CHAPTER 6. TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCHOLARS PROGRAM; TUITION GRANTS
IC 21-12-6
Chapter 6. Twenty-First Century Scholars Program; TuitionGrants
IC 21-12-6-1
Twenty-first century scholars program; established
Sec. 1. The twenty-first century scholars program is establishedto do the following:
(1) Reduce the number of students who withdraw from highschool before graduation.
(2) Increase the number of students who are prepared to enterthe workforce upon graduation.
(3) Increase the number of students entering postsecondaryeducational institutions in Indiana.
(4) Encourage eligible students to attend postsecondaryeducational institutions in Indiana by reducing the financialburden on the eligible students and their families.
(5) Decrease drug and alcohol abuse by encouraging highereducational pursuits.
(6) Increase individual economic vitality.
(7) Improve the overall quality of life for many Indianaresidents.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-2
Twenty-first century scholars fund; administration
Sec. 2. (a) The twenty-first century scholars fund is established toprovide the financial resources necessary to award the scholarshipsauthorized under the program.
(b) The commission shall administer the fund.
(c) The expenses of administering the fund shall be paid frommoney in the fund.
(d) The treasurer of state shall invest the money in the fund notcurrently needed to meet the obligations of the fund in the samemanner as other public funds may be invested.
(e) Money in the fund at the end of a state fiscal year does notrevert to the state general fund but remains available to be used forproviding money for twenty-first century scholarships under thischapter.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253. Amended by P.L.234-2007,SEC.57.
IC 21-12-6-3
Twenty-first century scholars program; conditions
Sec. 3. Money in the fund must be used to provide annual tuitionscholarships to qualified scholarship applicants who enroll asfull-time students at a postsecondary educational institution thatqualifies for participation in the program under section 4 of thischapter.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-4
Enrollment
Sec. 4. A scholarship recipient may apply a scholarship under thischapter to the educational costs of a postsecondary educationalinstitution only if the postsecondary educational institution qualifiesunder this section. For a postsecondary educational institution toqualify under this section, the postsecondary educational institutionmust satisfy the following requirements:
(1) Be an approved postsecondary educational institution.
(2) Be accredited by an agency that is recognized by theSecretary of the United States Department of Education.
(3) Operate an organized program of postsecondary educationleading to an associate or a baccalaureate degree on a campuslocated in Indiana.
(4) Be approved by the commission:
(A) under rules adopted under IC 4-22-2; and
(B) in consultation with the commission on proprietaryeducation, if appropriate.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-5
Qualifications to participate in program
Sec. 5. (a) To qualify to participate in the program, a student mustmeet the following requirements:
(1) Be a resident of Indiana.
(2) Be:
(A) enrolled in grade 7 or 8, for the 2007-2008 school year,and grade 6, 7, or 8, for the 2008-2009 school year and forsubsequent school years, at a:
(i) public school; or
(ii) nonpublic school that is accredited either by the stateboard of education or by a national or regional accreditingagency whose accreditation is accepted as a schoolimprovement plan under IC 20-31-4-2; or
(B) otherwise qualified under the rules of the commissionthat are adopted under IC 21-11-9-4 to include students whoare in grades other than grade 8 as eligible students.
(3) Be eligible for free or reduced priced lunches under thenational school lunch program.
(4) Agree, in writing, together with the student's custodialparents or guardian, that the student will:
(A) graduate from a secondary school located in Indiana thatmeets the admission criteria of an eligible institution;
(B) not illegally use controlled substances (as defined inIC 35-48-1-9);
(C) not commit a crime or an infraction described inIC 9-30-5;
(D) not commit any other crime or delinquent act (asdescribed in IC 31-37-1-2 or IC 31-37-2-2 throughIC 31-37-2-5 (or IC 31-6-4-1(a)(1) through IC 31-6-4-1(a)(5)
before their repeal));
(E) timely apply, when the eligible student is a senior in highschool:
(i) for admission to an eligible institution; and
(ii) for any federal and state student financial assistanceavailable to the eligible student to attend an eligibleinstitution; and
(F) achieve a cumulative grade point average upongraduation of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 grading scale (or itsequivalent if another grading scale is used) for courses takenduring grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.
(b) A student is qualified to participate in the program if thestudent:
(1) before or during grade 7 or grade 8, is placed by or with theconsent of the department of child services, by a court order, orby a child placing agency in:
(A) a foster family home;
(B) the home of a relative or other unlicensed caretaker;
(C) a child caring institution; or
(D) a group home;
(2) agrees in writing, together with the student's caseworker (asdefined in IC 31-9-2-11), to the conditions set forth insubsection (a)(4); and
(3) except as provided in subdivision (2), otherwise meets therequirements of subsection (a).
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253. Amended by P.L.168-2007,SEC.7; P.L.229-2007, SEC.16; P.L.3-2008, SEC.131.
IC 21-12-6-6
Twenty-first century scholars program scholarship; eligibility
Sec. 6. A student may apply to the commission for a scholarship.To qualify for a scholarship, the student must meet the followingrequirements:
(1) Be an eligible student who qualified to participate in theprogram under section 5 of this chapter.
(2) Be a resident of Indiana.
(3) Be a graduate from a secondary school located in Indianathat meets the admission criteria of an eligible institution.
