Federal Grants - A Guide To Federal Grants and Requirements
Posted on January 17, 2007
Filed Under Student Loans |
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Federal Grants - A Guide To Federal Grants and Requirements.
The Federal Pell Grant
The U.S. Department of Education determines your eligibility based on your answers on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Submit your FAFSA as soon after January 1 as possible.
If you receive a Federal Pell Grant, your school will credit your college account with the grant amount, pay you directly, or both. The federal government guarantees that each participating school will receive enough funding to pay the Federal Pell Grants of all eligible students.
Eligible students
- Student must be pursuing their first undergraduate degree.
- Student must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens.
- Student must have a high school diploma, GED, or demonstrate the ability to benefit from the program offered.
Ineligible students
- Incarcerated students.
- Students who owe a refund on a Title IV grant.
- Students in default on a Title IV loan.
- Males who have not registered with the Selective Service.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Schools distribute the need-based FSEOG to full-time and part-time students. Awards range from $100 to $4,000. Your college financial aid office will determine whether you’re eligible from your EFC as reported on your ISIR (the school’s version of your Student Aid Report).
If you qualify to receive a FSEOG, the school will credit your account, pay you directly, or both.
Grant Eligibility
Undergraduate students who have exceptional financial need (the lowest Expected Family Contribution) are eligible. Federal Pell Grant recipients receive priority but are not guaranteed a FSEOG. ACG and National SMART Grant To meet the growing need for improved math and science instruction, the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 created two new grant programs:
The ACG (Academic Competitiveness Grant) is offered for the first two years of undergraduate study. National SMART Grant (National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent) is offered for the third and fourth year of undergraduate study. 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.
About the ACG
An ACG will provide up to $750 for the first year of undergraduate study and up to $1,300 for the second year of undergraduate study to full-time students who are U.S. citizens, eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, and who had successfully completed a rigorous high school program, as determined by the state or local education agency and recognized by the Secretary of Education. Second year students must also have maintained a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
The program is available for the first time for the 2006–07 school year for first year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2006 and for second year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2005.
The ACG award is in addition to the student’s Pell Grant award. Student must submit a FAFSA to apply for this grant.
Eligibility
If you can answer yes to all of the following questions, you could be eligible to receive an ACG:
- Are you a U.S. citizen?
- Did you graduate from high school after January 1, 2005?
- Are you eligible to receive a Pell Grant?
- Will you be enrolled as a full-time first or second year student in a two- or four-year degree program?
About the National SMART Grant
A National SMART Grant will provide up to four thousand dollars for each of the third and fourth years of undergraduate study to full-time students who are U.S. citizens, eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, and majoring in physical, life, or computer sciences; mathematics, technology, or engineering; or in a foreign language determined critical to national security.
Eligibility
To be eligible to receive a National SMART Grant, you must be able to answer yes to all of the following questions:
- Are you a U.S. citizen?
- Are you eligible to receive a Pell Grant?
- Are you enrolled as a full-time third or fourth year student in a baccalaureate degree program?
- Do you have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average?
- Are you now enrolled in an eligible major or in one of the following fields: computer science, engineering, critical foreign languages, life sciences, mathematics, physical sciences, technology, or multi-disciplinary studies?
This Guide To Federal Grants and Requirements is just a quick summary. Your school of choice will have more detailed infomration on Federal Grants and printed Guides to Federal Grants and Requirements.
Federal grants
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