NMI Scholarship Office board cuts financial awards by 42 pct.

Recipients of NMI Scholarship Office grants will see a significant cut in their financial assistance starting this fall semester.

The scholarship board approved Monday a 42-percent cut in the grant amounts being awarded under the Educational Assistance Program, or EAP award, one of the two scholarship grants being offered by the office.

From the previous year’s $1,200, the amount was slashed to $700 per student per semester starting this new semester. The policy change was due to the high number of applications received for the fall 2011 semester, totaling to 1,100.

NMI Scholarship Office administrator Jackie Che told Saipan Tribune that the decision was adopted during Monday’s board meeting on Capital Hill.

She said letters to recipients, indicating the changed amounts, are now being prepared for release.

Che said the board intends to increase the number of EAP scholars and her office aims to approve 750 applications this semester.

As of yesterday, 395 EAP applications from NMC have so far been approved for assistance this fall semester, Che said. A total of 320 applications from off-island have also been found eligible for the EAP awards. This brings to 715 the total number of applications approved for EAP this semester.

Che projects that about 800 scholars will benefit from NMI Scholarship Office awards this semester, of which about 30 will be under the honor scholarship program.

Under the honor scholarship program, Che said that three new applicants have so far been approved while a couple of applications are still being reviewed.

Saipan Tribune learned that the board did not make any changes to the honor scholarship program, which provides up to $15,000 in annual assistance to eligible students.

“We’re going to take a different stance this year where we will try to be really responsible in releasing the full $15,000 amount [to honor scholars],” she said, adding that there are 30 scholars currently under the honor scholarship program.

Compared to EAP, the honors scholarship requires a very high grade point average that scholars must maintain every semester. Not everybody under the program receives the full $15,000 because school expenses have to be certified by the school’s financial aid counselor, which the CNMI Scholarship Office verifies.

The EAP, on the other hand, is open to eligible students and requires a 2.25 cumulative GPA at a minimum and enrollment in 12 units or more for the semester.

Che disclosed that a large amount of the money budgeted for her office this fiscal year will go to NMC for the financial assistance of scholars under both the EAP and honor programs.

The NMI Scholarship Office has a $2-million budget this fiscal year.

Che disclosed that $900,000 will be used to pay for the financial assistance of off-island scholars for both EAP and honor programs.

She said the $2 million is “not enough” but vowed to work within budget.

“I’ve seen a decline in the budget every year and I can say that it’s not enough because of the high increase in the number of students who want to pursue higher education.but we will work with what little we have. This is why changes are being made in the regulation to see how we could support our students in a very responsible way,” Che said, adding that her office is “heading in the direction of giving money to students who really need it.”