The Gates Millennium Scholars Program, administered by the United Negro College Fund, will provide scholarships and fellowships for outstanding low-income African-American, Native American, Hispanic American, and Asian-Pacific American students.

The status of minority enrollment in our nation's colleges and universities continues to be a challenge, and the lack of adequate financial aid contributes to this problem. It is estimated that more than 30,000 African-American, Native American, Hispanic American, and Asian-Pacific American students are not attending college annually because of financial limitations.

The purpose of the Gates Millenium Scholars Program is to enhance access to postsecondary education, and includes students already in college. Awards will supplement Scholars' existing financial aid and thus eliminate the need for them to borrow significant amounts of monies or spend excessive time at paid jobs, either of which can be a barrier to completion of a college degree.

Applicants for a Gates Millennium Scholars Program must:

Individuals selected as Gates Millennium Scholars at the undergraduate level will receive funds for the cost of tuition, fees, books and living costs not covered by grants and scholarships already committed as part of a student’s financial aid package. Scholars must undertake a full-time program of undergraduate study. The basic scholarship is unrestricted in terms of major or area of study; however, nominators will be asked to consider the students’ academic performance in mathematics and science.

Scholarships will be offered for every year through the completion of the scholars' undergraduate study. Scholarships will be renewable annually and Scholars will be expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better.

For more information, go to the GMSP Web site at http://www.gmsp.org. The ONCA site will have more information on the scholarships soon.