<p>I am an incoming freshman at university of illinois and have received my pell grant. I am wondering how to apply for Academic Competitiveness Grant? What should I need to do?
thanks</p>
<p>You don’t do anything. FAFSA is your application for all federal aid including the ACG. When you completed FAFSA did it come back with a comment that according to how you answered the questions you may be eligible for the ACG? If so this alerts the school that you may be eligible for it. The school has to check your final transcript to verify that you are in fact eligible for it. Only after this will they award it to you. It was the last award my daughter received, long after the rest of her awards. As far as I recall it was just before the fall semester started. It replaced some loans.</p>
<p>If you have not heard about it soon before the semester starts then enquire about it.</p>
<p>Where I work, you are responsible for sending your final high school transcript (the one that says GRADUATED on it) to the financial aid office. If you don’t do this, we can’t evaluate you for ACG. If you turn in your transcript, we check your enrollment after drop/add is over. You also must have your verification completed to be evaluated. If you are eligible based on the criteria of the ACG program, which includes an evaluation of the courses you took & passed in high school, you will eventually get it posted to your account. I say eventually because it is a very labor-intensive program to run at a large school … it may take some time to get the money awarded.</p>