Affording college tuition just got easier in New Mexico. Lawmakers in the Land of Enchantment approved $75 million to allow students to attend college for free under the Opportunity Scholarship, KRQE said.

Starting this fall, the Opportunity Scholarship will allow students to attend college tuition-free if they pursue a credit-bearing career certificate, associate's degree, or bachelor’s degree, according to the New Mexico Higher Education Department's (HED) website.

To be eligible, students must reside in New Mexico for at least one year, take at least six credits, and earn a 2.5 GPA, according to KRQE. The Opportunity Scholarship replaces the Lottery Scholarship, which allows students to attend college tuition-free, but there are several stipulations, KRQE said.

“New Mexico made history back in 1996 by being the first state in the nation to tell college students that they could go to college tuition-free,” Stephanie Rodriguez, cabinet secretary for the state’s HED, said to KRQE. “Now, the state is taking that one step further.”

Rodriguez said that the Opportunity Scholarship Act is “the most encompassing national tuition-free college program in our country.”

According to the HED, people who have previously enrolled in a college program but did not complete their degree can qualify for the Opportunity Scholarship, as long as they have not yet completed more than 90 credit hours toward an associate's degree or 160 hours toward a bachelor's degree. 

“This is an opportunity for people to get that leg up,” Rodriguez said to KRQE. “They can go back to school, but do it in a way that is manageable for their families, and once they’re done, enter family-sustaining careers with high wages.”

The Lottery Scholarship is "specifically aimed at recent high school graduates or honorably discharged veterans," KRQE said. Students also have to be enrolled full-time.  

The Opportunity Scholarship is geared toward recent high school graduates and adults who want to return to school part-time to complete their degrees.