New Mexico Legislative Lottery Scholarship
New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED); funded by the New Mexico Lottery
Pays 100% of tuition at New Mexico public and tribal colleges for recent New Mexico high school graduates who enroll full time within 16 months and keep a 2.5 GPA.
- How much
- 100% of tuition
- Who qualifies
- NM high school/home-school graduate or NM HSE recipient; enroll full time (15 credits at a four-year, 12 at a community college per HED's FAQ) within 16 months; 2.5 GPA in the 12+ credit qualifying semester and cumulative thereafter; no bachelor's degree yet.
- For high school seniors, students starting college, undergrads
- Not required: New Mexico residency, or eligibility for New Mexico's nondiscrimination waiver (students of any immigration status who attended a New Mexico high school for at least one year and graduated or earned a high school equivalency credential in New Mexico)
- When to apply
- Apply any time No application; must enroll full time at a NM public or tribal college within 16 months of high school graduation/HSE/home-school completion.
- How to apply
- No separate application: New Mexico public and tribal colleges award it automatically to eligible students who enroll full time
- Complete the FAFSA (or your college's state aid application) and tell your financial aid advisor you are establishing Lottery eligibility in your first semester
- What you'll need
- transcript
- Last checked
- October 5, 2026, against the official page (hed.nm.gov), page 2 and page 3
The details
For students who graduated from a New Mexico public or accredited private high school, completed a NM home-school program, or earned a NM high school equivalency credential while living in New Mexico, and who enroll full time at a New Mexico public college, university or tribal college within 16 months (or within 16 months of honorable discharge if they entered the military within four months of graduating). The first full-time semester is the 'qualifying' (bridge) semester: finish it with a 2.5 GPA and at least 12 credit hours; that semester may be covered by a college bridge scholarship and/or the Opportunity Scholarship. The Lottery Scholarship then pays tuition (up to 18 credit hours per fall/spring semester) for up to seven program semesters plus up to three summers at a four-year school (no more than 3.5 years toward a bachelor's), or three semesters at a two-year college. To renew: 2.5 cumulative GPA and 30 credit hours per academic year at a four-year school (at least 12 each fall/spring) or 24 per year at a two-year college (at least 9 each fall/spring); summer is optional. Course-specific fees can be covered by the Opportunity Scholarship. Students with documented disabilities may get reduced credit-hour requirements; a 16-month grace period with part-time Opportunity Scholarship enrollment is available for documented reasons (employment, religious mission and others).
More money from New Mexico
- Teacher Preparation Affordability ScholarshipUp to $6,000 per academic year (based on need)
- New Mexico Student Incentive Grant (NMSIG)$200 - $2,500 per year
- New Mexico Competitive ScholarshipA scholarship of at least $100 per semester plus in-state tuition and fee rates
- New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship100% of tuition and course-specific fees up to $50 per credit hour (at New Mexico public colleges and universities)
- New Mexico ScholarsTuition, books and fees
Keep looking
- Answer a few questions to see every program you qualify for
- Nearby states: Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah
- Federal aid and national scholarships (open to students in any state)
- The FAFSA in plain English (2027-28)
- Should I file the FAFSA if I don't think I'll qualify?
- FAFSA deadlines by state (2027-28)
- The FAFSA for parents: what you need to do
- How to save on textbooks: free, rented and cheaper options
We list programs; we don't decide who gets them. Always check the official page before you apply. Spot something wrong? Tell us.