ALBUQUERQUE N.M. — Tribal colleges in New Mexico want their students to have the same eligibility for the state’s lottery scholarships as students attending state colleges and universities.
Tribal colleges also want the same so-called “dual credit” reimbursements that other public higher education institutions get from the state for courses that count for both high school and college credit.
Presidents of three of the schools are seeking legislative action to approve both changes, the Albuquerque Journal ( http://bit.ly/UOhegX) reported.
Bob Martin, president of the Institute of American Indian Arts, said many students who want to stay home and attend tribal colleges end up going to state institutions instead for lottery scholarship eligibility.
A lottery scholarship pays for 100 percent of tuition for eight semesters for students who keep a minimum 2.5 grade point average.
A bill to make the tribal colleges’ students eligible for lottery scholarships has been introduced by Democratic Rep. Eliseo Lee Alcon of Milan.
Funding the dual-credit courses would require $300,000 to $500,000, the presidents said.
