Information For Students About Academic Competitiveness (AC) Grants:
The Academic Competitiveness (AC) Grants was created by the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 and signed into law February of 2006. In addition to the Pell Grant, up to $750 will be awarded to eligible first-year AC Grant students, and up to $1,300 to second-year AC Grant students. NOTE: The rules regulating these grants are currently being revised by Congress for 2008-09 and again for 2009-2010.
For AC Grants, students must:
- apply for financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students who have not yet submitted a FAFSA may do so online at www.fafsa.ed.gov;
- be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant.
- be enrolled in a two- or four-year degree program; and
- be enrolled at least 6 credits. Students who drop below 6 credits before the end of the third week of the semester will have to immediately repay the grant.
In addition:
- Students must be freshmen (< 30 credits) or sophomores (30-59 credits);
- Freshmen must have completed high school on or after January 1, 2006;
- Sophomores must have completed high school on or after January 1, 2005;
- All AC Grant students must have completed a rigorous high school program of study as designated by their state; and
- For a second-year AC Grant, students must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 the semester they complete 30 credits.
- If you transfer in more than 59 credits you will not qualify for this grant, even though this may be your first year as a university student.
What is a rigorous high school program of study?
- The student completed one of his or her state’s designated secondary school programs of study, or
- The student has taken and passed the tests for at least two Advanced Placement (AP - with a score of 3 or higher) ) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses; or
- The student has completed a high school course of study with at least
- Four years of high school English;
- Three years of high school math, including Algebra I and another higher level math course;
- Three years of high school science, which must include two years of biology, chemistry or physics;
- Three years of high school social studies; and
- One year of high school foreign language.
In addition to the above, graduates of Utah high schools can meet the above requirement by completing at least 6 credits (with a B or better) of concurrent enrollment (college-level courses) in core academic areas (English, math, science, social studies, or foreign language). Other state requirements can be found in information about the ACG grant at the Department of Education's website.
The USU Financial Aid Office will notify students who otherwise qualify for an AC grant, and request them to bring in specific documentation to demonstrate that they meet the rigorous program requirement. In most cases, this will be an official final high school transcript. If you haven't heard from us by the second week of fall semester, and you believe you qualify, please contact us or download the Academic Competitiveness Grant Application (ACG) Application.
For more information, go to www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov.