KENAI — More Alaska students could become eligible to receive annual scholarships awarded by the state at higher amounts under a bill introduced by the Alaska House Education Committee last week.<\/p>\n
House Bill 148 aims to boost the number of Alaskans that use the Alaska Performance Scholarship, awarded by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education to pursue education after high school graduation, and would increase those scholarship amounts. Rep. Justin Ruffridge, a Soldotna Republican, co-chairs the House Education Committee with Rep. Jamie Allard, an Eagle River Republican.<\/p>\n
The Alaska Performance Scholarship is awarded annually to high-performing, eligible high school students to help cover the cost of postsecondary education at participating colleges, universities or career and technical education programs in Alaska. Students who meet the requirements for the largest scholarship level receive $4,755 per year for four years, or up to $19,020.<\/p>\n
To be eligible for the scholarship, recipients must be Alaska residents who graduate from an Alaska high school, have a minimum 2.5 grade point average, or GPA, take a rigorous course curriculum as outlined by the commission and meet a qualifying score on a college or career entrance exam.<\/p>\n
The bill was presented to that committee on Monday by Ruffridge’s chief of staff, Bud Sexton, and Braeden Garrett, also part of Ruffridge’s staff. To date, more than $100 million in scholarships have been awarded to Alaska students, Sexton said Monday.<\/p>\n
Among other things, H.B. 148 would eliminate the requirement that student applicants take a standardized test for consideration, such as the SAT or ACT, and implement a clearer notification process for applicants and their families. The bill would also increase the scholarship amounts for the first time since 2011.<\/p>\n
Students with a 3.5 GPA or higher would receive the highest award level at $7,000 per year, up from $4,755. Students with at least a 3.0 GPA would receive $5,250 per year, up from $3,566 per year. Students with at least a 2.5 GPA would receive $3,500 per year, up from $2,378.<\/p>\n
The bill would also implement a “step up” provision, through which a recipient’s scholarship award amount could go up if a student increases their GPA.<\/p>\n
Sexton told committee members Monday, however, that the number of students taking advantage of the Alaska Performance Scholarship has steadily decreased since 2011. The program saw the lowest eligibility rates since its inception among 2022 graduates, when just 17% of graduates met the eligibility requirements.<\/p>\n