Scholarship Opportunity. Entering College for the First Time.

http://www.gmsp.org/publicweb/AboutUs.aspx

The Gates Millennium ScholarS Program

For students entering college for the first time in the fall 2012, the GMS 2012 Scholarship Application online process is now open. The deadline for all submissions is Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
GMS will select 1,000 talented students each year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice. We provide Gates Millennium Scholars with personal and professional development through our leadership programs along with academic support throughout their college career.

Our program is more than a scholarship—it’s an opportunity to change your life! Just ask Deonte Bridges how much the GMS scholarship means to him.

If you are willing to serve as a nominator or recommender for deserving students, you can make a difference in their lives. 

The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential by:

• Reducing financial barriers for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American and Hispanic American students with high academic and leadership promise who have significant financial need;
• Increasing the representation of these target groups in the disciplines of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and the sciences, where these groups are severely underrepresented;
• Developing a diversified cadre of future leaders for America by facilitating successful completion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees; and
• Providing seamless support from undergraduate through doctoral programs, for students selected as Gates Millennium Scholars entering target disciplines.

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program, established in 1999, was initially funded by a $1 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The GMS Scholarship Award Provides:

• Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help aid;

• Renewable awards for Gates Millennium Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress;

• Graduate school funding for continuing Gates Millennium Scholars in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science;

• Leadership development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities.

Program Accomplishment:

• Funding more than 15,000 Gates Millennium Scholars since the inception of the program

• Obtained a 79.9% graduation rate in five years*

• Supported Gates Millennium Scholars enrolled in more than 1,500 colleges and universities

• Supported Gates Millennium Scholars representing 50 states and five outlying areas

• Graduated over 7,000 Gates Millennium Scholars since the program's inception

• Five year retention rate of 87.7%*

*Reflects cohorts 1 through 4

Administration:

UNCF—the United Negro College Fund—administers the Gates Millennium Scholars Program (GMS). To reach, coordinate and support the constituent groups, UNCF has partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund to assist in implementing the program.

The GMS Advisory Council has seven members: six members from higher education and one member representing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Advisory Council members include:

• Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, Financial Aid Service, Syracuse University
• Carmen D. Lopez, Executive Director, College Horizons Inc.
• Dr. Raymund Paredes, Commissioner of Higher Education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
• Margaret Daniels Tyler, Senior Program Officer, Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The GMS program is more than just a scholarship. The GMS program offers Gates Millennium Scholars with ACademic Empowerment (ACE) services to encourage academic excellence; mentoring services for academic and personal development; and an online resource center that provides internship, fellowship and scholarship information.