Millennium Scholarship Parent Information

Millennium Scholarship Parent Information

Scholarship graphic

As the parent of a Governor Guinn Millennium Scholar, you are probably curious about how the scholarship will work. This page is intended to answer most of the questions that you may have.

Eligibility

Please visit the Millennium Office to find general information regarding eligibility. The important thing to remember is that an application is not required; your student is automatically eligible if they meet the criteria, and they are identified for the Millennium Scholarship as described in the next session. Your student must also declare a major at each Nevada institution where they plan to attend. After that, the student must maintain eligibility by completing the minimum number of credits and maintaining the minimum GPA requirement.

Steps to Receiving the Millennium Scholarship

  1. Mid to late-June: Nevada school districts send the Millennium Scholarship Office information regarding eligible students.
  2. Early to mid-July: the Millennium Scholarship Office sends a packet of information to each student, containing an acknowledgment letter that must be signed by the student and returned to the Millennium Scholarship Office. At the same time, the Millennium Scholarship Office sends all Nevada post–secondary institutions information regarding eligible students.
  3. Late July: newly eligible students who have returned their acknowledgment letter and have enrolled at TMCC will be awarded the Millennium Scholarship on their MyTMCC.
  4. Early August: the Millennium award is applied toward the student's account. Fees for which the student is responsible are due to Accounting Services by the posted fee deadline.

FERPA

All post-secondary institutions are bound by the Federal Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA), which stipulates that information about a student generally may not be released to a third party without the student's signed release. While your student was in high school, FERPA allowed information to be released to you as the parent, but once they matriculate to a post-secondary institution this process changes. If your student would like us to release information to you, they must log into their MyTMCC and manage third party releases.

Dollar Value

The dollar value of the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship may seem confusing, but basically, Millennium Scholars receive:

  • $40 per credit (excluding remedial courses) up to 15 classes per term at Nevada community colleges, including
    • Truckee Meadows Community College
    • Western Nevada College
    • College of Southern Nevada
  • $60 per credit (excluding remedial courses) at Nevada state colleges, including:
    • Great Basin College
    • Nevada State University
  • $80 per credit (excluding remedial courses) at any Nevada university, including:
    • University of Nevada, Reno
    • University of Nevada, Las Vegas
    • Sierra Nevada College

Please refer to the Scholarship website for information specific to the year in which your student graduated. Should your student graduate with a bachelor's degree, or reach the end of their time limit for the Millennium, any remaining funds remain the property of the Nevada State Treasurer and will be used to fund future scholarships.

Nevada Pre–Paid Tuition Program

If your family has enrolled in Nevada's Pre-Paid Tuition Program, that payment will be applied to the student's account first. The Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship is then applied (in the manner described in the "Steps to Receive" section above). The student will then be given a refund, which is to be used for educational expenses only.

Eligible Expenses

The Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship is intended to pay tuition for the student; however, in many circumstances (pre–paid tuition, financial aid eligibility) the student may receive other funding, and will receive a residual refund (the amount of all aid that exceeds the charges on the student's account). This refund is to be used for educational expenses only, including:

  • Registration fees and laboratory fees and expenses (excluding remedial courses and associated fees);
  • Required textbooks and course materials; and
  • Other costs directly related to the attendance of the student at the eligible institution.

Co-Enrollment

Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship students enrolled in a degree or certificate program at an eligible institution may request to enroll with Millennium Scholarship support at another eligible institution. A co-enrolled student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits between both institutions and may only be paid for a maximum total of 15 credits between both institutions. Credits taken at the host institution must meet the requirements of the degree the student is pursuing at the home institution.

If a student is attending a university and a community college, and is not receiving the full Millennium award at the university, a Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship Co-Enrollment Form may be submitted to the home institution.

  • The home institution is the eligible college/university at which the student is enrolled in a program of study leading to a recognized degree or certificate.
  • The host institution is any eligible institution where a student may be co-enrolled in coursework and the credits will be transferred back to the home institution.

Once the co-enrollment form is approved and processed by the home institution, it is forwarded to the host institution. Generally the student would be paid first for the units at the home institution and would then be paid for any remaining eligibility by the host institution.

In either case, the student must satisfactorily complete the credits funded and approved on the co-enrollment form. The required GPA must be earned at each institution where the student is being funded.

Summer

For Summer term only, the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship Program is a reimbursement program, which means that the student enrolls in and pays for their classes and are then reimbursed in October, provided the student also received the Millennium Scholarship at another institution (or TMCC) the preceding Spring or following Fall Semesters.

Unlike Fall and Spring Semesters, students need only take a minimum of a half credit or a maximum of 15 credits (excluding remedial courses) during the Summer to be eligible for Millennium reimbursement.

Millennium Scholars who are full–time students at another Nevada institution may take classes in Summer at TMCC and be reimbursed, as long as they've declared a major at TMCC. There are no forms to be reimbursed; however, your student should check with our office if your student does not receive reimbursement by mid-October. The TMCC Financial Aid Office runs reports to identify each eligible student, and we check for enrollment in the Fall or Spring Semesters.

Other Financial Aid

Your student should apply for other financial aid, however, it is not required that they do so. By completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), they may be able to access other funding in addition to the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship.

Regaining Eligibility

If your student has lost eligibility for the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship after they have matriculated at a Nevada school, following are the steps to regain eligibility:

  1. Enroll in and complete either a minimum of 9 credits at a community college, or a minimum of 12 credits at a university while having a declared major, and meet the required minimum GPA according to your student's year of high school graduation. This enrollment is not funded by the Millennium Scholarship Program. Continuing education and workforce development classes do not count toward the required 9 or 12 credits.
  2. Each institution sends verification of credits completed and GPA to the Millennium Office at the end of each term.
  3. The Millennium Office will send the student a letter notifying them of their reinstatement to the program.
  4. All Millennium Scholars are able to regain the scholarship only one time after losing eligibility. If a student loses eligibility a second time, the student is no longer eligible for the Millennium Scholarship.
  5. The student may not be reimbursed for the term during which they are regaining eligibility.