The MCAS exams are given to students attending Massachusetts-funded schools. The following schools require students to take the MCAS exams: public school students, charter school students, private schools that are funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Massachusetts students from a military family residing outside the state, students in the custody of Social Services or Youth Services, Massachusetts students with disabilities and Massachusetts students with limited English.
Tenth grade students taking the MCAS exam must score in the top 25 percent in both English and Mathematics in their own school district to be eligible for the Adams Scholarship.
Students must be Massachusetts residents and United States citizens or eligible non-citizens. Non-citizens must present a Federal Student Aid Report (SAR).
Eligibility for the Adams Scholarship also requires students to attend college full time the first year after high school graduation. Students must also fill out the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The Adams Scholarship requires students to fulfill the law regarding registration for the Selective Service. Students are ineligible for the Adams Scholarship if they are in default on any student loans.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts does not require students to apply for the MCAS John and Abigail Adams Scholarship. The state notifies eligible high school students of the scholarship during the first semester of their senior year.
The John and Abigail Adams Scholarship cannot exceed the yearly undergraduate tuition at a Massachusetts state college. A 3.0 grade point average must be maintained while attending the college to keep the scholarship.