The Arizona Board of Regents voted 9-1 to enact sweeping changes to the Regents High Honors Endorsement scholarship during their meeting on Thursday.

The scholarship in its current form grants a full tuition waiver to any student who is able to receive an “”exceeds”” designation in all three categories of the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test.

Recent concerns over the amount of university resources going to fund the scholarship prompted its review and subsequent revision. From fall 2006 to fall 2009, the number of freshman scholarship recipients nearly doubled from 1,565 to 2,935. The cost of the program has likewise increased, reaching $12,513,437 in 2009.  

The regents approved several significant changes to the scholarship to take place in 2013. The award will be reduced from the full cost of tuition to 25 percent, with the option to add more merit-based aid at the university’s discretion. As is the case with the current scholarship, this 25 percent award will be locked in at the rate of tuition paid during a student’s freshman year and will not