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- Grants—financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund).
- Work-Study—allows you to earn money for your education.
- Loans—allow you to borrow money for your education. You must repay your loans, with interest.
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
- Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)
- National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant)
- Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant (This grant is converted to an Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan and must be repaid if you don’t fulfill your teaching agreement).
Unlike loans, grants are not repaid unless, for example, you are awarded funds incorrectly or you withdraw from school prior to the planned end of term or, if you have a TEACH Grant, and you do not meet the terms in your "Agreement to Serve" (additional details on that will follow).
All federal grants are awarded to students with financial need. The amount of your Federal Pell Grant depends on your cost of attendance,* Expected Family Contribution,* enrollment status (full- or part-time) and whether you attend for a full academic year* or less. To receive a FSEOG, ACG, or National SMART Grant, you must first be eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant. The amount of your FSEOG, ACG and National SMART Grant depends on your financial need and other criteria (see Financial Need and Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on page 12).
- Pell Grants are the foundation of federal student financial aid, to which aid from other federal and nonfederal sources might be added.
- Pell Grants are generally awarded only to undergraduate students—those who haven’t earned a bachelor’s or graduate degree.
- In some limited cases, however, you might receive a Pell Grant if you’re enrolled in a postbaccalaureate teacher certificate program.
- Amounts can change yearly. The maximum award for the 2008–09 award year was $4,731.
- FSEOGs are awarded to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need—those with the lowest Expected Family Contribution* (EFC) numbers.
- Federal Pell Grant recipients receive priority for FSEOG awards.
- FSEOG awards range from $100 to $4,000 a year. The amount of the award is determined by your school’s financial aid office.
Federal Pell Grants:
- If you’re eligible for a Pell Grant you’ll receive the full amount you qualify for—each school participating in the program receives enough funds each year from the U.S. Department of Education to pay the Pell Grant amounts for all its eligible students.
- The amount of other student aid you might qualify for does not affect the amount of your Pell Grant.
FSEOGs:
- Unlike Pell Grants, the amount of FSEOGs you receive depends not only on your financial need but also on the amount of other aid you get and the availability of funds at your school.
- Receiving other aid might reduce the amount of your FSEOG award.
- Not all schools participate in the FSEOG Program.
- The school’s financial aid office decides how to award these funds.
- Each school participating in the FSEOG Program receives a certain amount of FSEOG funds each year from the U.S. Department of Education ’s office of Federal Student Aid. When all of those funds have been disbursed for that award year, no more FSEOG awards can be made for that year.
Due to limited funds, it’s important to apply early to be considered for these funds. Not everyone who qualifies for an FSEOG will get one.
The maximum award for a first year eligible undergraduate student is $750; the maximum award for a second year eligible undergraduate student is $1,300.
ACG Requirements
To receive an ACG, you must
- be Pell Grant-eligible during the same award year;
- be enrolled at least half-time;*
- be a first-year or second-year undergraduate student or a student in a certificate program of at least one year in a degree program at a two-year or four-year degreegranting institution;
- have completed a rigorous secondary school program of study;
and
- if a first-year student—have completed secondary school after Jan. 1, 2006; not have been enrolled in ACG-eligible program while at or below age of compulsory school attendance
or
- if a second-year student—have completed secondary school after Jan. 1, 2005, and have at least a 3.0 grade point average as of the end of the first year of undergraduate study.
For a list of recognized rigorous programs of secondary school study in your state visit www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/about/ac-smart/state-programs.html.
This grant program is for full-time undergraduate students who are enrolled in the third or fourth year of undergraduate study. The award is for up to $4,000 for each of the third and fourth years.
National SMART Grant Requirements
To receive a National SMART Grant, you must
- be Pell Grant-eligible during the same award year;
- be enrolled at least half-time;*
- be in the third or fourth year* of an undergraduate degree program (or fifth year of a five-year program);
- be pursuing a major with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA in physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, engineering or a critical foreign language; or non-major single liberal arts programs, and
- have at least a 3.0 GPA as of the end of the second award year and continue to maintain a 3.0 GPA that must be checked prior to the beginning of each payment period (e.g., semester).
For a list of National SMART Grant eligible majors, visit ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0809.html
- The ACG is for undergraduate students who are enrolled in the first or second a year of an eligible program* in any field, who have completed a rigorous secondary school program of study, and who also have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA for the first year.
- The National SMART Grant is for undergraduate students who are enrolled in the third or fourth year of an eligible program* (or fifth year of a five-year program) and pursuing an eligible major with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. A student does not have to complete a rigorous secondary school program of study to be eligible for this grant.
