Applications for the Access College Early Scholarship Program shall be prioritized for students qualifying pursuant to subdivision (1) or (2) of this section, and applications for students qualifying only pursuant to subdivision (3) of this section shall only be considered if funds are available after fulfilling the applications for students qualifying pursuant to subdivision (1) or (2) of this section. Priority dates shall be determined by the commission on a term basis. The Commissioner of Education may verify eligibility for a student described in subdivision (1)(c) of this section when requested by the commission. A student who is applying to take one or more courses for credit from a qualified postsecondary educational institution is eligible for the Access College Early Scholarship Program if:

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(1) Such student or the student’s parent or legal guardian is eligible to receive:

(a) Supplemental Security Income;

(b) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits;

(c) Free or reduced-price lunches under United States Department of Agriculture child nutrition programs;

(d) Aid to families with dependent children; or

(e) Assistance under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children;

(2) The student or the student’s parent or legal guardian has experienced an extreme hardship; or

(3) Such student is requesting assistance pursuant to the program to cover the cost of tuition and fees for a course that is part of a career plan of study, up to two hundred fifty dollars per term, and the student’s family has an annual household income at or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level.