New College Grants for the School Year

President George W. Bush approved the funding for two fairly new college grants called the Academic Competitiveness Grant and National Smart Grant. Over $700 million dollars is reserved for these grants. The idea behind the new college grants is to help students pursue a career in the math, science, and technological fields. Both the National Smart and Academic Competitiveness grants have gone into effect for the current academic school year. Each grant has different eligibility requirements. The following items are a description of the main eligibility requirements. Students should keep in mind that they may be required to meet more prerequisites before receiving grants for college.

The National Smart Grant is an award given to junior and senior college students. Junior and senior year students are eligible to receive as much as $4000. Below you'll find a list of basic eligibility requirements for the National Smart Grant.

Students could be eligible to receive the National Smart Grant if:

        They're enrolled as a full time junior or senior in a four-year degree program.

        They are qualified to receive a Pell Grant. (Students who are awarded the National Smart Grant may also receive a Pell Grant to go towards their tuition for college.).

        They're a United States citizen.

        They earned a cumulative 3.0 grade point.

        They are majoring in engineering, technology, mathematics, science, or foreign language.

The Academic Competitiveness Grant is an award given only to first and second year college students. First year students may be awarded as much as $750 toward their tuition and eligible sophomore students can be awarded around $1300. Below you will find the requirements to become eligible for the Academic Competitiveness Grant.

College students could be eligible to receive the Academic Competitiveness Grant if:

        They're currently enrolled full-time as a freshman or sophomore student in a two or four year degree program.

        They are qualified to receive the Pell Grant. (Students who are awarded the Academic Competitiveness Grant may also use the Pell Grant towards their tuition for college.).

        They finished a rigorous plan of study in high school as described by national education standards and requirements.

        They earned a 3.0 GPA during their first year of college. (This applies to sophomores)

        They are a United States citizen.

        They graduated from high school following January 1, 2006 for first year students and January 1, 2005 for sophomores.

For students who do not meet the requirements for the Academic Competitiveness Grant or the National Smart Grant, there are a wide range of other college government grants available. The requirements depend on the grant. Students are eligible to receive a college grant based on academic accomplishment, athletic talent, or financial need. Others may get a college grant based on their religion, ethnicity, or area of study. The following are a few valuable hints that will help you better your odds of acquiring college grant money:

• Explore dozens of grant programs to obtain college grants to which apply to you.
• Fill out applications for more than one grant.
• Start applying at the beginning of the year.
• Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Keep a solid 3.0 grade point average (GPA).
• Think positive.

Students still in high school are encouraged to start planning to attend college right at the start. A number of eligibility requirements for college grant money are based off of high school courses taken, Grades, and extracurricular activities (including athletics). Students who plan early on are most likely to collect college grants.

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