Regents giving $305,300 in aid to needy students

Monday, December 20th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- College students are getting a special gift from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Regents are doling out 305,300 dollars in additional financial aid to 449 college students with the greatest need.

The payments are the first in a series of student bonuses that are expected to total 1.6 million dollars over the next six months. The special assistance is available to the state through a federal grant. Oklahoma was awarded about 20.5 million dollars over five years. State groups matched the grant.

Students can qualify for the assistance by being eligible for federal Pell grants. Students must be attending public or private colleges in the state on an Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program scholarship. Students must also have a family income less than 32-thousand dollars a year and have a two-point-five grade point average in the 15 core courses required for college admission plus two additiona lcourses.