Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-1 "Program"
Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "program" means the next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship program established by section 2 of this chapter.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code ch. 21-12-16.5
Ind. Code ch. 21-12-16.5
in effectInd. Code § 21-12-16.5-1.5 "Teacher"
Sec. 1.5. As used in this chapter, "teacher" refers to a person who is employed by a public school or an eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) as a full-time classroom teacher (as defined in IC 20-18-2-22(d)) whose primary responsibility is the instruction of students.
As added by P.L.44-2024, SEC.8.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-1.6 "Underserved county"
Sec. 1.6. As used in this chapter, "underserved county" means one (1) or more of the following:
(1) Allen County.
(2) Marion County.
(3) Lake County.
(4) St. Joseph County.
(5) Vanderburgh County.
As added by P.L.196-2025, SEC.1.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-2 Program established; applications
Sec. 2. (a) The next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship program is established.
(b) The commission shall receive and consider applications for a next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship under this chapter.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-3 Next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship fund
Sec. 3. (a) The next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship fund is established for the purpose of providing scholarships to attract and retain eligible applicants to the teaching profession.
(b) The fund consists of the following:
(1) Appropriations made by the general assembly.
(2) Gifts, grants, devises, or bequests made to the commission to achieve the purposes of the fund.
(c) The commission shall administer the fund.
(d) The expenses of administering the fund shall be paid from money in the fund.
(e) The treasurer of state shall invest the money in the fund not currently needed to meet the obligations of the fund in the same manner as other public funds may be invested. Interest that accrues from these investments shall be deposited in the fund.
(f) Money in the fund at the end of a state fiscal year does not revert to the state general fund but remains available to be used for the purposes of this chapter.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-4 Commission for higher education duties
Sec. 4. The commission shall do all the following:
(1) Develop a promotional program to inform and attract students to participate in the next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship program.
(2) Establish protocols and procedures concerning the application process for the program.
(3) Develop protocols, in consultation with accredited postsecondary educational institutions approved by the commission under section 10 of this chapter, to ensure successful completion of the program and assist graduates in completing the requirements of the program.
(4) Establish, in coordination with the governor's office, a guide for the management of the program by commission personnel.
(5) Designate personnel to manage the program.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-5 Scholarship qualifications
Sec. 5. (a) An applicant who is enrolled in an accredited postsecondary educational institution may qualify for a scholarship under this chapter. To qualify for a scholarship, an applicant must:
(1) apply for a scholarship on a form supplied by the commission;
(2) except as provided in subsection (b), have graduated from an Indiana nonaccredited nonpublic or state accredited high school accredited under IC 20-31-4.1 located in an underserved county, and:
(A) graduated in the highest twenty percent (20%) of students in the applicant's high school graduating class;
(B) received a score in the top twentieth percentile on the SAT or ACT examination; or
(C) achieved a cumulative grade point average upon graduation of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale (or its equivalent if another grading scale is used) for courses taken during grades 9, 10, 11, and 12;
(3) have participated in school activities and community service activities during high school;
(4) have applied to and been accepted for enrollment in an accredited postsecondary educational institution approved by the commission under section 10 of this chapter;
(5) agree in writing to:
(A) obtain a license to teach under IC 20-28-5; and
(B) be employed as a teacher for at least five (5) consecutive years in a public school or an eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) located in an underserved county in Indiana, after graduating with a baccalaureate degree from the accredited postsecondary educational institution described in subdivision (4); and
(6) meet any other criteria established by the commission.
(b) A student who graduates from a nonaccredited nonpublic school must meet the requirement described in subsection (a)(2)(B) in order to meet the eligibility requirement described in subsection (a)(2).
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.44-2024, SEC.9; P.L.196-2025, SEC.2.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-6 Consideration of applications; priority
Sec. 6. (a) The commission shall consider each application and determine the eligibility of the applicant for the scholarship. The commission shall give priority to recent high school graduates, students pursuing teacher shortage areas as described in 34 CFR 682.210(q)(6), and students showing significant financial need when selecting applicants.
(b) The commission shall also give priority to an individual who is a member of a household with an annual income of not more than the amount required for the individual to qualify for the free or reduced price lunch program under the national school lunch program as determined for the immediately preceding taxable year for the household for which the individual was claimed as a dependent.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-7 Contract requirements
Sec. 7. Before receiving a scholarship under this chapter, the applicant must enter into a contract with the commission agreeing to:
(1) the terms and conditions described in section 5(a)(5) of this chapter; and
(2) any other terms and conditions established by the commission.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-7.5 Capacity of students who are at least 17 years of age to enter contract
Sec. 7.5. A student who:
(1) is at least seventeen (17) years of age; and
(2) enters into a contract for a scholarship under this chapter to defray the expense of attending any postsecondary educational institution;
has full legal capacity to act in the student's own behalf in this transaction and is subject to any obligation that arises from the contract.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-8 Amount of scholarship awards; limits; distribution
Sec. 8. (a) Subject to subsections (b) and (c), if an applicant meets the requirements under this chapter, the commission may award, for not more than four (4) academic years, a scholarship to the applicant in an amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each academic year that the applicant attends the accredited postsecondary educational institution approved by the commission under section 10 of this chapter.
(b) The commission may not award a scholarship under this chapter in an amount of more than a total of forty thousand dollars ($40,000) to an individual applicant.
