<p>I was looking at the Academic Competitiveness Grant (Student</a> Aid on the Web) and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (Student</a> Aid on the Web) and was trying to figure out how I could apply but I guess you can't apply directly for it, you just fill out your FAFSA and they either give it to you or you don't - and since I already got my financial aid letter from my choice school and it wasn't listed on there, I didn't get it right?</p>
<p>So are these 2 grants for the valedictorian-type of in-need graduates?</p>
<p>FSEOG is totally based on ( from what I can figure after five years of kids in college with PELL grants eligibilty ) : 1 ) The school’s amount of grants to pass out 2 ) The earliest PELL grants FAFSA applicants in the year of award 3 ) I find that they " sweeten " a new student’s package with a FSEOG but they will not necessarily award them consistently every year . It’s a sporadic type of grant with no method to it’s madness ! My S never got one until Junior year ! My D got a little every year ( like $300-400 ) .</p>
<p>FAFSA has some questions that can indicate your eligibility for the ACG. If your answers indicate that you may be eligible then your school will check to see that you actually are. It is often not offered to freshmen until the college has an opportunity to check your transcript to see that you are eligible (based on whether you meet your State’s definition for having completed a rigorous curriculum, and on Pell eligibility). In my daughter’s case she was not awarded the ACG until right before the fall semester started. It replaced a loan.</p>
<p>Schools decide for themselves how to award the SEOG. Each school is given only a certain amount of SEOG funds and must decide how they want to award those funds - once awarded they have no more. The maximum SEOG will vary at each school - at my son’s the maximum is $200, at my daughter’s it is $2000. It is generally awarded to the ‘neediest students’. Many (though not all) schools set their criteria as a 0 EFC. This is the case at both my kid’s schools. My daughter did not get it her freshman year with an EFC of @ 700. She got it her sophomore year and upcoming junior year with a 0 EFC.</p>
<p>Neither award has anything to do with valedictorians. The SEOG has no academic component. The ACG has an academic component but is to do with the type of classes you completed. FAFSA is the only application for both.</p>
<p>Well from Texas A&M I got both (ACG $750 and FSEOG $500) and 2 other Texas state grants I didn’t even know I was eligible for…
But from the first school I got my letter from, Colorado School of Mines, I didn’t get either
So I guess it depends on the school :)</p>
<p>Thank you</p>