For local high school students, getting a university scholarship based on the statewide AIMS test will be harder—and their effort worth less money—due to changes adopted late last month by the Arizona Board of Regents.
For this year’s high school sophomores, scholarship money awarded for high scores on the AIMS test dropped from 100 to 25 percent of their freshman tuition, after the board voted 9-1 to cut back the scholarship funding.
High school juniors and seniors, however, are exempt from this year’s changes.
“What is currently a popular scholarship option for Corona del Sol graduates planning to attend an in-state university tuition-free may fade into oblivion within the next two years,” Dan Brugger, Corona’s gifted-services and guidance counselor, said.
High school student counselors and parents are disappointed by the changes, saying that sophomores now face drastically greater requirements to gain smaller awards from the AIMS scholarship.
“Counselors have witnessed many students in the past few years retesting in AIMS, challenging more Advanced Placement exams and retaking core courses in order to attain eligibility for this full tuition waiver,” Brugger said.
“It certainly seemed worth it.”
But as Arizona universities find themselves pressured with increasing budget cuts, university officials said the AIMS scholarship costs too much money, according to Mark Denke, ASU assistant vice president for student academic affairs.
All regents voted for the proposed changes, except for State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.
Originally, the scholarship covered four years of tuition, with students picking up the tab for tuition increases, as well as all fees, in the second through fourth years.
Now, sophomores hoping to have at least 25 percent of their tuition paid via AIMS funding must graduate with all A’s and B’s, a 3.5 grade point average in their 16 core competency courses, and “exceed” (the AIMS vernacular for surpassing minimum levels) in AIMS reading, writing and math exams by the end of their junior year—either that or exceed in two of the three AIMS subtests in addition to earning a minimum of two scores of three or higher on any two AP exams, Brugger said.
Students graduating in the year 2013 or after must also score at least 28 on the ACT or 1,300 on the SAT1.
“We knew it was going to have to come to an end at some point, simply due to the economy,” Corona del Sol Principal Susan Edwards said.
“It was a blessing for those students who were able to get the scholarship before. Now, we just have to start looking at other options.”
Robin Jensen, a Kyrene parent and volunteer at Kyrene del Cielo Elementary School, said she is disappointed her kids (one in elementary, another in middle school) will not have the opportunity to get the AIMS scholarship. Jensen regularly volunteers at Cielo.
“I have not yet started worrying about college scholarships for my kids,” Jensen said. “But the changes made to the AIMS test made me think about future financial aid for my children.”
Jill Hoh, a local parent with a freshman at Corona and two younger daughters, said it is a disappointment to have the scholarship cut.
“My kids really want to go to out-of-state universities, so the changes didn’t make me too nervous. If that doesn’t work out, though, it is definitely a bummer that this will not be available for them,” she said.
“Mathew, my son, has always done well on the AIMS test, so there is no question in my mind he would have been eligible for the scholarship.”
Although Brugger considers the changes to represent a setback, he said options remain for high school students to gain an extra financial push for their in-state college education.
“Merit-based scholarships at the in-state public universities now appear to be more valuable and more readily available than the (AIMS) scholarship,” he said.
“Students should shift their focus accordingly.”