(c) If the total amount to be distributed from the fund in a state fiscal year exceeds the amount available for distribution, the amount to be distributed to each eligible applicant shall be proportionately reduced so that the total reductions equal the amount of the excess.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-9 Standards to maintain eligibility; petition for exception; extenuating circumstances
Sec. 9. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the commission shall establish standards that a student must meet to remain eligible to receive a scholarship under this chapter. The standards must include the following:
(1) Maintaining a cumulative minimum grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
(2) Enrolling in and completing at least fifteen (15) credit hours each semester or its equivalent.
(3) Any other requirements the commission considers necessary.
(b) The commission may allow a student who fails to meet the standards described in subsection (a) and is ineligible for an award during the next academic year to maintain eligibility if the student submits a petition to the commission in a manner prescribed by the commission so that the commission may make a determination that extenuating circumstances, as determined by the commission, prevented the student from meeting the standards described in subsection (a).
(c) If the commission grants a waiver under subsection (b), the commission may:
(1) place the student on probationary status; and
(2) establish additional requirements for the student.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-10 Approval of accredited postsecondary educational institutions; standards for teacher education
Sec. 10. (a) The commission may not award a scholarship under this chapter to an applicant unless the applicant has applied to and been accepted for enrollment in an accredited postsecondary educational institution approved by the commission under this section.
(b) The commission shall establish standards for teacher education that an accredited postsecondary educational institution must meet to receive approval by the commission under this section, including the:
(1) information an accredited postsecondary educational institution is required to submit to the commission regarding the institution's teacher education program; and
(2) criteria and standards for approval.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-11 Repayment of scholarship award; failure to complete teacher education
Sec. 11. An individual who:
(1) received a scholarship under this chapter;
(2) is no longer enrolled in an accredited postsecondary educational institution approved by the commission under section 10 of this chapter; and
(3) did not receive a baccalaureate degree from an accredited postsecondary educational institution approved by the commission under section 10 of this chapter;
shall repay the amount of the scholarship awarded to the individual under this chapter in a timely fashion, as determined by the commission.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-12 Repayment of scholarship award; failure to teach; petition for extension of time; waive repayment; agreement for collection of repayment
Sec. 12. (a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), if an individual:
(1) receives a scholarship under this chapter; and
(2) fails to teach in a public school or an eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) located in an underserved county in Indiana for at least five (5) consecutive years as described in section 5(a)(5) of this chapter;
the individual shall repay the total amount of the scholarship awarded to the individual under this chapter in a timely fashion. The total amount that an individual is required to repay shall be reduced by twenty percent (20%), as determined by the commission, for each consecutive year the individual teaches at a public school or eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) located in an underserved county in Indiana.
(b) The commission may extend the length of time in which an individual must complete the requirements of an agreement described in section 5(a)(5) of this chapter if the individual submits a petition to the commission in a manner prescribed by the commission and the commission makes a determination that extenuating circumstances, as determined by the commission, prevented the individual from timely meeting the requirements described in section 5(a)(5) of this chapter.
(c) The commission may waive repayment under subsection (a) if the individual has been declared to be totally and permanently disabled under 34 CFR 685.213.
(d) The commission may enter into an agreement with the department of state revenue established by IC 6-8.1-2-1 or another third party vendor to assist in the enforcement of subsection (a) and section 11 of this chapter.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.196-2025, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-13 Same school not required for teaching requirement
Sec. 13. An individual who receives a scholarship under this chapter is not required to teach at the same public school or eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) in Indiana for five (5) consecutive years if each public school or eligible school at which the individual teaches is located in an underserved county in Indiana.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.196-2025, SEC.4.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-14 Administered as financial aid award
Sec. 14. The commission shall administer the scholarship awarded under this chapter as a financial aid award.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-15 Other scholarships or forms of financial aid; conditions
Sec. 15. (a) Subject to subsections (c) and (d), the amount of a scholarship awarded under this chapter may not be reduced because the student receives other scholarships or forms of financial aid.
(b) Except as otherwise provided under law and subject to subsection (c), the amount of any other state financial aid received by a student may not be reduced because the student receives a scholarship under this chapter.
(c) The total amount of scholarships or other financial aid a student receives may not exceed the total amount of expenses to attend the accredited postsecondary educational institution, including tuition, room, board, and other fees.
(d) The commission may not award a scholarship to an individual under this chapter if the individual receives an award under IC 21-12-16.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-16 Scholarship subject to appropriation
Sec. 16. An applicant is eligible to receive a scholarship under this chapter only if an appropriation has been made to carry out the specific purposes of this chapter.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-17 Records; report
Sec. 17. (a) The commission shall maintain complete and accurate records in implementing the next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship fund established by section 3 of this chapter, including records of the following:
(1) The receipt, disbursement, and uses of money from the fund.
(2) The number of applications for the next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship.
(3) The number and amount of next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarships that have been provided by the commission.
(4) Any other information collected concerning the fund or next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarships awarded under this chapter.
(b) Not later than November 1, 2023, and each November 1 thereafter, the commission shall submit a report to the governor and, in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6, to the general assembly summarizing the records described in subsection (a).
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-18 Notification of repayment requirements
Sec. 18. The commission shall notify all applicants approved under section 5 of this chapter of the requirements under sections 11 and 12 of this chapter.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Ind. Code § 21-12-16.5-19 Adopt rules
Sec. 19. The commission may adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 necessary to carry out this chapter.
As added by P.L.161-2023, SEC.3.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://iga.in.gov/laws/2026/ic/titles/21Fetched: 10/17/2026