INFORMATION OCTOBER 18, 2002 HIGHER EDUCATIONAL AIDS BOARD BOARD REPORT #03-07 STUDENT AID EXPENDITURES FOR 2001-02 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP Academic Excellence Scholarships are awarded to high school seniors who have the highest cumulative grade point average in each public and private high school throughout the state of Wisconsin. The number of scholarships for which each high school is eligible is based on total student enrollment. In order to receive a scholarship, a student must enroll full-time by September 30 of the year in which the student graduated from high school, at a participating University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Technical College, or Independent institution in the State of Wisconsin. The scholarship is applied to the student’s tuition, in the amount of $2250 per year, for up to four years. Half of the scholarship is funded by the State, while the other half is matched by the institution. The total dollars expended for this program increased by over four percent in 2001-02 compared to 2000-01. The number of awards increased from 2,670 in 2000-01 to 2,781 in 2001-02. The average award increased from $1,084 to $1,086. The increase of dollars expended and the number of awards was due to an increase in the number of participating schools and an increase in the number of alternates utilizing the scholarship. In 2001-02 the majority of recipients attended University of Wisconsin schools (82.81 percent). HANDICAPPED STUDENT GRANT The Handicapped Student Grant Program was established to provide funding for Wisconsin residents, enrolled at an in-state or eligible out-of-state public or independent institution who show financial need and have a hearing or visual impairment. Students are eligible to receive up to $1,800 per year for up to five years. The total dollars expended for this program in 2001-02 increased by 24.6 percent compared to 2000-01. This increase came, in part, as a response HEAB's increased efforts to publicize the program. The number of recipients increased by 14 awards in 2001-02 compared to 2000-01. The average award decreased from $1,591 to $1,574. Every student who applied and met eligibility criteria received an award. HEAB plans to continue to make extra efforts this year to further publicize the award in all available venues. Students attending school within the WTC System used 54.08 percent of the funding, UW System students used 25.22 percent and independent colleges and universities used 17.33 percent. INDEPENDENT STUDENT GRANT The Independent Student Grant provided funding to resident undergraduate students who were recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (A.F.D.C.). Awards were based on financial need. Recipients of the grant who no longer reside in Wisconsin or who have not successfully completed requirements for a degree or certificate within five years of receiving this grant are required to repay the grant amount. Beginning with the academic year 1997-98, funding ended under this program per statutory change and no new grants have been made since that time. Of the students who received funding under this program, the majority (over 78 percent) are either forgiven or paid in full. INDIAN STUDENT ASSISTANCE GRANT Awards under this program are made to Wisconsin residents who are at least twenty five percent Native American and are undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at least half time in degree or certificate programs at University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Technical College, Independent Colleges and Universities or Proprietary Institutions throughout Wisconsin. Awards are based on financial need with a limit of ten semesters of eligibility. HEAB has an informal matching arrangement with grant funds awarded by the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs and Wisconsin Tribal governments. The total dollars expended in 2001-02 decreased from 2000-01 by 4.6 percent. The number of recipients decreased by 2.2 percent. The average award decreased from $938 in 2000-01 to $915 in 2001-02. The decreases were due to a carryover from 1999-00 into the 2000-01 academic year. The carryover was due to the late passage of the of the 1999-01 Budget Bill. The 2000-01 academic year was the sixth year that the maximum grant a student could receive under this program was $1,100. Prior to 1995-96 the maximum grant was $2,200. In 1999-00, the funding source for this program was changed from General Program Revenue (GPR) to gaming revenues. MINORITY UNDERGRADUATE RETENTION GRANT Awards under this program are made to resident minority undergraduates, excluding first year students, enrolled at least half-time at Independent or Wisconsin Technical College institutions. According to the statutes, a minority student is defined as a student who is either a Black American, American Indian, Hispanic, or Southeast Asian