You are considered a recent graduate learner for state scholarships if:

• You graduated from a New Mexico high school within the past 16 months, or
  • You received a high school equivalency credential while maintaining residency in New Mexico.
  • You received a home school registration certificate from the New Mexico Public Education Department.

You have not yet earned your first bachelor’s degree.

To qualify for the Lottery Scholarship, you will need to:

• Enroll full time at a New Mexico public college or university within 16 months of high school graduation, or completion of a high school equivalency or home school certificate. Full time means:
  • 15 credit hours at a four-year university
  • 12 credit hours at a community college
• Achieve and maintain a 2.5 grade point average (GPA).
• Maintain full-time enrollment every fall and spring semesters.

Please note that students with disabilities may qualify for reduced credit hour requirements and additional semesters of the scholarship.

The Lottery Scholarship pays for 100% of tuition. Students receiving the Lottery Scholarship for tuition can receive supplemental assistance from the Opportunity Scholarship for course-specific fees.

As a recent high school graduate, you will establish eligibility for the Lottery Scholarship during your first semester of full-time enrollment. This is called the qualifying semester or “bridge” semester.

Students who are establishing eligibility for the Lottery Scholarship in their first semester may be eligible to have their first semester tuition paid for through bridge scholarships provided by their college or university, through the Opportunity Scholarship, or a combination of these. Talk to your financial aid advisor about how you can work together to cover the first semester.

Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university who continue to meet eligibility requirements can receive the scholarship up to seven semesters or when they complete their first bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first.

Students attending a community college can receive the Lottery Scholarship for up to three semesters.

Public colleges and universities in New Mexico automatically award the Lottery Scholarship to students who are eligible when they enroll and register for classes, so there is no separate scholarship application to fill out. However, you should let your financial aid advisor know that you plan to establish eligibility for the Lottery Scholarship during your first semester so they can help you stay on track.

You may be eligible to receive the scholarship with a reduced credit hour requirement if you document your disability with the Student Services Office at your college or university. You will need to provide proof to the financial aid office at least 30 days before the semester starts.

No, summer enrollment is optional.

If you enroll in college within sixteen months of completing your high school equivalency credential, you can be eligible for the Lottery Scholarship.

If you experience an event or situation that causes you to withdraw from your courses or drop below the number of required credit hours, you should contact the financial aid office at your college or university right away. Your school may be able to grant you a leave of absence up to one year without losing eligibility for the Lottery Scholarship.

Public colleges and universities in New Mexico automatically award the Opportunity Scholarship to students who are eligible when they enroll and register for classes, so there is no separate scholarship application to fill out. However, you should let your financial aid advisor know that you plan to take advantage of the Opportunity Scholarship so they can help you stay on track.

To qualify for the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, you will need to:

• Enroll part time or full time at a New Mexico public college or university. The minimum credit hour requirement is six hours and the maximum is 18 hours.
• Achieve and maintain a 2.5 grade point average (GPA).
• Enroll in at least six credit hours every fall and spring semester.
• Please note that students with disabilities may qualify for reduced credit hour requirements and additional semesters of the scholarship.

To qualify for the Lottery Scholarship, you will need to:

• Enroll full time at a New Mexico public college or university within 16 months of high school graduation, or completion of a high school equivalency or home school certificate. Full time means:
  • 15 credit hours at a four-year university
  • 12 credit hours at a community college
• Achieve and maintain a 2.5 grade point average (GPA).
• Maintain full-time enrollment every fall and spring semesters.

Please note that students with disabilities may qualify for reduced credit hour requirements and additional semesters of the scholarship.

The Opportunity Scholarship pays for 100% of tuition and course-specific fees up to $50 per credit hour.

The Lottery Scholarship pays for 100% of tuition. Students receiving the Lottery Scholarship for tuition can receive supplemental assistance from the Opportunity Scholarship for course-specific fees

Students who are establishing eligibility for the Lottery Scholarship in their first semester may be eligible to have their first semester tuition paid for through bridge scholarships provided by their college or university, through the Opportunity Scholarship, or a combination of these. Talk to your financial aid advisor about how you can work together to cover the first semester.

Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not required to receive state scholarships. However, we strongly encourage you to complete it to access federal aid such as Pell Grants that can be used for college costs beyond tuition and fees, including books, housing, and transportation.