There are additional steps you need to take to ensure you’re considered for an ACG. Students who fill out FAFSA on the Web are asked questions particular to the ACG. If you’re eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, and within the age range to have graduated from high school after Jan. 1, 2005, these questions appear as additional screens during the application process. The paper FAFSA does not contain these questions. Applicants who file the paper FAFSA, are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, and within the age range to have graduated from high school after Jan. 1, 2005, will receive instructions on what to do in their Student Aid Report* (SAR). The SAR tells the student to use FAFSA on the Web or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center (1-800-433-3243) to provide additional information. Because of this extra step in the paper process, we urge students to use FAFSA on the Web. When you receive a SAR, remember to read the comments and respond appropriately.
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program, provides up to $4,000 a year in grant assistance to students who are completing or who plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching.
In exchange for the grant, a student must sign an Agreement to Serve* as a full-time teacher at certain low-income schools and within certain high-need fields for at least four academic years within eight years after completing (or ceasing enrollment in) the course of study for which the candidate received a grant. TEACH Grant recipients must submit evidence of employment as certified by the chief administrative officer of the school upon completion of each year of teaching service.
If the grant recipient fails or refuses to carry out his or her teaching obligation, the amounts of the TEACH Grants received are treated as an unsubsidized Direct Loan and must be repaid with interest.
Recipients can be
- Undergraduate students
- Graduate students
- Students enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher credential program
- Current or former teachers or retirees
Students must also meet the basic eligibility requirements
(see page 11) for federal student aid, and
- be enrolled in course work necessary to begin a career in teaching, or
- plan to complete necessary course work to begin a career in teaching,
- be above the 75th percentile on one part of an admissions test (such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, etc.) or
- have at least a 3.25 for each payment period—in high school or college for first year students and in college for other students, or
- meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally, scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or maintaining a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25).
You can get
- Full-time students may receive $4,000 per year, up to a maximum of $16,000 for undergraduate and postbaccalaureate study, and up to a maximum of $8,000 for graduate study.
- Amounts are prorated for less than full-time enrollment.
- The award, when combined with other assistance cannot exceed cost of attendance* (The EFC* is not taken into account).
All applicants must
- fill out the FAFSA and make sure the school you attend participates in this grant program,
- undertake initial counseling,
- sign an Agreement to Serve,
- enroll in a TEACH Grant–eligible program at a participating institution, and
- be currently completing, or intend to complete, course work necessary to begin a career in teaching in a high-need field.
Each award year, a TEACH Grant recipient must sign an Agreement to Serve (ATS) that explains that the recipient must teach for four years within eight years of completing or ceasing enrollment in a TEACH Grant eligible program as a full-time highly-qualified teacher in a low-income elementary or secondary school in a high-need field. You can access and sign the ATS with your Federal Student Aid PIN at www.teach-ats.ed.gov.
- Mathematics
- Science
- Foreign language
- Bilingual education and English language acquisition
- Special education
- Reading specialist
- Other high-need fields must be listed in the Department of Education‘s Nationwide Listing of Teacher Shortage Areas. You can access this publication at www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.pdf
The school must be listed in the Department of Education's Low-Income School Directory at www.tcli.ed.gov/CBSWebApp/tcli/TCLIPubSchoolSearch.jsp.
Guidance on the criteria for being a highly qualified teacher is available at www.ed.gov/teachers/nclbguide/improve-quality.html.
A TEACH Grant recipient who fails to complete the required teaching service must repay the grant(s) as an Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan with interest accruing from the date of grant disbursement(s).
Students can find more information on this grant at www.teachgrant.ed.gov.
Pell Grant
- Pell Grant award amounts can change yearly, but Pell Grant awards for the 2008¡V09 award year (July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009) ranged from $400 to $4,731.
- How much grant aid you get depends on:
- You may receive only one Pell Grant in an award year.
- You may not receive Pell Grant funds from more than one school at a time.
FSEOG
- You can get between $100 and $4,000 an academic year,* depending on:
- When you apply.
- Your financial need.
- The funding level of the school you're attending.
- The policies of your school's financial aid office.
ACG
- Up to $750 for first year students.
- Up to $1,300 for second year students.
National SMART Grant
- Up to $4,000 for each of the third and fourth years (or fifth year of a five-year program).
TEACH Grant
Your school will:
- Credit your grant funds to your school account;
- Pay you directly (usually by check);
- Combine these methods; or
- With your permission, credit your bank account.
- Schools must pay you at least once per term (semester, trimester or quarter).
- Schools that don’t use formally defined, traditional terms (e.g., semester, quarter, etc.) must pay you at least twice per academic year.*
Yes, but you will not receive as much as if you were enrolled full-time.
The information in this guide was compiled in the summer of 2008. For changes to the federal student aid programs since then, visit www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov and click on "Students, Parents and Counselors."
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