Board cuts AIMS scholarships for Arizona students

PHOENIX - In a 9 to 1 vote the ASU Board of Regents voted Thursday to decrease money available to students for the AIMS scholarship while increasing eligibility requirements.

Currently students must exceed AIMS test standards and must hold a minimum GPA or rank in the top 5 percent of the class to qualify. Those requirements remain the same but now ACT and SAT test scores will also be added. ACT scores must be between 28-36 or SAT1 at 1300-1600.

The amount of the scholarship is being reduced to 25 percent of freshman-year tuition instead of the current 100 percent. More money can be awarded for merit at the University's discretion.

"It is going to be devastating for some students," said Pat Phillips, a career specialist at Perry High in the Chandler Unified School District. "Parents have lost jobs and there are more singe income families which is going to be difficult."

School Superintendant and Regent Tom Horne was the lone dissenting vote. He hoped to see previous standards maintained.

"The message is that they've lost an incentive to study hard," said Horne.

The Regents' decision was sparked by financial concerns. Some Regents argued the increasing cost of the program was just too high to continue. Even in its revised form, President Michael Crow said the funding is a challenge.

"It's a $21 million program for us a year in its current mode. With these changes there is additional funding, we have to find that funding somewhere," Crow said.