Proceeds Help College Students: Over 25,000 Grants So Far
February 14, 2006--Among the various efforts funded by Nebraska Lottery proceeds is the Nebraska Scholarship Fund, which is administered by the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education under the Nebraska Scholarship Act.With the help of the Nebraska Lottery, the Nebraska Scholarship Act was able to award Nebraska State Grants to 12,139 students during the 2004-05 Academic Year. With grants averaging $687, a total of $8,336,903 was distributed to students attending 42 different institutions of higher education in Nebraska.Among the students who received 2004-05 grants, 8,400 attended a public institution; 2,307 attended an independent college or university; and 1,432 attended a private for profit institution.During the 2003-04 Academic Year, a total of 13,031 students received grants. Grant awards were divided evenly between dependent (traditional) and independent (non-traditional) students, with the average grant being worth $671.The 2003-04 grants helped students at 42 institutions of higher education across the state. These institutions included: all the state's 14 public 4-year and 2-year institutions, 12 private for profit institutions, and 16 private independent colleges.Schools select students as potential recipients, and the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education approves the students and distributes funds to the institutions. Grants are made based on financial need, and students are not guaranteed to receive the grant every year they are enrolled.The maximum grant that could be awarded during the 2004-05 Academic Year was $2,389, which was the equivalent of 50 percent of fees and tuition for a full-time Nebraska resident undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL). The maximum for the 2003-04 Academic Year was $1,032, which was the equivalent of 25 percent of tuition and mandatory fees at UNL. For grants made to students for Academic Year 2005-06, the Legislature has set the maximum possible grant at 50 percent of fees and tuition at UNL.The Nebraska Scholarship Fund uses a blend of funding from the United States Department of Education's LEAP/SLEAP program (7 percent in 2004-05, 12 percent in 2003-04), the State of Nebraska General Fund (68.5 percent in 2004-05, 65.5 percent in 2003-04), and Nebraska Lottery proceeds (24.5 percent in 2004-05, 22.5 percent in 2003-04).Nebraska Lottery proceeds are being used in many ways to help people and projects across our state, supporting efforts focused on areas such as education, the environment, compulsive gamblers assistance, and the Nebraska State Fair.Additional information on how Nebraska Lottery proceeds are used can be found here.
Published on 06/03/2005