State Will Award Scholarships To Commonwealth Students

Harvard students who are Massachusetts residents will be eligible to receive up to $1500 in state aid as part of a new matching funds program that is scheduled to go into effect this spring.

James 'A. True, vice president for governmental relations for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, said yesterday officials in the State Department of Finance are currently drawing up regulations to cover the distribution of $1.75 million the state legislature appropriated last year.

The new regulations which will be debated at a public hearing in February, would award funds to 50 colleges and universities around the state, based on the amount of financial aid each school grants to Massachusetts students.

Dunno

R. Jerrold Gibson '51, director of the Office of Fiscal Services, said yesterday he does not know how much money Harvard will receive until the state notifies him.

Under the regulations the state would allot an average of eight cents for every dollar of financial aid a university gives to Massachusetts students. True said.

The program requires that each school receiving the funds spend at least 50 per cent of the grant on "needy Massachusetts students," while the remainder can be used for "any scholarly purpose, from libraries to fixing a leaky roof," True said.

The money could also go for financial aid for out-of-state students, he added.

Probably

Gibson said that it is "likely that here, we would use the remaining amount for financial aid."

Massachusetts students who attend private colleges and already receive a state scholarship would not be eligible for the program, True said.

Although all students must file a financial aid form and demonstrate a financial need to qualify for the funds, the regulations will not set a ceiling on incomes for families of those who apply, he added.

True said that students who demonstrate the greatest financial need will be the first to receive the funds.

Michael F. Brewer, director of government relations, said yesterday "The commonwealth has realized that university scholarship programs are of great benefit to the people of Massachusetts and so has agreed to match them.