ACG & SMART Grants

Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG) and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants

A growing national consensus is emerging on the need for high school reform, and the need to refocus on math and science education.  Leaders from the business, political, and educational communities are in agreement on the importance of improving our national performance.  Recent studies and test scores support this view.

One common denominator has been the call for more academic rigor in the classroom – more demanding subjects, more years of study, and greater access to college preparatory courses.  President George W. Bush has said that “…we need to encourage children to take more math and science, and to make sure those courses are rigorous enough to compete with other nations.”  At the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, the nation’s governors agreed that “To ensure that all high school graduates are prepared for postsecondary education and work, governors and business and education leaders must develop a comprehensive plan for their states to … [r]estore value to the high school diploma….”  However, in a recent study, Achieve, Inc. reported that only eight States in the nation “have enacted college- and work-ready graduation requirements.”

Recent statistics display how much room for improvement we have in this arena:

• Eight developed nations have surpassed America’s high school graduation rate among young adults;
• Nearly a third of all students– and about half of African American and Hispanic students – do not graduate from high school on time;
• Of the students who do graduate, less than half are ready for college-level math and science coursework;
• Almost 30% of incoming college freshmen require remediation in reading, writing, or math; and
• In 1970, the U.S. produced over 50% of the world’s science and engineering doctorates; by 2010, our share is projected to be about 15%.

The solution to this situation demands systemic action on the part of educational leaders and citizens to improve our high schools, provide opportunities for students that will better prepare them for college, and place a greater emphasis on math and science education.  Congress has responded to this need.  On February 8, 2006, the President signed into law the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-171).  Included as a subtitle within the Act is the “Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA).”  HERA contains a new student grant program, the Academic Competitiveness Grant Program.  The program includes two types of grants for certain Pell Grant-eligible college students:  the Academic Competitiveness Grant (AC grant) and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART grant).

AC Grants will be awarded to first- and second-year college students who have successfully completed a rigorous secondary school program, while SMART grants will be awarded to third- and fourth-year college students who major in mathematics, science, technology, engineering, or critical foreign languages. 

Eligibility Criteria

Not all college students receiving Pell Grants will be eligible for AC or SMART grants.  Based on the additional statutory eligibility requirements, we estimate that less than forty percent of Pell Grant-eligible students will be eligible for an AC or SMART Grant.

Listed below are the general additional eligibility requirements for the AC and SMART grants, beyond the general Pell Grant requirements, that reduce the number of eligible students.  These grants will be available to any Pell Grant-eligible student who:

1st Academic Year - Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) 

• Must be full-time,
• Must be a U.S. Citizen,
• Must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid,
• Must be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant,
• Must have completed a rigorous secondary school program after January 1, 2008 (see below),
• Must not have been previously enrolled in a program of undergraduate education

Grant Amount = Up to $750 over two semesters

2nd Academic Year - Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)

• Must be full-time,
• Must be a U.S. Citizen,
• Must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid,
• Must be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant,
• Must have completed a rigorous secondary school program after January 1, 2007 (see below) AND be a second year student,
• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 at the conclusion of the first year of undergraduate education,

Grant Amount = Up to $1,300 over two semesters

3rd and 4th Academic Year - Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART)   

• Must be full-time,
• Must be a U.S. Citizen,
• Must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid,
• Must be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant,
• Must be pursuing a major in:  physical, life or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, engineering, or a foreign language determined by the Secretary and Director of National Intelligence as critical to U.S. national security,
• Must have a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0,
• Only receive one award at each grade level (one award as a junior and one award as a senior)

Grant Amount = Up to $4,000 over two semesters

Additional Eligibility Rules:  

• The grant amount in combination with the student's Pell Grant assistance and remaining finanical aid may not exceed their cost of attendance.
• If the total amount of the grant fund is less than the amount required to provide grants to all eligible students, then the amount of the grant for each student will be ratably reduced.
• If additional amounts are then appropriated for any fiscal year the reduced grants will be increased in the same manner as they were reduced.
• Grants will not be awarded to any students for an academic year for which the student received credit before the date of enactment.

Definition of Rigorous Program of Study:

Because many states do not yet offer formally recognized rigorous programs of study, and to ensure that private school students, home-schooled students and students enrolled in Department of Defense overseas schools are eligible, the Secretary of Education has identified the following four options for eligibility. They are:

• Advanced or Honors diploma programs. The Secretary of Education will recognize all Advanced or Honors diplomas conferred by the states as rigorous programs of study. According to research by the Department, nineteen states currently offer such diplomas upon completion of recognized coursework.

• State Scholars Initiative requirements. This program, supported by Congress, sets course requirements modeled after the National Commission on Excellence in Education recommendations. Fourteen states participate in this program, and eight additional states will begin participation this year.

• Course requirements similar to the State Scholars Initiative. This program of study includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of science, three years of social studies, and one year of a foreign language.

• Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and scores. Students who have taken two AP or IB courses and received passing scores on the exams for those courses will be considered eligible.