Millennium Scholarship packets are on their way to 6,500 students who graduated Nevada high schools with a B average or better.
Gov. Kenny Guinn said that, beginning with the class of 2000, the scholarships will provide up to $10,000 to pay tuition costs for each Nevada graduate attending one of Nevada's universities or community colleges.
"The idea is to generate a little excitement when it arrives," said Susan Moore, administrator of the scholarship program.
She said the packet contains a certificate style letter announcing that the student qualifies for the scholarship signed by the governor and state Treasurer Brian Krolicki. It also contains a copy of the procedures for using the scholarship and a form for the student to send back to the state formally accepting the grant.
Krolicki said the mailing is the culmination of a year's work to develop the program, which is administered through his office.
Moore said by the time classes start in the fall, as many as 6,800 students may be qualified to get the scholarship money. That includes 229 students in Carson City, 211 in Douglas and 139 in Lyon County.
"We're asking the student to actually sign and date the acceptance and send that back to us," said Moore.
She said at that point, the student's name is formally entered into the database so when he or she registers at one of Nevada's four-year or community colleges, the scholarship money will be released to cover their tuition costs.
For those attending the University of Nevada, Reno or Las Vegas, that means $80 a credit, and for community colleges, $40 a credit.
Moore said to qualify for the money, the student must take at least 12 credits a semester from one of the two universities or 6 units from a community college.
"The calculation is based totally on the number of units the student is enrolled in," she said.
The students have up to eight years from graduation to use their scholarship money.
The cash to cover the cost of the scholarship program will come from the more than $48 million a year Nevada expects to get from the tobacco settlement over the next 20 years. Nearly half the total settlement will go into the scholarship program in what Guinn says is an attempt to give every Nevada high school graduate a chance for a college education.
Scholarships
Carson City 229
Douglas 211
Lyon 139