“Leaders for America’s Future”

1. “Leaders for America’s Future”

2. About the Program • The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is funded by a 1 billion dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was established in 1999. • The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their fullest potential.

3. About the Program • The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the administratorof the GMS initiative and has partnered with the the following organizations: - American Indian Graduate Center Scholars - Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund - The Hispanic Scholarship Fund

4. Value Proposition • The GMS Scholarship Award Provides: • Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help • Renewable awards for Gates Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress • Graduate School fellowships for continuing Gates Scholars in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and science • Leadership Development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities

5. Eligibility Criteria • African American, American Indian/ Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American,and Hispanic American; • Citizen/ legal permanent resident or national of the United States; • Cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) at the time of nomination;

6. Eligibility Criteria (continued) • Degree-seeking freshman who will be entering an accredited college or university as full-time student. • Has demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities; and • Meet the federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria (FAFSA forms available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov)

7. Nomination Process • Nomination process requires: • an educator who is familiar with the student’s academic background to complete the Nominator Form • a community member or individual who is aware of the student’s community service and leadership activities to complete the Recommender Form and • a student to complete a comprehensive Nominee Personal Information Form.

8. Screening and Selection • A complete nomination application • Nominee Personal Information Form, • Nominator form, and • Recommender form and; • Applications do not need to be submitted in the same format or at the same time • Forms can be mailed and submitted online • Complete your form as soon as possible • No attachments • All forms must be submitted by the deadline

9. A Timeline for Becoming a Gates Scholar • From August through mid January • All online applications are processed when submitted • All applications mailed by the deadline are scanned and loaded into the Nomination database • During the month of February • Independent readers completing an individualized reading and scoring assessment of each eligible Nominee in three major areas: academic achievement, community service, and leadership potential • From March through early April • Applications are continuously reviewed as all information in applications is verified including GPA, citizenship status, and federal Pell grant eligibility • All Gates Scholars are selected and notified

10. Additional Benefits of the Gates Millennium Scholarship • Leadership Development Conferences • Revised scholarship awards (when necessary) • Deferment Options • Academic Empowerment Services • Mentoring • GMS Circles • GMS Ambassador Program

11. GMS Imagine • http://www.imaginegms.com

13. Gates Millennium Scholars • The GMS scholarship offers: • Access by providing last dollar funding to Pell grant eligible students • Choice of preferred college or university ,and provides • Support through leadership development initiatives • Nomination forms available as of August 2007 • All paper applications must be postmarked by December 31, 2007. • All online applications must be submitted by January 11, 2008 11:59 PM EST. • www.gmsp.org

14. Part II Success in the Application Process

15. RESOURCES • High School Counselors • Local Libraries • Internet

16. OTHER RESOURCES • Internet • www.uncf.org • www.hsf.net • www.apiasf.org • www.aigc.com • www.fastweb.com • www.scholarshipexperts.com • www.srnexpress.com

17. Volunteer Community Service Log • Diversity and Flexibility • Consistency and Long-Term Commitment • Skills required • Certificates of participation • Evidence of increased responsibility and maturity

18. The Student Portfolio Academics Extra Curricular • HS Transcript • GPA • Assessment • Leadership • Athletics • Community Service • PSAT • SAT • ACT • TAAS • TASP • PLAN • ACT

19. The Personal Profile • Lists activities by high school year • States words that describe the student • Summarizes the academic record • Summarizes extra curricular participation • Facilitates letters of recommendation • Provides content of College Application Essays • Other significant college prep activities--financial aid

20. GMS scholarship nomination process: • Contact your Nominator and Recommender early • Ensure your Nominee form is complete • Forms are linked by Social Security numbers (SSN)-provide your Nominator and Recommender with your correct SSN • Beat the deadline • Follow-up to ensure your documents have been received • Follow-up with your Nominator and Recommender to ensure submission of their documents • If possible, complete forms on-line • Thank your Nominator and Recommender

21. Preparing for Scholarships • Research scholarship funding • Apply for many scholarships • Prepare a timeline • Market yourself • Plan and take action • Review the eligibility criteria • Choose your Recommender carefully • Prepare a checklist • Review materials prior to submitting • Submit materials before the deadline

22. “Leaders for America’s Future”