Program Description
The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program offers last dollar scholarship funding to talented and deserving students that meet the following criteria:

Gates Scholars must be African American, American Indian/ Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American;
Gates Scholars must be a citizen/ legal permanent resident or national of the United States;
Gates Scholars must have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) at the time of nomination;
Gates Scholars must be degree-seeking freshman who will be entering an accredited college or university as full-time student.
Gates Scholars must have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities; and
Gates Scholars must meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria

Gates scholarship awards provide funding in any undergraduate major and in computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health, and science majors at the graduate and doctoral levels.  Gates Scholars may receive up to 10 years of funding from GMS

Organization History
The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is funded by a 1 billion dollar  grant from  the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was established in 1999. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their fullest potential.

Partners and Supporters
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the administrator of the GMS initiative and has partnered with the the following organizations:

 -  Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF)
 -  American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS)
 -  The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)