In February 2006
Congress passed the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA).The Academic
Competitiveness Grant was created as part of that act. Below are the federally
prescribed criteria that must be met in order to qualify for these grants as implemented
at the University of Oregon:
Academic
Competitiveness Grant (ACG) - Freshman
Freshmen
(0-44 credits) are eligible to receive up to three terms of the grant at $250
per term as long as they meet the following criteria:
- Completed a
rigorous curriculum in high school (as defined by US Dept of Education*);
- Graduated from high
school after January 1, 2006;
- Are a US citizen;
- Receive a Pell
grant during same academic year;
- Are enrolled full
time;
- Are a Freshman at
the beginning of term (0-44 credits)**;
- The amount of the ACG in combination with other financial aid does not exceed the demonstrated need.
**Once a student becomes a sophomore (45 or more credits)
they are no longer eligible for the freshman ACG even if they haven't received
it for three terms.
Academic
Competitiveness Grant (ACG) - Sophomore
Sophomores (45-89
credits) are eligible to receive up to three terms of the grant at $433 per
term as long as they meet the following criteria:
- Completed a
rigorous curriculum in high school (as defined by US Dept of Education*);
- Graduated from high
school after January 1, 2005;
- Are a US citizen;
- Receive a Pell
grant during same academic year;
- Are enrolled full
time;
- Completed Freshman
year with at least a 3.0 cumulative UO GPA;
- Are a Sophomore
at the beginning of term (45-89 credits)**.
- The amount of ACG in combination with other financial aid does not exceed demonstrated need.
**Once a student becomes a junior (90 or more credits) they
are no longer eligible for the Sophomore ACG even if they haven't received it
for three terms.
* US Department of Education
defines a rigorous curriculum as meeting one of the following conditions:
- The student completed one of his or her state's
designated secondary school programs of study, as noted on the web site; or
- The student has taken the tests for at least two
Advanced Placement (AP)(scoring a '3' or better) or International
Baccalaureate (IB)(scoring a '4' or better) 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.
SMART Grant
In February
2006 Congress passed the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA). The
national Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART) was
established as part of that act. Below are the federally prescribed criteria
that must be met in order to qualify for these grants as implemented by the University of Oregon. Students who have declared and are actively pursuing (as demonstrated
by pattern of coursework) one of the following majors are potentially eligible
for these grants:
- BI Biology
- BIC Biochemistry
- CH Chemistry
- CHN Chinese
- CIS Computer
Information Science
- GEOL Geological
Sciences
- GS General
Science
- GSB General
Science-Bend
- HPHY Human
Physiology
- JPN Japanese
- MACS Mathematics
and Computer Science
- MARB Marine
Biology
- MATH Mathematics
- MTHB Math-Bend
- PEN pre-engineering
- PHYS Physics
- RUSS Russian
SMART
Grants
Juniors and
4th year seniors enrolled in an eligible major may receive up to $1333
per term as long as they meet the following criteria:
- Are a US citizen;
- Receive a Pell
grant during same academic year;
- Are enrolled full
time;
- Have a cumulative
UO GPA of 3.0 or greater before each term.
- The amount of SMART in combination with other financial aid does not exceed demonstrated need.
- Juniors (90-134 credits) are eligible to
receive up to three terms* of this grant.
*Once a student becomes a senior (135 or more credits) they
are no longer eligible for the Junior SMART grant even if they haven't received
it for three terms.
- Fourth year
Seniors (135-179
credits) are eligible to receive up to three terms* of this grant. *Once a student is no longer a 4th year senior (180
or more credits) they are no longer eligible for the Senior SMART grant even if
they haven't received it for three terms.
ACG/SMART Grant FAQ’s
Q: Why doesn't’t my ACG/SMART grant appear on my bill? When should I expect to receive it?
A: Typically, these grants will not be disbursed until the second week of the term. The provisions covering these grants are very strict and continued eligibility must be confirmed prior to each disbursement each term.
Q: What happens if my GPA is too low or I change grade levels and am found to be ineligible?
A: Students who were originally offered the grant and are found ineligible will receive a revised offer of assistance soon after the term begins.
Q: A student must be full time to be eligible for one of these grants, what if I am originally full time but drop to less than full time before the ACG/SMART grant is disbursed?
A: You must be full time at the time that the grant is disbursed. If you drop to less than full time prior to disbursement, you are not eligible for the ACG/SMART grant for that term.
Q: Because of my AP/IB and high school college credit, my grade level is higher than it should be. I think I may be missing out on some grant money because of it. Is there anything that I can do?
A: Sometimes adjustments can be made to more accurately reflect how long you’ve actually been in college. Sometimes these adjustments can work in your favor and sometimes not. See a financial aid counselor to discuss the pros and cons of each alternative.
Q: The 3.0 GPA requirement for the second year ACG grant states, “Completed Freshmen year with a least a 3.0 cumulative UO GPA”. Can give a little more explanation of exactly what this means?
A: To qualify for a second year ACG a students GPA must be 3.0 at the end of the term they attain 45 credits. If it is less than that you will never be eligible for the second year ACG. Getting your GPA up to 3.0 in a subsequent term will not make you ACG eligible. By the same token, if you ended your freshmen year with a 3.0, you won’t lose your ACG grant if your GPA then slips below 3.0.
Q: How are incompletes counted?
A: For purposes of these grants, the GPA is calculated as if the incomplete were an ‘F’. In cases where that treatment results in a GPA of less than 3.0 the grant will not be disbursed for the next term. Students have until the end of that term to make up the incomplete and get their GPA above 3.0 in order to receive that term’s grant.
Q: To be SMART grant eligible, students must have declared and actively pursuing designated majors. What do you mean by ‘actively pursuing’?
A: ‘Actively pursuing’ means enrolling for at least one course each term that meets the specific requirements of the major in addition to generally showing a pattern of coursework consistent with other students in that major. For example, biology majors usually take biology, chemistry, and math courses in order to pursue that degree.
Q: I’ve looked at the eligibility criteria and think I’m eligible for one of these grants, but never been offered one. What do I do?
A: Contact the office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships via:
Email: fawww@uoregon.edu
Phone: 1-800-760-6953 or
1-541-346-3221
In person: Office hours 8-5 M-Th, 9-5 F at 260 Oregon Hall
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