ACADEMIC COMPETITIVENESS GRANT(ACG)

Eligibility requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be a Federal Grant recipient
• Be enrolled full-time in a degree program
• Be enrolled in the first or second academic year of his or her program of study at a two-year or four-year degree-granting institution
• Have completed a rigorous secondary school program of study (after January 1, 2006 if a first-year student and after January 1, 2005 if a second-year student)
• If a first year student, not have been previously enrolled in an undergraduate program
• If a second-year student, have at least a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale during the first year of college

Award amounts:

• $750 for first academic year
• $1300 for second academic year

NATIONAL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS ACCESS TO RETAIN TALENT (SMART) GRANT

Eligibility requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be a Federal Pell Grant recipient
• Be enrolled in third or fourth academic years of study
• Be enrolled full-time in a degree program
• Be enrolled in a four-year degree-granting institution
• Major in physical, life, or computer science, engineering, mathematics, technology, or a critical foreign language
• Have at least a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale in college

Award amount: $4000 for each of the third and fourth years

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1) What is the purpose of these grants?

To meet the growing need for improved math and science instruction, The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 created two new grant programs – the Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG) and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants. These grants will encourage students to take more challenging courses in high school, making them not only more likely to be successful in college but also to pursue college majors in high demand such as science, mathematics, technology, engineering and critical foreign language.

2) What if the student was home-schooled? Can the student receive the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)?

Students in public or private schools, home-schooled, or enrolled overseas in Department of Defense schools have several options that will be recognized as having successfully completed a rigorous program of study for awarding the ACG:

• Receiving advanced or honors diplomas currently offered by States
• Completing a State Scholars Initiative program
• Completing a set of course requirements that is similar to the State Scholars requirements
• Achieving a specified score on Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate tests after course completion.
• High school transcript
• For home schooled-parent/guardianship submitting documentation that student completed a rigorous high school program

3) What if student attended high school in a different country because his/her parent is in the military and was stationed overseas?

Refer to Question 2.

4) If a student did not finish high school but completed the GED program can the student be considered for the ACG?

Because the GED program is not considered to be a rigorous program of study the student would not meet the eligibility requirements.

5) How do students find out if they are eligible for the ACG?

The U.S. Department of Education (DOEd) will notify the student of his/her potential eligibility by regular or electronic mail, depending on whether they provided an email address when they filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The notification was sent to all applicants that applied before July 1, 2006 and provided information about a web site that will help the student self-identify whether they completed a "qualifying rigorous secondary school program." Once the student has determined that they met the "rigorous secondary school program," the DOEd will notify the school that the student may qualify for an ACG award. When SFA receives notification from the DOEd that the student has potential ACG eligibility, SFA will check to make sure that the student has met all other eligibility requirements before making an award. Awards will be applied directly to the student's Bursar account and will appear on MyBGSU.

If a student completes the FAFSA after July 1, 2006, there are two new pages added to the FAFSA on-line process specifically for ACG eligibility. Students will self-identify their eligibility for this grant. Schools will receive the information and will be required to verify the student’s eligibility for the ACG.

6) How does the school determine what students are eligible for the SMART grant?

Pell eligible students majoring in the required field(s) of study (as determined by the DOEd and BGSU Registration & Records Office) will have the SMART Grant applied to their accounts automatically when all criteria have been met.

7) Once a student becomes eligible for the ACG or SMART grant, will the student always be eligible to receive it?

A student can only receive the ACG award the first or second year of college. Eligibility is determined for each year by the information that the student provides on the FAFSA as well as other information the school may have on file for the student. The student may be eligible for the SMART grant the third and fourth year of school but only if they have met all of the eligibility requirements. Eligibility for the ACG award is monitored one time a year. Eligibility for the SMART grant is monitored each semester prior to disbursing the grant to the students account. If the student no longer meets the required major field of study, the award will be taken off of the student's account.

8) If a student took Post-Secondary Option classes his/her Junior and Senior years in high school, does that affect the student's eligibility for the ACG?

It shouldn't, provided you meet all eligibility requirements for that grant.

9) If a student is a transfer student, will he/she be eligible for the ACG or SMART Grant?

Yes, but only if an academic transcript evaluation by Registration & Records has determined the student has the required 3.0 grade point average and has met all the other requirement specific for each grant program.

10) If a student is awarded an ACG or a SMART Grant will the student's other financial aid be affected?

That depends. The total amount of the student's financial aid awards cannot exceed his/her Cost of Attendance (COA). If the student is awarded one of the grants and the total financial aid exceeds the student's COA, then the student is considered to be over-awarded. The DOEd requires schools to make adjustments to financial aid packages to eliminate over-awards. SFA will try to adjust Subsidized/Unsubsidized loans, Plus loans, Perkins loans, FWSP and SEOG before adjusting the ACG/SMART grants. If all programs were adjusted and the student was still in an over-award situation, then the ACG/SMART grant would be reduced.

11) A student is full time fall semester and is initially full time spring but drops credit hours; the student is only registered for 9 semester hours. Can the student still use his/her ACG or SMART grant for the spring semester?

No, the student must be full time to be eligible for the ACG or SMART grant.

12) If a student totally withdraws from the university, will the ACG and/or SMART grant be cancelled?

No, but the student's record will go through the R2T4 calculation and based on the calculation may not be eligible for the full dollar amount initially awarded for that academic year.