Information For Students About Academic Competitiveness (AC) and National SMART Grants:

Please note: These programs are currently under review by Congress and changes are coming for fall 2008.

The Academic Competitiveness (AC) Grants and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants were created by the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 and signed into law February of 2006. In addition to the Pell Grant, up to $750 will be awarded to eligible first-year AC Grant students, and up to $1,300 to second-year AC Grant students. Up to $4,000 will be awarded to eligible National SMART Grant students for each year in addition to the Pell Grant funds. NOTE: The rules regulating these grants are currently being revised by Congress for 2008-09.

For AC Grants, students must:

  • apply for financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have been determined to be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant. Students who have not yet submitted a FAFSA may do so online at www.fafsa.ed.gov;
  • be a U.S. Citizen;
  • be enrolled in a two- or four-year degree program; and
  • be enrolled fulltime (at least 12 credits). Students who drop below 12 credits before the end of the third week of the semester will have to immediately repay the grant.

In addition:

  • Students must be freshmen (< 30 credits) or sophomores (30-59 credits);
  • Freshmen must have completed high school on or after January 1, 2006;
  • Sophomores must have completed high school on or after January 1, 2005;
  • All AC Grant students must have completed a rigorous high school program of study as designated by their state; and
  • For a second-year AC Grant, students must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 the semester they complete 30 credits.

What is a rigorous high school program of study?

  • The student completed one of his or her state’s designated secondary school programs of study, or
  • The student has taken and passed the tests for at least two Advanced Placement (AP - with a score of 3 or higher) ) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses; or
  • The student has completed a high school course of study with at least
    • Four years of high school English;
    • Three years of high school math, including Algebra I and another higher level math course;
    • Three years of high school science, which must include two years of biology, chemistry or physics;
    • Three years of high school social studies; and
      One year of high school foreign language.

In addition to the above, graduates of Utah high schools can meet the above requirement by completing at least 6 credits (with a B or better) of concurrent enrollment (college-level courses) in core academic areas (English, math, science, social studies, or foreign language). Other state requirements can be found in information about the ACG grant at the Department of Education's website.

The USU Financial Aid Office will notify students who otherwise qualify for an AC grant, and request them to bring in specific documentation to demonstrate that they meet the rigorous program requirement. In most cases, this will be an official high school transcript, but it may be AP test scores. If you haven't heard from us by the second week of fall semester, and you believe you qualify, please contact us or download the ACG application.

For National SMART Grants, students must:

apply for financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have been determined to be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant. Students who have not yet submitted a FAFSA may do so online at www.fafsa.ed.gov;

  • be a U.S. Citizen;
  • be enrolled in a four-year degree program; and
  • be enrolled fulltime (12 credits or more). Students who drop below 12 credits before the end of the third week of the semester will have to immediately repay the grant.

In addition, SMART recipients must:

  • be a Junior (60-89 credits ) or a Senior (starting at 90 credits);
  • be pursuing a major in mathematics, science (including physical, life, and computer sciences), technology, engineering, or a critical foreign language, such as Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Russian; and
  • have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0.
  • A list of nationally eligible majors is available.
  • make reasonable progress towards a degree in the eligible major.
  • be enrolled in at least one course that meets the specific requirements of the student's SMART Grant-eligible major. It is not necessary that the course be offered by the academic department that confers the degree in the eligible major. For example, a student majoring in biology is eligible to receive a SMART Grant during a semester in which he or she is enrolled in a physics course if the physics course is required for the major even if the student is not enrolled in any biology courses.

Warning: A student who is taking general education courses or electives that satisfy general degree requirements for the student's SMART Grant-eligible program, but who is not taking at least one course specific to and required for the SMART Grant-eligible major, is not eligible for a SMART Grant payment for that payment period. For example, the biology student described above may be taking courses during a semester in the humanities, the arts, and physical education in order to fulfill the general education requirements of the degree program or major. However, to be eligible for a SMART Grant the student must also be enrolled in at least one course required for the student's SMART Grant major. If the student were enrolled only in courses that satisfy the general education requirements of the SMART Grant-eligible program, but not in any courses that are specific to the major, he or she would not be eligible for a SMART Grant payment for the semester.

For more information, go to www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov.