Every New Mexico student who has recently graduated from high school or completed an equivalency program can receive the Legislative Lottery Scholarship. It’s available for full-time students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree or an Associate's degree. The scholarship covers up to 100% of the tuition costs at a New Mexico public university or community college.
Unlike most other scholarships, it doesn’t require an application: it’s a guaranteed, entitlement-style scholarship not capped by a fixed number of recipients. Schools automatically award the scholarship to everyone who meets the eligibility criteria.
Key information about the NM Lottery Scholarship
The conditions and eligibility requirements for the Lottery Scholarship are quite straightforward:
All students who meet the eligibility requirements are automatically awarded the scholarship during their second semester. The decision is made based on their credits and GPA by the end of the first semester.
Transfer students can still be eligible for the scholarship, but they’re required to submit a New Mexico Scholarship Transfer Transcript completed by their previous school.
The New Mexico Lottery Scholarship Requirements
The name of the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship is a bit misleading, which is why a lot of students mistakenly believe that they have to apply for it and take part in some lottery. In reality, “the Lottery” refers to the sources of funding: the Lottery Scholarship is funded mainly through state lottery proceeds.
To qualify for the Lottery Scholarship, you must meet a few eligibility criteria:
- Be enrolled at a New Mexico public university or community college within 16 months after graduating from a New Mexico high school or equivalency. For example, to be eligible for the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship 2025, a student had to graduate or complete an equivalency program no later than fall 2023 and be enrolled in a New Mexico college or university by September 2025.
- Be a full-time student, which implies completing no less than 12 credit hours over the course of the first semester and completing at least 30 credit hours each academic year.
- Maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
How much does the NM Lottery Scholarship pay?
The amount of the Lottery Scholarship can vary from one year to another because it depends on state funding and budget decisions. The students who met the eligibility requirements during their first, the so-called “qualifying,” semester are awarded the scholarship starting from the second semester of their enrollment.
For the 2024/2025 academic year, the scholarship covered up to $4,252 per semester of tuition costs. Mandatory student fees (technology fees, library fees, etc.) and course fees for specific classes, if any, aren’t covered.
Requirements for maintaining the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship
Once you’re awarded the lottery scholarship, you need to be mindful of the eligibility requirements to maintain it throughout your academic journey. If you fail to meet them, the coverage will be discontinued.
There are exceptions to these rules, for example, for students with disabilities, but such cases are discussed and decided with your specific school on a case-by-case basis.
Here are the attendance and academic expectations a student has to meet to maintain the scholarship:
- Complete at least 12 credit hours (9 for branch campus students) in each consecutive fall and spring semester.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
- Complete 30 credit hours by the end of the academic year (24 hours for branch campus students).
Also, students are allowed to use summer courses to meet the credit hour requirements.
The GPA is based on the letter grades: A, B, C, D, F, and WF. When a student receives a failing grade (F, NC, I, W, WP, WF, and Audit), it doesn’t count toward the overall number of completed credits but does affect the GPA in most cases.
Timelines for the Legislative Lottery Scholarship
Within the first three weeks of the semester, you need to submit the Accessibility Resource Center waivers, Scholarship Petition, and Consortium Agreements.
The Consortium Agreements are required if you plan to attend classes at more than one public university or community college. The Lottery Scholarship allows this, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements for the number of credits and GPA.
Eligibility requirements for transfer students
If you’re transferring from one New Mexico public college or university to another, you can maintain the Lottery Scholarship. You’ll need to submit a New Mexico Scholarship Transfer Transcript and transcripts from all prior colleges. Of course, the standard eligibility requirements still apply for transfer students.
Requirements for regaining the scholarship
If you fail to meet the scholarship requirements, you’ll lose the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship. However, you have a chance to improve your GPA or credits without losing the funding by submitting a petition for a probationary semester. If your request is granted, you’ll keep receiving the funding during the probation, though this is not a guarantee. Schools review all requests for probationary semesters on a case-by-case basis.
If you weren’t able to meet the requirements due to exceptional circumstances, you can also regain the funding by submitting a Scholarship Petition, a personal statement where you explain what happened, and supporting documents that serve as evidence of the exceptional circumstances. Such requests may be approved or denied, depending on the situation.
Conclusion
As you can see, it’s not hard to get the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship – basically, every recent high school graduate with a decent GPA is eligible for it.
However, to continuously receive the funding, you must have a GPA of 2.5 or above and complete 30 credit hours by the end of the academic year. If you fail to meet these requirements and try to regain the scholarship, you’ll have to deal with much more bureaucracy.