Academic Competitiveness Grants, Section 401A of the “Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005” establishes a grant program for students who have concentrated in math/science or a foreign language critical to U.S. national security.

Grants for first or second year undergraduate students are called “Academic Competitiveness Grants”. Grants for third or fourth year undergraduate students are called “National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant”.

Eligibility Requirements and Grant Amounts:

1st academic year undergraduate:

Recipients must:

•   Be full-time students
•   Be U.S. citizens
•   Be eligible and qualify for federal Pell Grants
•   Must have completed a rigorous secondary school program after January 1, 2006
•   Was not enrolled as a regular student in an ACG-eligible program while still in high school
•   Is in their first academic year of undergraduate study

Grant amount up to $750 for the academic year.

2nd academic year undergraduate:

Recipients must:

•   Be full-time students
•   Be U.S. citizens
•   Be eligible and qualify for federal Pell Grants
•   Must have completed a rigorous secondary school program after January 1, 2005
•   Completed their first academic year of undergraduate study and is in the second academic year
•   Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 at the conclusion of the first year of undergraduate education.

Grant amount: Up to $1,300 for the academic year.

3rd or 4th academic year undergraduate:

Recipients must:

• Be full-time students
• Be U.S. citizens
• Be eligible and qualify for federal Pell Grants
• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in the coursework for their major.

Be pursuing a major in physical, life, or computer sciences; mathematics, technology, engineering (as determined by the secretary of Education pursuant to regulations), or foreign language as determined by the Secretary and Director of National Intelligence as critical to U.S. national security National SMART Grants – Fields of Study. Click here to see UCLA SMART GRANT MAJOR CODE LIST.

Grant amount: Up to $4,000 for the academic year.

Additional Rules:

The grant amount, in combination with the student's Federal Pell Grant assistance and remaining financial aid, may not exceed the cost of attendance.

Grants will not be awarded to any students for an academic year for which the student received credit before the date of enactment.

You may only receive one award at each grade level.

Definition of Rigorous Programs of Study:

Because many states do not yet offer formally recognized rigorous programs of study, and to ensure that private school students, home-schooled students and students enrolled overseas are eligible, the Secretary of Education will recognize four options for eligibility. They are:

•   Advanced or Honors programs.
•   State Scholars Initiative Requirements
•   Course requirements similar to State Scholars Initiative
•   Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and scores.

These guidelines will define rigorous secondary school programs of study for academic years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

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