How to Avail the Academic Competitiveness Grant and other Financial Grants
Planning to go to college but worried about funds? Don’t lose heart for help is at hand. There are a host of financial loans and grants available to college-going students these days. Some of the most popular loan options are Perkins Loans and Stafford Federal Loans. There are also many financial grants that you can avail such as Federal Pell Grant and the allied Academic Competitiveness Grant.
Let us take the example of Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG). This can be availed if you are awarded the Federal Pell Grant. For an undergraduate student, the ACG is a highly beneficial scheme wherein you get paid a maximum amount of $ 750 for the first year and $ 1,300 for the second year of studies. The actual grant money sanctioned depends on the fact that the Academic Competitiveness Grant in conjunction with the Pell Grant money cannot go beyond the actual cost of attending the program.
Now you must be wondering about the criteria for being awarded this Academic Competitiveness Grant. The prerequisite is that you should have secured the Federal Pell Grant. These grants are applicable only to US citizens or specific non-citizens. The other important consideration for getting the Academic Competitiveness Grant is that you should be enrolled in a program, at least, as part time /half-time students. This grant is open to both first and second year students enrolled in an undergraduate program. If you are a second year student, you should have secured an overall 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in your first year. Those pursuing a one-year certificate program part of a degree program (of two or four years) can also apply for these Academic Competitiveness Grants.
As in the case of any grant, it is a wise move to kick start the application process for the Academic Competitiveness Grant expeditiously. Be prepared that if far too many students apply, then the total grant money applied may exceed the amount sanctioned for that year. In that case, it may mean a smaller share of the pie for the individual students!
Apart from the Academic Competitiveness Grant, there is also the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant or the National Smart Grant. This is available to students who are in their third or fourth year of undergraduate studies (or even fifth year if applicable) majoring in engineering, mathematics, technology, physical life or computer sciences, a critical foreign language or non-major liberal arts programs.
Similar to the Academic Competitiveness Grants, the National Smart Grant can be availed by in part/half students who are in degree courses and can qualify for the Federal Pell Grant. You can get up to $ 4,000 each for the third and fourth year of study if you are awarded the National Smart Grant.
The eligibility norms for the National Smart Grant are quite similar to that of the Academic Competitiveness Grants. These include requirements of being a US citizen or an eligible non-citizen, receiving the Pell Grant concurrently, enrollment in a program as a full-time or part-time student, and a continuous achievement of 3.0 score on a total scale of 4.0 GPA.
All these grants, including the Federal Pell Grants, Academic Competitiveness Grants and the National Smart Grants, are highly useful for serious and committed students. So if you have the zeal and the drive to pursue a higher education, do not let non-availability of funds deter you from fulfilling your dream.
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