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Summer Term Begins May 13

New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship

The New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship provides tuition and fee assistance for New Mexico residents who meet eligibility and are pursuing a training certificate, associate degree, or bachelor degree at a New Mexico public college or university.

Resources

The Opportunity Scholarship is awarded during the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.

The Opportunity Scholarship will cover up to 100% of tuition and required fees and up to $50 per credit hour for course specific fees. There is no application required for the Opportunity Scholarship. If you meet the eligibility criteria, our Scholarship team will work with you to award the scholarship.

For 2023-2024, the Fast Track programs, CNM Online College, and Law Enforcement Academy will be covered at $116.00 per credit hour. The Electroneurodiagnostic Technology program will be covered at $191.00 per credit hour.

Specialty Programs will not be covered at 100%, per NMHED. 

At CNM, a recipient receiving the Opportunity Scholarship who is also awarded the Lottery scholarship will receive three terms of funding or an associate's degree, whichever comes first. Students who maintain eligibility can transfer the Opportunity and Lottery Scholarships to a four-year institution and may be eligible for a total of up to seven terms.

You can visit the New Mexico Higher Education Department website for more information. 

Eligibility Requirements 

  • Applicants must be residents of New Mexico.
  • Applicants must have a high school diploma, GED, or received a high school equivalency credential.
    • Recent graduate learners must have graduated from an accredited NM high school or complete a PED approved home school program.
  • Do not exceed 90 attempted credit hours for completion of an associate degree.
    • The scholarship covers up to 90 credit hours for an associate degree and 160 credit hours for a bachelor degree.
  • Non-credit programs are not eligible for this scholarship.
  • Students are encouraged, but not required, to complete a FAFSA. 
  • Please submit an official high school diploma, transcript, or PED homeschool registration after graduation, as this is a requirement for the Lottery and Opportunity scholarships. 

Note: If you have 90 attempted hours or have an associate, bachelor, master's or doctoral degree, you are not eligible for the Opportunity Scholarship at CNM. 

High School Requirement

  • Opportunity Scholarship recipients must have a high school diploma, GED, or received a high school equivalency credential.
  • If you haven’t already, you must submit documentation that shows you have graduated high school or received a high school equivalent (GED, HiSET, etc.) to CNM’s Admissions office.
  • You can submit this documentation to CNM by email or bring it to any CNM One Stop location.
  • Additional Resources for Requesting Your High School Credential
    • If you do not have your high school credential on hand, reach out to your high school to request a copy. These are some additional resources for requesting your documents: 

Continuing Eligibility

  • You must maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average (GPA) beginning with the first semester of receiving the scholarship. 
    • Cumulative GPA is the average of all traditional letter grades, A, B, C, D, and F. Credits completed with a grade of CR will be counted only in the total number of credit hours earned and will not establish or affect GPA. Grades of F, NC, I, W, and AU do not count towards total credit hours completed.
    • We are currently reviewing students who fell below a 2.5 GPA prior to Fall 2022. 
  • You must maintain consecutive enrollment.
    • Consecutive enrollment (six or more credit hours) for Fall and Spring terms is required. Summer term is optional and will pay a minimum of three or more credit hours, but no more than 18 credit hours. 
    • Recent graduate learners must be enrolled in 12 credits hours, but no more than 18 credits hours for the Fall and Spring semester.  
    • Returning students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours, but no more than 18 credit hours in the Fall or Spring semester.
    • Consecutive enrollment for Fall and Spring terms (six or more credits for returning students and 12 or more credits for recent graduates). Summer term is optional and will pay a minimum of three or more credit hours, but no more than 18 credit hours. 

Transfer Students

  • You must submit to CNM a New Mexico Scholarship Transfer Transcript, to be completed by the institution from which you are transferring.  
  • You must meet all eligibility requirements listed above.
    • Transfer hours are included in 90 credit hour maximum.
The Opportunity Scholarship will be re-awarded to a recent graduate learner during the second semester, if continuously enrolled, and re-awarded to a returning student learner during the second continuous semester of enrollment. The scholarships will be re-awarded to students who maintain a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA and continuous enrollment, and meets earned credit hour criteria provided in the eligibility criteria section above for recent graduates or continuing students. 

Duration of the Scholarship

Scholarships may continue for you up to 90 attempted credit hours or the completion of an Associate Degree. Once an associate degree is obtained, you will no longer be eligible at CNM and can continue towards a bachelor degree at a university. 

Recent graduate learners must enroll full-time (at least 12 credit hours no more than 18 credit hours for fall and spring semesters) in a credit-bearing two-year program. 

Recent Graduate Learners

During the 16 months after graduation, a recent graduate learner may attend a public post-secondary educational institution or tribal college prior to their initial semester less than full-time without affecting future program eligibility, as long as a 2.5 GPA is maintained. Once a recent graduate learner is enrolled and attends full-time during the 16 months after graduation, the recent graduate learner shall be considered to have commenced the initial semester and must meet the initial semester eligibility requirements. Recent graduate learners must have graduated from an accredited NM high school or complete a PED-approved home school program. 

At CNM, a recipient receiving Opportunity Scholarship who is also awarded Lottery Scholarship will receive three terms or an associate degree, whichever comes first. Students who maintain eligibility can transfer the Opportunity and Lottery to a four-year institution and may be eligible for a total of up to seven terms.

Probationary Status

Currently, we are accepting Spring 2024 and Summer 2024 Opportunity appeals.  Fall 2023 appeals are closed and are no longer being reviewed.

You can apply for probationary status if you can't meet the Opportunity Scholarship requirements because of an exceptional mitigating circumstance beyond your control. Fill out the Request for Probationary Status form, attach the required documentation, then submit it to Scholarship Services for review. Please contact Scholarship Services for more information.

Financial need is not a consideration for the Lottery. A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not required, but is recommended by CNM.

  • A probation period is allowed for exceptional circumstances on a per-semester basis. A leave of absence can be renewable yearly at the higher
    education institution.
  • The scholarship may be renewed two years after losing eligibility and exhausting an allowable probation period.
  • If a probationary appeal is not granted, reinstatement of Opportunity can be petitioned no sooner than two years following the end of the semester when eligibility was lost. 

Calculate Your Qualifying Term

New Mexico high school graduates or New Mexico high school equivalency recipients will have up to sixteen months from the date they receive their high school credentials to begin their post-secondary education and complete their Qualifying Term.

Calculate your qualifying term (Excel Sheet)

Note: Qualifying term can be completed in Fall or Spring only.