SB15-050 Summary

• Establishes the Awarding Colorado's Excellent Scholars (ACES) program to provide annual scholarships to the 3 highest-GPA graduates from each Colorado public high school, beginning with the 2015-16 academic year.

• Students must graduate from a Colorado public high school, achieve a GPA among the 3 highest in their class (minimum 3.0), and enroll in a Colorado public institution of higher education starting the fall semester after graduation.

• Scholarship amount equals each student's share of in-state tuition plus Colorado opportunity fund stipends; recipients may receive scholarships for up to 4 consecutive academic years or until earning a baccalaureate degree.

• Students must maintain at least 15 credit hours per semester and a 3.0 GPA to continue receiving scholarships; suspension is allowed for legitimate reasons, but total funding cannot exceed 8 semesters.

• The Commission on Higher Education adopts program guidelines and the Department of Higher Education administers the program; school districts and charter school institutes must annually submit eligible students' names and contact information.