The Gates Millennium Scholars program, established in 1999, was initially funded by a 1 billion dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential by:

• Reducing financial barriers for African-American, Hispanic American, American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian Pacific Islander American students with high academic and leadership promise who have a significant financial need
• Increasing the representation of these target groups in the disciplines of education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health, and the sciences, where these groups are severely underrepresented
• Developing a diversified cadre of future leaders for America by facilitating successful completion of bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees
• Providing seamless support from undergraduate through doctoral programs, for students selected as Gates Scholars entering target disciplines

The GMS Scholarship Award provides:

• Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help

• Renewable awards for Gates Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress

• Graduate School Funding for continuing Gates Scholars in the areas of education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and sciences

• Leadership Development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities

Program Accomplishment:

• Funded over 10,000 Gates Scholars since the inception of the program

• Obtained a 77.6% graduation rate in 5 years*

• Supported Gates Scholars enrolled in over 1,300 colleges and universities

• Supported Gates Scholars representing 50 states and 5 outlying areas

• Graduated 3,912 Gates Scholars since the programs inception

• 5 year retention rate of 87.5%*

*Reflects cohorts 1 & 2

Administration:

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the administrator of the GMS program. To reach, coordinate, and support the constituent groups, UNCF has partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund to assist in implementing the program.

The GMS Advisory Council is made up of six members; five members from higher education, and one member representing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Advisory Council members include:

• Dr. Gilberto Cardenas, Assistant Provost, Institute of Latino Studies at University of Notre Dame

• Dr. David Chang, Chancellor of Polytechnic University

• Mr. James Larimore, Dean of Students at Swarthmore College

• Dr. Piedad Robertson, former President of Education Commission of the States

• Dr. David V. Taylor, Provost at Morehouse College

• James H. Shelton, III, Program Director, Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The GMS program is more than just a scholarship. The GMS program offers Gates Scholars Academic Empowerment Services (ACE) to encourage academic excellence, mentoring services for academic and personal development, and an online resource center that provides internship, fellowship, and scholarship information.