(4) Have applied to attend and be accepted to attend as afull-time student an eligible institution.
(5) Certify in writing that the student has:
(A) not illegally used controlled substances (as defined inIC 35-48-1-9);
(B) not illegally consumed alcoholic beverages;
(C) not committed any other crime or a delinquent act (asdescribed in IC 31-37-1-2 or IC 31-37-2-2 throughIC 31-37-2-5 (or IC 31-6-4-1(a)(1) through IC 31-6-4-1(a)(5)before their repeal)); and
(D) timely filed an application for other types of financialassistance available to the student from the state or federal
government.
(6) Submit to the commission all the information and evidencerequired by the commission to determine eligibility as ascholarship applicant.
(7) Meet any other minimum criteria established by thecommission.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-7
Scholarship renewal
Sec. 7. A scholarship may be renewed. To qualify for ascholarship renewal, a scholarship recipient must do the following:
(1) Submit to the commission a renewal application thatcontains all the information and evidence required by thecommission to determine eligibility for the scholarship renewal.
(2) Continue to be enrolled as a full-time student in goodstanding at an eligible institution.
(3) Continue to meet any other minimum criteria established bythe commission.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-8
Scholarship renewal; term
Sec. 8. A scholarship may be renewed under this chapter for atotal scholarship award that does not exceed the equivalent of eight(8) semesters.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-9
Scholarship disqualification
Sec. 9. If an eligible student, a scholarship applicant, or ascholarship recipient violates an agreement entered into under thischapter, the eligible student, scholarship applicant, or scholarshiprecipient is disqualified from further consideration as a scholarshiprecipient under this chapter.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-10
Amount of scholarship
Sec. 10. The amount of a scholarship is equal to the lowest of thefollowing amounts:
(1) If the scholarship applicant attends an eligible institutionthat is a state educational institution and:
(A) receives no other financial assistance specificallydesignated for educational costs, a full tuition scholarship tothe state educational institution; or
(B) receives other financial assistance specificallydesignated for educational costs, the balance required toattend the state educational institution, not to exceed theamount described in clause (A). (2) If the scholarship applicant attends an eligible institutionthat is private and:
(A) receives no other financial assistance specificallydesignated for educational costs, an average of the fulltuition scholarship amounts of all state educationalinstitutions not including Ivy Tech Community College; or
(B) receives other financial assistance specificallydesignated for educational costs, the balance required toattend the college or university not to exceed the amountdescribed in clause (A).
(3) If the scholarship applicant attends an eligible institutionthat is a postsecondary proprietary educational institution and:
(A) receives no other financial assistance specificallydesignated for educational costs, the lesser of:
(i) the full tuition scholarship amounts of Ivy TechCommunity College; or
(ii) the actual tuition and regularly assessed fees of theeligible institution; or
(B) receives other financial assistance specificallydesignated for educational costs, the balance required toattend the eligible institution, not to exceed the amountdescribed in clause (A).
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-11
Indiana college placement and assessment center; duties
Sec. 11. (a) The Indiana college placement and assessment centershall maintain the following:
(1) The agreements under section 5 of this chapter.
(2) The certifications under section 6 of this chapter.
(3) A comprehensive list of all eligible students.
(b) The commission shall have access to the informationmaintained under this section.
(c) The commission, the Indiana college placement andassessment center, the commission for higher education, thedepartment of education, and each approved secondary school shallwork together in implementing the program.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-12
Mentoring programs; development
Sec. 12. Each eligible institution shall develop specific mentoringprograms for scholarship recipients to assist the scholarshiprecipients through particularized academic and social counseling.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-13
Duties of commission
Sec. 13. The commission shall do the following:
(1) Prepare a statistical report on a fiscal year basis that
describes awards to students attending institutions under thischapter.
(2) Deliver the report described in subdivision (1) to thelegislative council before August 15 of the year following thefiscal year covered in the report. The report must be in anelectronic format under IC 5-14-6.
As added by P.L.2-2007, SEC.253.
IC 21-12-6-14
Foster care children; caseworker to provide information
Sec. 14. (a) This section applies to a student described in section5(b) of this chapter.
(b) A caseworker (as defined in IC 31-9-2-11) shall provide eachstudent to whom the caseworker is assigned information concerningthe program at the appropriate time for the student to receive theinformation, shall explain the program to the student, and shallprovide the student with information concerning:
(1) Pell grants;
(2) Chafee grants;
(3) federal supplemental grants;
(4) the Free Application for Federal Student Aid;
(5) individual development accounts (as described underIC 4-4-28); and
(6) the state student assistance commission.
(c) A student who receives information under this section shallsign a written acknowledgment that the student received theinformation. The written acknowledgment must be placed in thestudent's case file.
As added by P.L.168-2007, SEC.8. Amended by P.L.100-2009,SEC.2; P.L.39-2010, SEC.1.
IC 21-12-6-15
Foster parents; caseworker to provide information
Sec. 15. A caseworker (as defined in IC 31-9-2-11) shall provideeach foster parent of a student described in section 5(b) of thischapter to whom the caseworker is assigned information concerningindividual development accounts (as described under IC 4-4-28).
As added by P.L.39-2010, SEC.2.