CHAPTER 6. TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCHOLARS PROGRAM; TUITION GRANTS
IC 21-12-6
Chapter 6. Twenty-First Century Scholars Program; Tuition
Grants
IC 21-12-6-1
Twenty-first century scholars program; established
Sec. 1. The twenty-first century scholars program is established
to do the following:
(1) Reduce the number of students who withdraw from high
school before graduation.
(2) Increase the number of students who are prepared to enter
the workforce upon graduation.
(3) Increase the number of students entering postsecondary
educational institutions in Indiana.
(4) Encourage eligible students to attend postsecondary
educational institutions in Indiana by reducing the financial
burden on the eligible students and their families.
(5) Decrease drug and alcohol abuse by encouraging higher
educational pursuits.
(6) Increase individual economic vitality.
(7) Improve the overall quality of life for many Indiana
residents.
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 to
provide the financial resources necessary to award the scholarships
authorized under the program.
(b) The commission shall administer the fund.
(c) The expenses of administering the fund shall be paid from
money in the fund.
(d) The treasurer of state shall invest the money in the fund not
currently needed to meet the obligations of the fund in the same
manner as other public funds may be invested.
(e) Money in the fund at the end of a state fiscal year does not
revert to the state general fund but remains available to be used for
providing money for twenty-first century scholarships under this
chapter.
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 tuition
scholarships to qualified scholarship applicants who enroll as
full-time students at a postsecondary educational institution that
qualifies for participation in the program under section 4 of this
chapter.
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 this
chapter to the educational costs of a postsecondary educational
institution only if the postsecondary educational institution qualifies
under this section. For a postsecondary educational institution to
qualify under this section, the postsecondary educational institution
must satisfy the following requirements:
(1) Be an approved postsecondary educational institution.
(2) Be accredited by an agency that is recognized by the
Secretary of the United States Department of Education.
(3) Operate an organized program of postsecondary education
leading to an associate or a baccalaureate degree on a campus
located 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 proprietary
education, 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 must
meet 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 for
subsequent school years, at a:
(i) public school; or
(ii) nonpublic school that is accredited either by the state
board of education or by a national or regional accrediting
agency whose accreditation is accepted as a school
improvement plan under IC 20-31-4-2; or
(B) otherwise qualified under the rules of the commission
that are adopted under IC 21-11-9-4 to include students who
are in grades other than grade 8 as eligible students.
(3) Be eligible for free or reduced priced lunches under the
national school lunch program.
(4) Agree, in writing, together with the student's custodial
parents or guardian, that the student will:
(A) graduate from a secondary school located in Indiana that
meets the admission criteria of an eligible institution;
(B) not illegally use controlled substances (as defined in
IC 35-48-1-9);
(C) not commit a crime or an infraction described in
IC 9-30-5;
(D) not commit any other crime or delinquent act (as
described in IC 31-37-1-2 or IC 31-37-2-2 through
IC 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 high
school:
(i) for admission to an eligible institution; and
(ii) for any federal and state student financial assistance
available to the eligible student to attend an eligible
institution; and
(F) achieve a cumulative grade point average upon
graduation of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 grading scale (or its
equivalent if another grading scale is used) for courses taken
during grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.
(b) A student is qualified to participate in the program if the
student:
(1) before or during grade 7 or grade 8, is placed by or with the
consent of the department of child services, by a court order, or
by 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 (as
defined in IC 31-9-2-11), to the conditions set forth in
subsection (a)(4); and
(3) except as provided in subdivision (2), otherwise meets the
requirements 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 following
requirements:
(1) Be an eligible student who qualified to participate in the
program under section 5 of this chapter.
(2) Be a resident of Indiana.
(3) Be a graduate from a secondary school located in Indiana
that meets the admission criteria of an eligible institution.
(4) Have applied to attend and be accepted to attend as a
full-time student an eligible institution.
(5) Certify in writing that the student has:
(A) not illegally used controlled substances (as defined in
IC 35-48-1-9);
(B) not illegally consumed alcoholic beverages;
(C) not committed any other crime or a delinquent act (as
described in IC 31-37-1-2 or IC 31-37-2-2 through
IC 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 financial
assistance available to the student from the state or federal
government.
(6) Submit to the commission all the information and evidence
required by the commission to determine eligibility as a
scholarship applicant.
(7) Meet any other minimum criteria established by the
commission.
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 a
scholarship renewal, a scholarship recipient must do the following:
(1) Submit to the commission a renewal application that
contains all the information and evidence required by the
commission to determine eligibility for the scholarship renewal.
(2) Continue to be enrolled as a full-time student in good
standing at an eligible institution.
(3) Continue to meet any other minimum criteria established by
the 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 a
total 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 a
scholarship recipient violates an agreement entered into under this
chapter, the eligible student, scholarship applicant, or scholarship
recipient is disqualified from further consideration as a scholarship
recipient 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 the
following amounts:
(1) If the scholarship applicant attends an eligible institution
that is a state educational institution and:
(A) receives no other financial assistance specifically
designated for educational costs, a full tuition scholarship to
the state educational institution; or
(B) receives other financial assistance specifically
designated for educational costs, the balance required to
attend the state educational institution, not to exceed the
amount described in clause (A).
(2) If the scholarship applicant attends an eligible institution
that is private and:
(A) receives no other financial assistance specifically
designated for educational costs, an average of the full
tuition scholarship amounts of all state educational
institutions not including Ivy Tech Community College; or
(B) receives other financial assistance specifically
designated for educational costs, the balance required to
attend the college or university not to exceed the amount
described in clause (A).
(3) If the scholarship applicant attends an eligible institution
that is a postsecondary proprietary educational institution and:
(A) receives no other financial assistance specifically
designated for educational costs, the lesser of:
(i) the full tuition scholarship amounts of Ivy Tech
Community College; or
(ii) the actual tuition and regularly assessed fees of the
eligible institution; or
(B) receives other financial assistance specifically
designated for educational costs, the balance required to
attend the eligible institution, not to exceed the amount
described 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 center
shall 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 information
maintained under this section.
(c) The commission, the Indiana college placement and
assessment center, the commission for higher education, the
department of education, and each approved secondary school shall
work 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 mentoring
programs for scholarship recipients to assist the scholarship
recipients 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 this
chapter.
(2) Deliver the report described in subdivision (1) to the
legislative council before August 15 of the year following the
fiscal year covered in the report. The report must be in an
electronic 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 section
5(b) of this chapter.
(b) A caseworker (as defined in IC 31-9-2-11) shall provide each
student to whom the caseworker is assigned information concerning
the program at the appropriate time for the student to receive the
information, shall explain the program to the student, and shall
provide 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 under
IC 4-4-28); and
(6) the state student assistance commission.
(c) A student who receives information under this section shall
sign a written acknowledgment that the student received the
information. The written acknowledgment must be placed in the
student'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 provide
each foster parent of a student described in section 5(b) of this
chapter to whom the caseworker is assigned information concerning
individual development accounts (as described under IC 4-4-28).
As added by P.L.39-2010, SEC.2.