Academic Competitiveness Grant

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is a need-based federal grant for high-ability freshman and sophomore students. It was first awarded during the 2006-2007 academic year. Click here for more information on ACG.

Details

• A student must be a U.S. citizen who has filed a FAFSA.

• A student must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant, have an EFC of $3850 or less and be working on their first undergraduate degree. However, not all Pell recipients are ACG-eligible, since the ACG is also based on academic achievement.

• A student must be a first- or second-year, full-time, degree-seeking student.

• First-year students must have completed their secondary-school program after January of 2006.

• Second-year students must have completed their secondary-school program after January of 2005.

• A student must have completed a “rigorous” secondary-school program; second-year students must also have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

• For the 2006-2007 academic year, $750 is the maximum award for first-year students; $1300 is the maximum award for second-year students.

• The ACG is a need-based award and thus counts towards fulfilling a student’s overall need figure.

A student can apply for the ACG by completing and submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The U.S. Department of Education will contact potentially eligible students via regular mail or e-mail, as provided on the FAFSA.

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