ACADEMIC COMPETITIVENESS GRANT (ACG)

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is awarded to first- and second-year college students who are eligible for Federal Pell Grants based on data provided on their Federal Application for Student Financial Aid (FAFSA). Awards are up to $750 for first-year students and $1,300 for second-year students.

The grant is designed to encourage low-income students to take a rigorous high school curriculum to better prepare for college. Counselors and advisors who work with high school students should encourage students, beginning in their freshman year of high school, to begin taking courses that are part of a rigorous secondary school program of study and continue taking these rigorous courses throughout high school. (See the ACG eligibility requirements below for details.)

The new law is effective after January 1, 2009, but the U.S. Department of Education may first need to finalize regulations to implement these changes.

Eligibility Requirements for ACG:

• Be a U.S. citizen (or, after 1/1/09, an eligible noncitizen)
• Be a Federal Pell Grant recipient
• Be enrolled at least half-time in the first or second academic year at a two-year or four-year degree-granting institution (prorated awards for less than full-time enrollment available after 1/1/09). After 1/1/09, this includes first-year students enrolled in a one-year certificate program and second-year students enrolled in a two-year certificate program offered by a degree-granting institution.
• Have completed a rigorous secondary school program of study (after 1/1/06, if a first-year student, and after 1/1/05, if a second-year student). Graduates of Oregon high schools must have met at least one of the state’s requirements for a rigorous course of study):
  • Four years of English, three years of math (Algebra I and higher), three years of science (including at least two courses from biology, chemistry or physics), three years of social studies, and one year of a foreign language; or
  • A minimum of two Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in high school with a minimum passing score of 3 or higher on AP exams and 4 or higher on IB exams
• For other states, click here for ACG Recognized State Rigorous Secondary School Programs of Study
• If a first-year student, not have been previously enrolled in a program of undergraduate education, except as part of a secondary school program of study; and
• If a second-year student, have at least a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale for the first academic year

Application and Notification
Students can apply for the ACG by completing (or updating) the FAFSA. The U.S. Department of Education will use electronic or regular mail to notify students who may be potentially eligible for the ACG, based on information provided on the FAFSA.

For more information about all federal student financial aid programs (including loans as well as grants), check out the website at www.studentaid.ed.gov and click on "Federal Student Aid Programs" in the left toolbar.