by the tuition scholarship by semester; and

(iv) the number of qualified students who graduated with a degree and, for each qualified student, the number of consecutive semesters and nonconsecutive semesters attended prior to graduation.

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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