History of Twenty-First Century Scholars

In 1990, the Indiana General Assembly created the Twenty-first Century Scholars program to help reduce the financial burden of higher education on low to moderate income Indiana students and their families. Much more than just a scholarship, the program guides students - from seventh grade through college graduation - and their families through the necessary steps as they pursue higher education.

Income-eligible students who enroll in the Scholars program and fulfill a Pledge of good citizenship are guaranteed the cost of eight semesters of college tuition at any participating Indiana public college or university. If the student attends an eligible Indiana private institution, the state will award an amount comparable to that of a public institution. If a student attends a proprietary school, the state will award a tuition scholarship similar to that of Ivy Tech State College (a Community College of Indiana partner).

The first class of 5, 722 Scholars enrolled in the 1990-91 school year. Since then, nearly 70,000 students have enrolled in the program and almost 19,000 have completed high school, affirmed that they have remained drug and crime free, and are eligible to receive tuition assistance to attend Indiana postsecondary public institutions, independent colleges and universities, and approved proprietary schools.

Newsletters:

Seniors

• Fall 2003

General

• Summer 2003
• Spring 2003

7th & 8th grade

• Spring 2004

• Under the administration of Gov. Evan Bayh, the Indiana General Assembly establishes the Twenty-first Century Scholars program.

• The State provides additional funding during 1992-94, allowing the scholars program to expand from seven to nine sites. The collaborative efforts of the Commission for Higher Education, the State Budget Agency and the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) enable the Indiana Career and Postsecondary Advancement Center (ICPAC) to hire staff to manage the Scholars program database.
• The Parents Project is implemented with seed funds from Lilly Endowment, Inc. in seven Regional Support Sites statewide.
• The Scholars program partners with College Goal Sunday to provide free financial aid assistance to Indiana families.

• The Scholars program expands to 12 sites through support from the National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership (NEISP) initiative. It is one of only six recipients of the U.S. Department of Education NEISP grant.
• The Scholars program receives an AmeriCorps grant, which provides services from 22 AmeriCorps members.

1995

• The first class of Scholars enters college.

1998

• In July, the Scholars Support Program expands to 16 sites, offering Support Program Initiatives to all 92 Indiana counties.
• The Scholars program pilots an Educational Summit with the Parents Project and the Indiana Center for Family, School and Community Partnerships.

1999

• Involvement from AmeriCorps grows to include 110 members, providing more than 300,000 hours of community service to Scholars and community programs across Indiana.
• The Scholars program receives a GEAR UP grant from the U.S. Department of Education to produce a PBS broadcast - "GEAR UP - A Guide to Student Financial Aid."

2000

• For the first time, the Scholars program offers free assistance to families enrolling or interested in the Scholars program at nearly 60 Scholars Sunday event locations statewide.