<p>News of this new grant recently came out on the Fafsa site and I did what was required to apply for it. Does anyone know when we will get news about it? Also, should I wait until I hear about this grant before I apply for loans so I know exactly how much I will need in loans? Thanks!</p>
<p>I had my son send an email to the financial aid office last week asking about the ACG but he hasn't heard back from them. I'll post something if he hears anything from them soon.</p>
<p>I got the email on July 1st., and I have not heard back from my school yet. I would like to know so I can stop freaking out about every penny I spend.</p>
<p>I applied for it, and a couple days later, my school sent me a revised financial aid award statement with $1000 extra in "Outside Scholarships"</p>
<p>It's not the best system really.</p>
<p>At my school, I was never able to take a foreign language, for it always conflicted with my required classes (by design, beacuse no teachers wanted to teach it). Also, my school only offered me one AP class. So, no matter what I could have done, I would not qualify for the ACG</p>
<p>I am sorry about that. </p>
<p>At least you are not like myself and a grown adult at University because these new grants haven't anything to do with all of my fellow "older" students at all. I have a 3.8 gpa with scads of honors courses at my University, but since I graduated high school soo many years ago, I could never, ever qualify for any of these new grants at all and neither could any of my fellow "older" students.</p>
<p>merlinjones, do you qualify for a Pell grant? Its based on financial need. There is also a similar but different grant for sophmores, juniors and seniors in college. But this grant, for students in college already, is for students majoring in math & science and some foreign languages. Check out some of the other threads about the ACG and you can find the link to the gov. website.</p>
<p>Why no oakland mom, I barely qualify for any financial aid at all and I have a really not soo high income and no assets whatsoever. I also am the totally most honest income tax and FAFSA filer you would ever want to meet. But it is alright. It just would be neat if there was some "older" student version of the academic competitiveness grant. However, I respect any student who is qualifying for it because it shows they work hard and have a clear idea of what they are going to study.</p>
<p>My son filled out the additional info around July 1st also and hasn't heard anything back as far as a revised financial aid package. I hope we hear soon!</p>
<p>Hi brainy,
Elon still hasn't heard from the gov't about what to do and my d applied immediatly upon notification also. Sheesh!</p>
<p>Yea, I just really want some notification!!!</p>
<p>I can't find this grant on the site, please help.</p>
<p>Freshmom,
here's the gov. site that explains the ACG: <a href="http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/AcademicGrants.jsp%5B/url%5D">http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/AcademicGrants.jsp</a><br>
I hope that's what you're looking for.</p>
<p>hmmm...Wonder if M will qualify. She has all the academic stuff & a good GPA, but her AP's may be a problem. She took 3 and only got a 3 or better in 1 of them. Could this be a problem?</p>
<p>Here's the problem with the ACG/SMART Grant: No school knows what to do with it, and Congress drastically underfunded it. </p>
<p>The Gov set very loose and undefined standards of who would qualify, merit wise. You have to have either gone to a "competitive" high school, or taken a "competitive course of study".</p>
<p>The other requirements: </p>
<p>If you are eligible for a Pell grant (calculated EFC lower than $3850):
You are a US citizen
Are majoring in Math, science, engineering or "certain" foreign languages.
You graduated from high school two years or less ago</p>
<p>Funding: This grant SHOULD BE: $750 freshmen $1300 for sophmores, and $4000 for Jrs and Srs. In addition, returning students must have a 3.0</p>
<p>Last year, 5.2 million students qualified for a Pell Grant. Let's conservativly say that only 100,000 of these students will meet all of the criteria. How much money should be allocated for this fund? Someone do the math. Let's say all of these kids are freshmen, and are therefore only eligible for the $750....that's...$75million. </p>
<p>Congress allocated $4 million for this program. That's it. </p>
<p>So, bottom line? Don't expect to see this money.</p>
<p>I was able to recieve this grant. I recieved $750 for the year.</p>
<p>Sorrty to be link king, but I did a write up on this program. It is on my blog at <a href="http://daniel.mitblogs.com/archives/2006/07/academic_compet.html%5B/url%5D">http://daniel.mitblogs.com/archives/2006/07/academic_compet.html</a> if you want some more details on the program.</p>
<p>We have not sent our awards out yet. Part of the problem is that due to the late nature of the creation of the program, we've had to pull our Admissions office in to hand screen all possible high school transcripts, we've had to add GPA to our financial aid system (and convert it as well, since at MIT we are on a 5.0 not a 4.0 scale), and determine all of the eligible majors based on CIP codes. Not a fast process.</p>
<p>I had hoped to have awards done before start of term, but it looks like it will be Sept. or Oct. before our changes are made.</p>
<p>barkowitz, thanks for the post! I've been wondering why we hadn't heard about the ACG from the institute my son decided to attend & you're post explains it all! Thank you!</p>
<p>Oaklandmom, my pleasure... (sheepish grin) Are we the school?</p>
<p>barkowitz,
I wish I could say you were the school..my son had to choose between MIT & Caltech and after lots of thought and keeping his mother on the edge of her seat until nearly May 1(since December) he decided to stay on this coast. Its the right choice for him..but if had been me going off to college & had the choice, it would have been MIT!!!</p>