Austin — Today, Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) called on qualified students to apply for a Texas Armed Services Scholarship.

"This scholarship is a way to encourage and reward students interested in military service," said Nichols. "It provides a unique opportunity for students to pursue higher education and take advantage of preparation from college ROTC programs."

The scholarship is offered by the state and rewards students who commit to four years of ROTC training and military service after graduation. Each state senator and representative may select a student to receive a scholarship up to $10,000.

Evidence of qualifications and essays must be received by Monday, June 30, 2014.

Qualified students must:

1. enroll in a Texas public or private university and participate in their college's ROTC program
2. reside or attend college in Senate District 3
3. must meet two of the following four academic requirements:

• Be on track to graduate or have graduated high school with the Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP) or the International Baccalaureate Program (IB)
• obtained a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• scored at least 1590 on the SAT or 23 on the ACT

The scholarship requires students to:

• complete four years of ROTC training
• graduate no later than six years from enrolling in an institution of higher education
• make a four-year commitment to service in the Texas Army or Air Force National Guard, or serve as a commissioned officer in any brand of the U.S. Armed Forces

Scholarship recipients who fail to complete the required criteria must repay the scholarship amount.

To apply for the Texas Armed Services Scholarship, students should submit a one or two-page essay explaining why they believe military service is important and how they would fulfill the requirements of the scholarship. Essays and evidence of qualifications should be emailed to robert.nichols@senate.state.tx.us.

Students should also include their personal contact information. Students may be contacted for a follow-up interview if needed and may be asked to provide documentation of qualifications. If a student has questions about this program, please visit http://www.hhloans.com or contact Sen. Nichols' office at 903-589-3003 during normal business hours.

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