1. As used in the Graduate Scholarship Act:
2. A. "academic year" means the consecutive period of two semesters or other comparable units commencing with the fall term each year;
3. B. "award recipient" means a student who is a New Mexico resident and is awarded a graduate scholarship;
4. C. "department" means the higher education department;
5. D. "eligible institution" means a graduate-degree-granting state university enumerated in Article 12, Section 11 of the constitution of New Mexico and accredited by the higher learning commission;
6. E. "graduate field" means a program of study intended to result in a master's or doctoral degree, excluding a doctor of medicine; and
7. F. "groups underrepresented in graduate education" means women, minorities, persons with a visual impairment or other physical disability and other groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in the specific area of graduate study or profession for which the scholarship is awarded.

History: Laws 1988, ch. 111, § 3; 1991, ch. 262, § 9; 2007, ch. 46, § 10; 2025, ch. 92, § 1.

ANNOTATIONS

The 2025 amendment, effective July 1, 2025, revised the definitions of certain terms used in the Graduate Scholarship Act; in Subsection A, after "means" deleted "any" and added "the"; in Subsection B, after "means a student" added "who is a New Mexico resident and is"; in Subsection D, after "state university" added "enumerated in Article 12, Section 11 of the constitution of New Mexico and", and after "accredited by the" deleted "north central association of colleges and secondary schools" and added "higher learning commission"; and in Subsection E, after "graduate" deleted "and professional", and after "excluding" deleted "the degree in" and added "a doctor of".

The 2007 amendment, effective June 15, 2007, amended the section to make non-substantive language changes.

The 1991 amendment, effective June 14, 1991, substituted "Graduate Scholarship Act" for "Graduate Fellowship Act" in the introductory paragraph and substituted "scholarship" for "fellowship" in Subsections B and F.