There are established annual merit awards for high school students in the graduating classes of the several public and private high schools on Guam now or hereafter established. The students entitled to these awards shall be the two (2) students having the highest scholastic standing in the graduating classes of each public and non-public high school on Guam that are generally open to all students. In addition to the scholarships for the two (2) students having the highest scholastic standing, one (1) additional scholarship shall be awarded on the basis of academic ranking for every fifty (50) graduates or fraction thereof by which the graduating class exceeds the number of fifty (50) graduates. If as a result of the equal scholastic standing of two (2) or more graduates, there is a tie for the awards granted pursuant to this Chapter and there is an insufficient number of awards available for the tying graduates, additional awards shall
be provided for such graduates. Recipients are to attend the University of Guam. However, if the recipient is a valedictorian or salutatorian whose declared major is unavailable at the University of Guam, the valedictorian or salutatorian may attend any accredited college or university in the United States where such declared major is available.

Awards shall be subject to the following limitations:

(a) a recipient must be, for recipients prior to the school year 1998 – 1999, a bona fide resident of Guam. In addition, a recipient must be either :

(1) a United States citizen, or

(2) permanent resident alien who has completed four (4) academic quarters in a public or private high school on Guam.

(b) A recipient, for awards during and after the School
Year 1998 – 1999, must be:

(1) United States citizen or a permanent resident alien who has completed four (4) academic years in a public or private high school on Guam; and

(2) a resident of Guam for a continuous period of not less than five (5) years immediately preceding the awarding of the scholarship awards.

(c) If any student is ineligible for a scholarship solely because of failure to meet the requirements contained in Subsection (a) of this Section; or if any eligible student chooses not to accept an award when first offered such award, the award shall be granted to the eligible student with the highest scholastic rank. If an eligible student declines to accept an award when first offered, such students cannot accept such an award after it has been granted to another student.

The recipient of a merit award must notify the Board within thirty (30) days that the award is accepted. If such recipient fails to do so, the award is thereby forfeited and the same shall be offered to the next alternate.
(d) A recipient who attends a college or university outside of Guam during the term of the award must agree that such recipient will return to work on Guam for a period of one (1) year for each year of off-Island studies subsequent to the completion or termination of the course of studies for which the award was granted; provided, that if the recipient continues as a full-time student at a graduate or professional school, such recipient may defer return to Guam until such additional studies are completed.

(e) Awards granted on or subsequent to the effective date of this Section shall be canceled if a recipient:

(1) fails to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or its equivalent, except a recipient shall be allowed one (1) academic term in which to regain such average before cancellation of such recipient’s award, or

(2) fails to meet the academic and other requirements governing full-time students at the institution attended, or

(3) is no longer a full-time student, except a recipient shall be allowed one (1) academic term in which to regain full-time student status before cancellation of such recipient’s award, or

(4) changes Guam residency status.

SOURCE: GC § 11812; amended by P.L. 16-028:10 (Aug. 29, 1981); Codifed as 17 Guam Code Ann. § 15301. Repealed and reenacted by P.L. 18-007:13 (July 8, 1985).Repealed by P.L. 19-037:4 (Dec. 30, 1988) and erroneously added as § 15302. Codified as § 15301 by Compiler. Amended by P.L. 20-029:5 (June 13, 1989), P.L. 24-230:2 (Aug. 12,
1998). Subsection (d)(3) amended by P.L. 20-232:1 (Jan. 30, 1991). Subsection (e) added by P.L. 20-232:2 (Jan. 30, 1991). First paragraph amended by P.L. 21-136:34. Entire section amended by P.L. 24-230:2.

2012 NOTE: The Compiler renumbered subsection (a.1) to (b) and each subsection which followed to maintain the general codification scheme of the GCA.