The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is funded by a $1.6 billion dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was established in The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their fullest potential.

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the Administrator of the GMS initiative and has partnered with the following organizations: American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS) Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) Gates Millennium Scholars UNCFAPIASF AIGC Scholars (AIGCS) Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)

The GMS Scholarship Award funds academic financial support covering unmet need & self help. Continued graduate school funding up to Ph.D. in the 7 areas of : Computer scienceLibrary sciences Education Public Health EngineeringSciences Mathematics

Eligibility… Are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American Are a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the United States Have attained a cumulative high school GPA of 3.3 on an unweighted 4.0 scale or have earned a GED Will enroll for the first time at a U.S. located, accredited college or university (with the exception of students concurrently pursuing a high school diploma) in the fall of 2011 as a full-time, degree- seeking, first-year student. First-time college enrollees can also be GED recipients. Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities Meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria Have completed and submitted all three required forms: the student’s application (Nominee Personal Information Form), an evaluation of the student’s academic record (Nominator Form) and an evaluation of the student’s community service and leadership activities(Recommender Form) by the deadline

GMS Provides… Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help Renewable awards for Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress Option to transfer Graduate School Funding for continuing Scholars in the 7 selected areas Leadership Development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities

Not Just About Money… Student Leadership Conferences GMS Leadership Academies Scholar Connection Alumni Relations Program Mentoring Program

The Application Process… 1. Nominator Form – Educator/Guidance Counselor Educator who is familiar with the student’s academic background completes the Nominator Form 2. Recommender Form – Community Service/Leadership Advocate Community member or individual who is aware of the student’s community service and leadership activities completes the Recommender Form and 3. Nominee Form – Student Student completes comprehensive Nominee Personal Information Form. Independent readers complete individualized reading and scoring assessment of each eligible Nominee in three major areas: A. academic achievement, B. community service, and C. leadership potential

The Application Process.. List activities by high school year Summarize the academic record, honors and awards Summarize community service activities Summarize leadership opportunities Write clearly and with vigor regarding your accomplishments, goals, and dreams Nominees (students) Be Prepared To:

Leadership examples Church group youth leader Boys and Girls Club volunteer Caretaker for different generations of family members Youth leader at local Temple Translator for parents Starting a cultural club at your high school Involvement in Student Government Team Captain/Co-captain

Community Service Examples Habitat for Humanities Senior Citizen Centers Helping others Learn to Read Animal Shelters Political Campaigns Park and Recreation Volunteers Food Banks Neighborhood Clean-up projects

Tips for Nominees.. Nominee Section Longer is not better; be concise Your chance to articulate how your background conveys who you are PROOFREAD COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION!!! Nominator Section Select an individual that is familiar with your academic background Encourage your Nominator to submit as early as possible MUST BE AN EDUCATOR! Not a relative! Recommender Section Select an individual that can attest to your community service & leadership skills Encourage your Recommender to submit as early as possible Not a relative!

For Applicants and Recommenders.. Option to go to online or down-load Forms

Applications do not need to be submitted in the same format or at the same time Forms can be mailed or submitted online online submission are preferred and post instantaneously online application detection will alert you of errors No attachments All forms must be submitted by the deadline

Nomination materials are available at A Complete Application Packet Consist of: 1. Student Application (Nominee Personal Information Form) 2. Educator’s evaluation of the student’s academic record (Nominator Form) 3. Evaluation of the student’s community service and leadership activities (Recommender Form)

All three forms are linked by the student registration identification number. The student’s registration identification number is a combination of their five digit zip code and the last four digits of their preferred phone number. For example, if their five digit zip code is and their preferred phone number is ; then the registration identification number would be

Nominees (students), must select one telephone number to use for their student registration identification number to prevent any possible confusion. The student’s registration identification number is automatically displayed by the system as they complete page one of the online application. Nominators and Recommenders will have to enter the student registration identification number to access the Nominator or Recommender Form. Nominators and Recommenders, do not have to wait for the Nominee to start their application before they begin their nomination or recommendation for the student.

Timeline From August through mid January All online applications are processed when submitted All applications mailed by the deadline are scanned and loaded into the Nomination database Online applications must be submitted online by January 10, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. and paper applications postmarked January 10,

Timeline During the month of February Independent readers complete an individualized read and scoring assessment of each eligible Nominee in three major areas: academic achievement, community service, and leadership potential From March through early April Applications are continuously reviewed as all information in applications is verified including GPA, citizenship status, and Federal Pell grant eligibility All Gates Scholars are selected and notified

GMS Scholarship Application Available online on August 1, 2010 at

Who are Gates Scholars?

Contact GMS Gates Millennium Scholars Program United Negro College Fund GMSP (4677)