The Department of Education and Early Development is working on proposed regulations that schools and students would need to meet to receive money from a future scholarship fund.
The Legislature approved Gov. Sean Parnell's scholarship plan in April, but it has not yet been funded. It will give aid to high school students who stay in Alaska for college or technical school.
The regulations assign school districts responsibility for determining a student's eligibility.
The proposed rules would require students to attain minimum grade-point averages and SAT scores and to take certain classes.
Students could earn one of three scholarships based on their academics.
Honors scholarships, worth $4,755 per year, would go to top students with a minimum 3.5 GPA, a minimum ACT score of 25 and a SAT score of at least 1680. Students with 3.0 GPAs and lower test scores could earn $3,566, and those with 2.5 GPAs could earn $2,378.
The new regulations cite the same curriculum requirements set by state law for high school graduation, including four years of English, three of social studies and two of math and science.
One goal of the governor's bill was to raise the bar for scholarship applicants to four years of math and science. While this is not yet reflected in the proposed regulations, this is only the first round, the department said.
Students who are home-schooled are subject to the same standardized test and curriculum standards and must submit proof directly to the Education Department.
The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education estimated that 2,300 out of about 8,000 graduates in Alaska's high school class of 2011 could use these scholarships, if they are funded.
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