(a) To be eligible to participate in the Inspire Scholarship program and to qualify for a grant towards tuition assistance by the State pursuant to this subchapter students shall meet all of the following:
(1) A student who satisfies the state residency requirements set forth in the institution's residency policy shall be eligible for such grant if that student is enrolled on a full-time, degree-seeking basis or is a student with a disability seeking a degree through the institution's academic accommodation policy.
(2) The student shall not have been convicted of any felony and the student's parent, legal guardian, or relative caregiver shall certify such fact.
(3) A student shall have applied for all appropriate forms of financial aid for which the student is eligible including, but not limited to, the Federal Pell Grant, financial aid programs administered by the Delaware Higher Education Commission, and financial aid programs administered by Delaware State University, and shall have accepted all such financial assistance offered or awarded to the student, except for loans.
(4) A student shall have graduated from a Delaware public or nonpublic high school with a minimum cumulative average of either 80% or higher on a 100-point scale or a grade point average (G.P.A.) of 2.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale as indicated on the student's official high school transcript. For purposes of this subchapter, a student who does not meet the qualifying criteria may request the institution recalculate the point percentage or G.P.A. based on the student's official high school transcript and the following conversion table:
For purposes of this conversion chart, the numerical value assigned to a letter grade shall be the lowest value in the numerical scale.
(5) A student shall have satisfied admission standards as determined by Delaware State University.
(6) A student shall be admitted and attend classes at the institution no later than the fall semester immediately after the student's graduation from high school.
(7) The institution shall create and implement its own equivalency standards for paragraphs (a)(4) and (6) of this section in establishing eligibility of Delaware home schooled students for grants under the Inspire Scholarship Program.
(b) Notwithstanding other provisions in this subchapter, for those individuals who have lived in foster care under the jurisdiction of the Department of Services for Children and Their Families at any point in time between the ages of 16 and 18, whether placed within Delaware or outside Delaware, the provisions of paragraphs (a)(4) and (6) of this section, and § 3414A(a)(1) and (c) of this title do not apply. Any individual qualifying under this subsection shall make steady academic progress toward a bachelor's degree and shall not be eligible to receive grants if:
(1) The individual does not begin his or her higher education before age 25; or
(2) The individual takes longer than 6 years to attain a bachelor's degree.