A Federal SMART (Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent) grant gives students $4000 a year their 3rd and 4th years of an undergraduate study. The student may not receive the grant for more than 2 years.
Not all students that are eligible for Pell Grants will be eligible for these educational grants. Based on the requirements only about 40% ofPell Grant students will be able to qualify for a federal SMART grant.
The following are the SMART grant requirements:
Be enrolled at least part-time (6 units)
Be a US citizen
Be eligible for the Pell Grant
Majoring in science, technology, engineering, or a foreign language determined to be critical by national security.
Meet standard requirements for Federal financial aid, and not be delinquent on any student loans, and meet all academic requirements.
Students must also maintain a 3.0 GPA during the course of their studies. Students must fill out a FASFA in order to apply for a SMART grant.
The amount of the SMART grant and the Pell Grant cannot exceed the students cost of attending the college. If the combination of all aid is greater than the tuition cost, the SMART Grant will replace the other financial aid. As with all grants funding is limited. So if there are a large number of eligible students, the amount awarded to each student may be greatly reduced.
When determining for the federal SMART Grant, the college or university will identify students that are enrolled in the eligible majors, and will notify each of the student s of their awards. The financial aid office will use the information provided to determine if a student meets the requirements for a third or fourth year grant. The student does not need to do anything, it happens automatically.
Smart Grant students that have already received their financial aid for the fall semester will have their aid package changed to reflect the new grant. Students will be notified of all changes to their aid via e-mail. So it is important that the student keeps an updated email address on file with the college.