Students Guide to the ACG Program
The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) was introduced in February 2006 after Congress passed the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005. The purpose of the grant is to provide financial assistance to academically competent undergraduate students in their first and second years of study. Awards are distributed to eligible students in addition to the Federal Pell Grant.

How the ACG Program is Awarded

Funding from the Academic Competitiveness Grant Program is awarded at two different levels and is available to first and second year undergraduate students.

  • Freshman (first year) undergraduate students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2006, in their first year of study can receive a grant of up to $750. The award is often distributed as three small grants of $250 over a period of three terms.
  • Sophomore (second year) undergraduate students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2005 can receive a grant of up to $1,300 in their second year of study.

The maximum level of award is provided to students who demonstrate significant financial aid.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Academic Competitiveness Grant, students must meet the following criteria:

  • Firstly students must be U.S. citizens or an eligible non-citizen
  • Must be eligible and in a recipient of the Federal Pell Grant
  • Applicants must be enrolled as undergraduate freshmen or sophomore students in a certificate program or degree program of at least one year long and be,attending a minimum of half-time at a two or four year degree granting school, college or university.

First-year students must not have been enrolled in an ACG-eligible program while at or below the age of compulsory school attendance and second-year students must have at least a cumulative 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale as of the end of the first year of undergraduate study.

Factors that Affect the Level of Award Amounts

Students who receive the ACG award must be in receipt of the Federal Pell Grant. However when both college grants are combined, they must not exceed the students annual cost of attendance. If this is the case, the level of ACG will be reduced accordingly.

Additionally, as the level of funding is for the ACG is budgeted annually, if the number of eligible students is large enough to be unable to award each individual student the full amount in any fiscal year, the amount of grant awarded to each eligible student will be reduced accordingly.

Applying for the ACG

Students can apply for the Academic Competitiveness Grant by completing a FAFSA and answering the ACG questions of the application. Based on the information student provide on the FAFSA, the United States Department of Education will assess your eligibility which will be documented on your Federal Student Aid Report (SAR).