Lawmaker wants increase in scholarship money

A state lawmaker from Fargo is proposing an increase in North Dakota's merit-based college scholarship program.

Republican Sen. Tim Flakoll says the plan would increase the amount of each scholarship from $1,500 a year to $2,500, with a maximum of $10,000 for undergraduate work.

Flakoll says the proposal would add $4 million to the budget for the 2013-15 biennium. He says nearly 5,000 students are expected to participate by 2015.

The program requires students to graduate from a North Dakota high school with a grade point average of 3.0 or better, score at least 24 on the ACT test, and attend college in the state.

Flakoll proposed the original scholarship bill in 2010. He says the program "provides rigor and rewards and helps reduce the need for student loan debt."