Two new grant programs, available through the U.S. Department of Education, that provide financial assistance to qualified Pell-eligible students are the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant.

Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)

Eligibility
To be eligible for the ACG in New York state, a student must:
      • Be a U.S. citizen
      • Be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant
      • Be enrolled full time in a degree program
      • Be enrolled in the first or second academic year 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) such as:
      - a New York State Regents Diploma with Honors or Advanced Designation or
      - completion of a set of courses similar to the State Scholars Initiative or
      - a specified score on Advance Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses
      • 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 for the first academic year

Awards
      • Up to $750 for the first year of undergraduate study
      • Up to $1,300 for the second year of undergraduate study


National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant

Eligibility
To be eligible for the SMART grant in NYS, a student must:
      • Be a U.S. citizen
      • Be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant
      • Be enrolled full time in a degree program
      • Be enrolled in the third or fourth academic year program of study at 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

Awards
      • Up to $4,000 for each of the third and fourth academic years of study

Additional Information About These Grant Programs

Additional information on both grant programs is available on the U.S. Department of Education’s Web site.

Interesting Scholarship Opportunity

Applicants to these grant programs may also be interested in the NYS Math and Science Teaching Incentive Scholarship.