CHAPTER 6. TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCHOLARS PROGRAM; TUITION GRANTS - Indiana Statutes

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.