Academic Competitive Grants/National SMART Grants

There are so many options out there for College bound students to get the financial backing that they need for College. There are the main stream loans like the Perkins and the Stafford Federal Loans and you have the Pell Grant but there are others just like it that are not as well known. One of these is the Academic Competitive Grant. This grant works in conjunction with the Pell Grants. To become eligible for this grant you have to meet the requirements:

• You must be a United States Citizen or an Eligible Non Citizen • You must also be a recipient of the Federal Pell Grant for the same year that you are applying for the Academic Competitive Grant. • You must be attending a College Degree Program at least half time • You have to be a first or second year undergraduate student or a student in a certificate program for at least one year and the degree program with a 2year or 4 year University. • If you are a second year student you must have a Grade Point Average of 3.0 at the end of the your first year.

The Academic Competitive Grants can offer undergraduate students a grant starting from $ 750 for the first year and up to $ 1,300 for the second year. This may not sound like much but remember you will need a PELL Grant in order to qualify for these grants. It is a good idea to start applying for these grants as soon as you can. The more students that apply the more money they have to give and if the demand is overwhelming the amounts of the reward may be reduced.

The National Science and Math Access To Retain Talent Grant or SMART Grants are given to those students who are approaching their 3rd and 4th undergraduate years. Students who are eligible for PELL Grants are eligible for the SMART Grants too, In the case of the SMART Grant you must be majoring in Physical, Life or Computer Sciences as well as Math, Technology, Engineering or any nonmajor single liberal arts programs. Students who are eligible for this grant can receive up to $ 4,00 for their 3rd and 4th year of College. The only condition is that the amount of the PELL Grant and the SMART Grant cannot exceed your yearly tuition.

To meet the eligibility of this SMART Grant then check out the following requirements:

• You have to be a United States Citizen or a Non Citizen • You have to have a PELL Grant during that same year of school • You have to be enrolled at least half time in school • You have to have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 Scale at the end of the second award year and you must keep that 3.0 GPA

If you are looking to receive additional funds for College, look into PELL Grants, Academic Competitive Grants and SMART Grants. It doesn’t hurt to try to apply for as many grants as you can. It is important to read all of the requirements before applying.