Eligibility for state financial aid programs and eligibility for federal financial aid programs are considered separately. You do not need to complete a FAFSA or be eligible for federal financial aid in order to qualify for state Lottery and Opportunity Scholarship programs.

Out-of-state members of an American Indian Nation, Tribe or Pueblo, located wholly or partially in New Mexico, can qualify regardless of the state they live in. You school may ask for an official letter from your Nation, Tribe or Pueblo documenting your membership.

There are 29 participating public colleges and universities in New Mexico where you can use the Lottery and Opportunity Scholarships:

• Central New Mexico Community College
• Clovis Community College
• Diné College
• Doña Ana Community College (NMSU)
• Eastern New Mexico University – Portales
• Eastern New Mexico University – Ruidoso
• Eastern New Mexico University – Roswell
• Institute of American Indian Arts
• Luna Community College
• Mesalands Community College
• Navajo Technical University
• New Mexico Highlands University
• New Mexico Junior College
• New Mexico Military Institute
• New Mexico State University – Las Cruces
• New Mexico State University – Alamogordo
• New Mexico State University – Grants
• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
• Northern New Mexico College
• San Juan College
• Santa Fe Community College
• Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute
• Southeast New Mexico College (formerly NMSU – Carlsbad)
• The University of New Mexico – Albuquerque
• The University of New Mexico – Los Alamos
• The University of New Mexico- Taos
• The University of New Mexico – Gallup
• The University of New Mexico – Valencia
• Western New Mexico University

If you have not yet completed your first bachelor’s degree and you don’t have more than 160 attempted credit hours on your transcript from previous college attendance, you can use the Opportunity Scholarship to complete your degree.

If you lose or suspect you are about to lose eligibility for the Lottery Scholarship for an exceptional circumstance, you should contact your financial aid officer right away to let them know about your situation. You may be able to submit a petition to reestablish eligibility if your school approves you to do so. Otherwise, you will need to wait two years from the time you lost eligibility for the Lottery Scholarship to be eligible for the Opportunity Scholarship.

Generally, you will need to live in New Mexico for a full year (12 consecutive months). You may also qualify as a a resident if you live out of state but are a member of an American Indian Nation, Tribe, or Pueblo located wholly or partially in New Mexico. Your school may ask for a letter to document this.

Students who are not U.S. citizens can still receive the New Mexico Lottery and Opportunity Scholarships if they are granted the non-discrimination waiver. To qualify for the waiver, you will need to:

1. Have attended high school in New Mexico for at least one year and
2. Have either graduated from a New Mexico high school or received a high school equivalency credential while living in New Mexico.

No, the Opportunity and Lottery Scholarships are only available to students attending one of the 29 participating public colleges and universities in New Mexico.

No, only New Mexico residents are eligible for New Mexico scholarship programs.

Students enrolled in certain for-credit workforce certificate programs qualify for the Opportunity Scholarship. Department-approved workforce certificate programs include careers in high-need fields including healthcare, education, STEM, and technical trades. Check with your school to see if your program is eligible.  

You can use the Opportunity Scholarship to pursue a for-credit trade certificate at a public New Mexico community college. All participating community colleges offer eligible for-credit trade education programs. Students attending private or for-profit trade schools are not eligible.

It is possible the student may lose eligibility. If a student has not met the eligibility requirements, they may submit a petition for a probationary semester. Students that are granted a probationary semester to re-establish eligibility may receive funding during the probationary semester. All probationary semester determinations made by the institution are final. If a student is not granted a probationary semester and loses the scholarship, they may appeal no sooner than two years following the end of the semester when eligibility was lost. If a student is ineligible for the Opportunity Scholarship, they should contact the financial aid office at their institution to determine eligibility for other financial aid options based on the student file.

If you do not meet the scholarship eligibility requirements; we encourage you to contact the Financial Aid Office at your college or university to explore other options based on your student file. We also suggest completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa to determine eligibility for federal aid, such as a Pell Grant. Your college or university should also be able to provide information about institutional scholarships, private scholarships, or other state aid. You can see a complete listing of the state funded financial aid programs can be found here: https://hed.nm.gov/financial-aid.

Please contact the New Mexico Higher Education Department, Financial Aid Division at Fin.Aid@hed.nm.gov or 1-800-279-9777 or contact the financial aid office at your college or university.