admitted to the U. S. after December 31, 1975. Awards are based on financial need with a maximum grant of $2,500 per year for up to eight semesters or twelve quarters. The University of Wisconsin System Administration has a similar program, the Lawton Grant, for students attending those institutions. The total dollars expended by students from both systems in 2001-02 increased by almost five percent compared to 2000-01. The number of recipients increased by just over one percent. The average award (for both sectors) increased from $1,122 in 2000-01 to $1,158 in 2001-02. The reason for the increases was an increase in funding in 2001-02 over 2000-01. This allowed for larger grants to eligible students. The majority of recipients for the Minority Undergraduate Retention Grant continue to be African American. MINORITY TEACHER LOAN The Minority Teacher Loan Program provides loans at five percent interest of up to $2,500 per year to a maximum of $5,000 to resident, minority, undergraduate students who are enrolled at least half-time in programs leading to teacher licensure at an Independent or University of Wisconsin Institution. The student who participates in this program must agree to teach in a school district located in the state in which minority students constitute at least twenty nine percent of total enrollment or in a school district participating in the interdistrict pupil transfer (Chapter 220) program. If the student does not teach in an eligible district, the loan must be repaid. In 2001-02, the total dollars expended decreased by one half percent. The number of participants in this program decreased by one compared to 2000-01. The average award decreased from $2,222 in 2000-01 to $2,190. In 1999-00, due to administrative rule changes, this program became available to students attending school at least half-time rather than at least full-time and students are no longer required to show financial need in order to be considered for this program. Under the forgiveness component of this program, out of 818 borrowers, over 37 percent are either forgiven or paid in full. An additional 47 percent are either in forgiveness or repayment. Over 6 percent are still enrolled at least half-time in school. NURSING STUDENT STIPEND LOAN The Nursing Student Stipend Loan was established to fund full-time, undergraduate, Wisconsin resident, nursing students with financial need. Beginning with the 1995-96 academic year a provision was added to the 1995 Act 27 which prohibits any new students from participating in this forgivable loan program. Of the students who received funding under this program, the majority (over 82 percent) are currently in forgiveness status, forgiven in full or paid in full. PAUL DOUGLAS SCHOLARSHIP The Paul Douglas Scholarship was developed to provide funding for students who graduated in the top ten percent of their high school class and are in training to become teachers. This forgivable loan program (although referred to as a scholarship) funded by the federal government and administered by HEAB was repealed in 1995-96. Of the 213 students who received funding under this program, more than 86% have been forgiven, are in forgiveness status or have paid in full. TALENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM GRANT The Talent Incentive Program (TIP) Grant provides grant assistance to the most financially needy and educationally disadvantaged Wisconsin resident students attending colleges and universities in the State of Wisconsin. First-time freshmen students are nominated for the TIP Grant by the school financial aid offices or by counselors of the Wisconsin Educational Opportunities Program (WEOP). To continue to receive the TIP Grant, students must be enrolled consecutive terms and continue to show financial need. Eligibility cannot exceed ten semesters. Both the State of Wisconsin and the Federal Government provide funding for the TIP Grant. $5,468,556 was expended in 2001-02, of which $1,146,321 was federal funds. The number of awards in 2001-02 increased by over four percent compared to 2000-01. The average award decreased from $1,324 in 2000-01 to $1,268 in 2001-02. The decrease in the amount awarded was due to a carryover from 1999-00 into the 2000-01 academic year. The carryover was due to the late passage of the 1999-01 Budget Bill. Dependent students (almost 67 percent) utilized the majority of the funds. TEACHER EDUCATION LOAN PROGRAM The Teacher Education Loan Program provides loans to Wisconsin residents enrolled in the teacher education programs at the Milwaukee Teacher Education Center (MTEC). The student who receives this loan must agree to teach in the Wisconsin school district operating under Chapter 119 of the Wisconsin State Statutes, First Class City School System (currently only the Milwaukee Public Schools). For each year the student teaches in the eligible school district, 50% of the loan is forgiven.