PHOENIX — The Arizona Board of Regents is considering ending a popular college scholarship program for high achievers.
The AIMS scholarships pay tuition and fees at the state's three public universities for high school students who perform well on the standardized Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards test.
But the scholarships are costing too much and the universities want more discretion to funnel some of the money toward need-based scholarships.
The scholarships have become a tremendous cost for the universities, Regent Dennis DeConcini said.
When the awards were introduced in 2006, annual tuition and fees for an Arizona resident totaled about $4,600 at Arizona State University. Now, the amount for incoming freshmen is about $8,100.
University officials blame state budget cuts for the possible demise of the scholarships, saying the situation makes it challenging to serve a growing number of students. But scholarship supporters, including parents and students, say they are counting on them to pay for rising college costs. They say the AIMS scholarship is an incentive for students to work hard in high school.
Members of a regents committee will discuss possible changes Thursday, and the full board is expected to vote in August. Students who already have the scholarship will not be affected by any changes.
Students in Arizona qualify for the scholarship by scoring "exceeds" on all three parts reading, writing and math of the 10th-grade AIMS test. About 6 percent of students who take the test exceed standards in all three areas.
The scholarship covers four years of tuition and fees based on freshman year costs. Students must pick up the tab for any increases in the second through fourth years.
Efforts to change the scholarship are meeting resistance from state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, the man responsible for creating the award.
“It has been a tremendous motivator,” said Dr. Horne, who also is a member of the Board of Regents. “I'll fight as hard as I can to keep it, because it motivates people to study.”
