The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is funded by a $1.6 billion dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was established in 1999.

The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their fullest potential.

The United Negro CollegeFund (UNCF) is theAdministrator of the GMSinitiative and haspartnered with the

followingorganizations:

American Indian GraduateCenter Scholars (AIGCS)

Asian & Pacific IslanderAmerican Scholarship

Fund (APIASF)

Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)

The GMS Scholarship Award funds academic financial support

covering unmet need & self help.

Continued graduate school funding up to Ph.D. in the 7 areas of :

Computer science Library sciences

Education Public Health

Engineering Sciences

Mathematics

Eligibility..

African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American;

Citizen/legal permanent resident or national of the United States;

Cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) at the time of nomination;

Degree-seeking freshman who will be entering an accredited college or university as full-time student;

Demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities; and

Federal Pell Grant eligible criteria

GMS Provides..

Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help

Renewable awards for Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress

Option to transfer

Graduate School Funding for continuing Scholars in the 7 selected areas

Leadership Development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities

Not Just About Money..Student Leadership

ConferencesGMS Leadership

AcademiesScholar ConnectionAlumni Relations

ProgramMentoring Program

The Application Process..

1. Nominator Form – Educator/Guidance Counselor Educator who is familiar with the student’s academic

background completes the Nominator Form

2. Recommender Form – Community Service/Leadership Advocate

Community member or individual who is aware of the student’s community service and leadership activities completes the Recommender Form and

3. Nominee Form – Student Student completes comprehensive Nominee Personal

Information Form.

Independent readers complete individualized reading and scoring assessment of each eligible Nominee in three major areas:

A. academic achievement, B. community service, and C. leadership potential

The Application Process..

List activities by high school yearSummarize the academic record, honors

and awardsSummarize community service activitiesSummarize leadership opportunitiesWrite clearly and with vigor regarding your

accomplishments, goals, and dreams

Nominees (students) Be Prepared To:

Leadership examples

• Church group youth leader• Boys and Girls Club volunteer• Caretaker for different generations of family

members• Youth leader at local Temple• Translator for parents• Starting a cultural club at your high school• Involvement in Student Government• Team Captain/Co-captain

Community Service ExamplesHabitat for HumanitiesSenior Citizen CentersHelping others Learn to ReadAnimal SheltersPolitical CampaignsPark and Recreation VolunteersFood BanksNeighborhood Clean-up projects

STUDENT ACTIVITIES FORM

STUDENT ACTIVITIES FORM

Tips for Nominees..

GMS Essay Questions Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have excelled. To what

factors do you attribute your success? Discuss the subjects in which you had difficulty. What factors do you

believe contributed to your difficulties? How have you dealt with them so they will not cause problems for you again? In what areas have you experienced the greatest improvement? What problem areas remain?

Briefly describe a situation in which you felt that you or others were treated unfairly or were not given an opportunity you felt you deserved. Why do you think this happened? How did you respond? Did the situation improve as a result of your response?

Discuss your short and long-term goals. Are some of them related? Which are priorities?

Discuss a leadership experience you have had in any area of your life: school, work, athletics, family, church, community, etc. How and why did you become a leader in this area? How did this experience influence your goals?

Discuss your involvement in and contributions to a community near your home, school or elsewhere. Please select an experience different from the one you discussed in the previous question, even if this experience also involved leadership. What did you accomplish? How did this experience influence your goals?

Other than through classes in school, in what areas (non-academic or academic) have you acquired knowledge or skills? How?

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about that may help us evaluate your nomination (i.e., personal characteristics, obstacles you have overcome)?

For Applicants and Recommenders..

Option to go to online or down-load Forms

Nomination materials are available at www.gmsp.org

A Complete Application Packet Consist of:

1. Nominee Form (student application)2. Nominator Form for the applicant 3. and a Recommender Form for the applicant

must be submitted by the deadline. 

All three forms are linked by the student registration identification number.  The student’s registration identification number is a combination of their five digit zip code and the last four digits of their preferred phone number.  For example, if their five digit zip code is 22031 and their preferred phone number is

703-205-2080; then the registration identification number would be 22031-2080.

Nominees (students), must select one telephone number to use for their student registration identification number to prevent any possible confusion.

The student’s registration identification number is automatically displayed by the system as they complete page one of the online application. 

Nominators and Recommenders will have to enter the student registration identification number to access the Nominator or Recommender Form.

Nominators and Recommenders, do not have to wait for the Nominee to start their application before they begin their nomination or recommendation for the student. 

GMS Scholarship Application

Available online at www.gmsp.org

Deadline -January 11, 2010 11:59 p.m. EST or postmarked on or before January 11, 2010

For Seniors..Tips to pass along to 12th grade students in early Fall

• If eligible, start the GMS process early

• Complete the FAFSA Estimator

• Apply for your FAFSA (January 1)

• Apply for colleges early

• Apply to a stretch school (Ivy League, Flagship)

• Apply for as many scholarships as possible

Atlanta Public Schools Produced20 Gates Scholars in 2009 Booker T. Washington High

School Jasmine Johnson Breonna Davis Ambernique Howard Jeanie Johnson

Carver High School of Health Sciences

Khali Jones Alex Mullins

Frederick Douglass High School Rodneysha Brown Audrianna Bryant Tilifayea Griffin Derick Jones Antonika Souder Janelle Vallair

North Atlanta High School Malika Begum Bakhtawar Mazhar Evangeline Mcdonald Elyas Munye

South Atlanta High School Webster Foreman

Therrell High School Ashley Garvin

Mays High School Sarnesha Evans

Maynard H. Jackson High School

Robin Ayers

Contact GMS

Russell PeekRelationship Manager

Gates Millennium Scholars ProgramUnited Negro College Fund1-877 690-GMSP (4677)

russell.peek@gmsp.org703.205.3444www.gmsp.org