20-26-615. Eligibility requirements -- ineligibility. (1) To be eligible for the Montana STEM scholarship, a student must:

(a) be a Montana resident who graduated from a Montana high school with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25;

(b) be eligible for in-state tuition pursuant to the board's policies;

(c) have completed a rigorous college preparation program, including 4 years of mathematics and 3 years of science;

(d) be enrolled full time in at least 15 credit hours at a postsecondary institution in the fall semester immediately following the student's graduation from high school;

(e) be seeking the student's first certificate or 2-year or 4-year degree at a postsecondary institution; and

(f) have declared a STEM or health care major as the student's intended course of study.

(2) A student is ineligible for the Montana STEM scholarship if the student:

(a) has failed to meet the federal Title IV selective service registration requirements;

(b) is in default on a Title IV or state of Montana educational loan or owes a refund to a federal Title IV or state of Montana student financial aid program; or

(c) is incarcerated. A student may receive a Montana STEM scholarship upon release if the student meets all other eligibility requirements.