The Higher Education Department announced this week that the share of tuition covered by the lottery scholarship will drop from 90 percent to 60 percent. But student leaders say the scholarship is vital for students who rely on it.
Associated Students of the University of New Mexico, the undergraduate student government, had gone to Santa Fe during this year’s regular legislative session to fight cuts to the lottery scholarship which uses revenue from lottery sales to provide funding for schooling.
A full time resident student with the lottery scholarship paid almost $1500 out of pocket this year for tuition and fees. That’s set to go up next semester, to over $3000. ASUNM’s Mason Martinez says the changes could lead to higher dropout rates at UNM.
“…And we’re troubled that lawmakers across the state didn’t make saving this scholarship a priority,” Martinez said.
The scholarship was maintaining the higher amounts with supplemental funds from the liquor excise tax. But that tax expires at the end of this month and it’s unclear whether it will be renewed.