Grants

Pell Grant

Pell Grants are considered the foundation of federal financial aid, to which aid from other federal and nonfederal sources might be added. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or a professional degree.

How much can I get?
The maximum Pell Grant award for the 2007-08 award year (July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008) is $4,310. The maximum award for the 2008-09 award year (July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009) is $4,731. The maximum can change each award year and depends on program funding. The amount you get, though, will depend not only on your financial need, but also on your costs to attend school, your status as a full-time or part-time student, and your plans to attend school for a full academic year or only a semester.

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Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grant

FSEOG Funds are available for undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional economic need and who prove satisfactory academic progress. To participate in this program, the student must fill out a FAFSA form and the form for institutional aid. This last document has to be presented to the Financial Aid Office. Pell Grant recipients with the lowest expected family contributions (EFCs) will be considered first for a FSEOG. Just like Pell Grants, the FSEOG does not have to be repaid.

How much can I get?
You can receive between $100 and $4,000 a year, depending on when you apply, your financial need, the funding at the school you are attending, and the policies of the Financial Aid Office at your school.

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TEACH Grant Program

Beginning 2008-2009, the Federal Department of Education will be offering the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program that provides grants of up to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in a public or private, elementary or secondary school, that serves students from low-income families.

Conditions
In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-needs area. As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant. IMPORTANT: If you fail to complete this service obligation, all amounts of the TEACH Grant that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education. You will be charged interest from the date the grant was disbursed.

Student Eligibility Requirements - To receive a TEACH Grant you must:

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), although you do not have to demonstrate financial need
• Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Be enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student in a post-secondary educational institution that has chosen to participate in the TEACH Grant Program
• Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework. Such coursework may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher).
• Meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally, scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25)
• Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement

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Academic Competitiveness Grant

The Academic Competitiveness Grant provides up to $750 for the first year of undergraduate study and up to $1,300 for the second year of undergraduate study. The program became available for the first time for the 2006-07 academic 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.

To be eligible for an ACG each academic year, a student must:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be Federal Pell Grant eligible
• 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, you may not have been previously enrolled in an undergraduate program, and
• If a second-year student, you have a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale for the first academic year.

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National Science And Mathematics Access To Retain Talent Grant
(National SMART Grant)

The National SMART Grant provides up to $4,000 for each of the third and fourth years of undergraduate study. The National SMART Grant award is in addition to the student's Pell Grant award.

To be eligible to receive a National SMART Grant, you must:

• Be a US citizen
• Be eligible to receive a Pell Grant
• Be enrolled as a full-time third or fourth year student in a baccalaureate degree program
• Have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average
• Be enrolled in an eligible major in one of the following categories: Computer Science, Engineering, Critical Foreign Languages, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Technology, or Multidisciplinary Studies

If you meet all of the above requirements and you have already submitted a FAFSA form, please contact the Financial Aid Office at your school to identify yourself as a potentially eligible student.

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