Standardized tests still required for Alaska’s college scholarship program, state tells confused families

A statue of Charles Bunnell, the first president of the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, as the University of Alaska Fairbanks was once known, is seen on Sept. 18, 2022, on the UAF campus. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

The agency in charge of Alaska’s merit scholarship program for high school students is advising them that they still need to take the SAT , ACT or a similar test in order to be eligible for the Alaska Performance Scholarship.

Sana Efird, executive director of the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, said she’s received at least a dozen calls from parents about the issue this year.

There were problems last year, too, she said.

“We started hearing at the end of the year last year, ‘Wait a minute, I thought I was eligible.’ And they come to find out, ‘Well, no, you did all your classes, but you didn’t take the test.’ And so this was a concern last year also,” Efird said.

Alaska legislators are advancing a bill that would remove the testing requirement, but that bill is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee and has not yet become law.

“We try to bring as much awareness as we possibly can,” said Kate Hillenbrand, the commission’s communications director, “but I think a lot of Alaskans may not necessarily understand — this passed the House, but that doesn’t mean the law has changed yet.”

The Alaska Performance Scholarship pays up to $4,755 per year to Alaska high school graduates who take a minimum number of classes, earn a high GPA and perform well on standardized tests. Students must also complete a Federal Application For Student Aid, or FAFSA .

An eligible student receives the scholarship if they enroll in an Alaska university, college or vocational-technical school for a specified minimum number of credit hours per year.

Students who haven’t scheduled a standardized test will need to hurry. Students need to have their score recorded on their high school transcript, which means they need to take a test by mid-May at the latest, Efird and Hillenbrand said.

The registration date for the April ACT has closed, and the last regular registration date for the May SAT is April 19. Late registration is possible through April 23.

Students who take a standardized test late may need a special waiver to be eligible by the June 30 FAFSA submission date.

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