Academic Competitiveness and SMART Grants

INTRODUCTION

Students who qualify for the Pell Grant may be eligible for additional grants. Two new programs, the Academic Competitiveness Grant and the National SMART Grant, debut during the 2006-2007 Academic Year.

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) (Freshmen and Sophomores)
This grant is designated for first- and second-year college students who graduated from high school after January 2006 or 2005, respectively. The intent of this program is to assist students who demonstrated academic ability and require financial aid to help pay for college.

First-year students
Eligibility requirements:

• must be a U.S. citizen
• must qualify for a Pell Grant
• full-time student (enrolled for a minimum of 12 hours)
• enrolled in a degree-granting program
• complete a "rigorous secondary-school program," as defined by the Secretary of Education after January 1, 2006.
• must not have previously been enrolled in college.

The award for first-year students is $750.

Second-year students
Eligibility requirements for sophomores:

• must be a U.S. citizen
• must qualify for a Pell Grant
• full-time student (enrolled for a minimum of 12 hours)
• earned at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA your freshman year
• completed a rigorous high-school curriculum.

The award for second-year students is $1,300.

The National Science and Mathematics to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant (Juniors and Seniors)
This grant is a vailable for third- and fourth-year college students and will assist Pell eligible students who choose to study physical, life, or computer sciences; math; technology; engineering; or a foreign language that is considered critical to national security. 

Eligibility requirements:

• must be a U.S. citizen
• must qualify for a Pell Grant
• full-time student (enrolled for a minimum of 12 hours)
• have a minimum GPA of 3.0 for classes for that major
• enrolled in an approved field of study as defined by the U.S. Department of Education

The total award amount is $4,000.

Final Comments
Department officials admit that the toughest aspect of the program will be in determining what, exactly, constitutes a "rigorous" high school curriculum. The hope is that they will be able to use existing state programs that identify challenging curriculum. The Department is also working to create alternative standards for home-schooled and private-school students.

Additional information is available on the U.S. Department of Education website at http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/competitiveness/ac-smart.html.

For a list of eligible majors, click here.