Federal Grants

Grants are considered gift aid and do not have to be repaid.  Most grant aid is based on some type of need-based eligibility requirement; therefore, you must complete the FAFSA to apply for most grants. Although grants are a very desirable source of financial aid, the availability of grants is generally limited to the neediest students. Below are the grants available from the federal government.

Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants are awarded based upon the analysis of the FAFSA, cost-of-attendance, and enrollment status (full-time or part-time).  Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's degree or professional degree.  Pell Grants often provide a foundation of financial aid to which other aid is added for the neediest students.

The United States Department of Education uses a standardized formula, established by Congress called the Federal Needs Analysis Methodology, to evaluate the information you report on the FAFSA.  The formula produces an Expected Family Contribution (EFC).  The EFC number can range from zero to 99,999 or higher.  Your Student Aid Report (SAR) contains this number and will tell you if you are eligible for a Pell Grant.  You can get a booklet called the EFC Formula Book, which describes how a student's EFC is calculated, by writing to:

Federal Student Aid Programs
P.O. Box 84
Washington, DC 20044

The maximum Pell Grant for 2009-2010 is $5350 if you have a zero EFC.  The maximum Pell Award can change each year based upon Congressional funding levels.  However, if you are eligible for a Pell Grant based upon your EFC number, you are guaranteed to receive it.  For the 2009-2010 school year, full-time students with an EFC from zero to 4617 qualify for some Pell Grant.  Those with EFCs of 4618 or greater are not eligible for a Pell Grant, but could be eligible for other types of aid.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

The Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG) is for undergraduate students with exceptional financial need.  Preference is given to Pell Grant recipients with a zero EFC.

Academic Competitiveness Grant

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is available for first year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2006, and for second year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2005. The Academic Competitiveness Grant award is in addition to the student's Pell Grant award. 

The ACG will provide up to $750 for the first year of undergraduate study and up to $1,300 for the second year of undergraduate study to full-time students who are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant and who successfully completed a rigorous high school program. Second year students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0.

Contact Gina Bradley at 740-351-3485 to determine if you are eligible for ACG. 

National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant)

The National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant, also known as the National SMART Grant is available during the third and fourth years of undergraduate study to full-time students who are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant and who are majoring in physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, or engineering or in a foreign language determined critical to national security. The student must also have maintained a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 in coursework required for the major. The National SMART Grant award is in addition to the student's Pell Grant award.

A National SMART Grant will provide up to $4,000 for each of the third and fourth years of undergraduate study to full-time students who are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant and who are majoring in physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, or engineering or in a foreign language determined critical to national security.

Contact the Gina Bradley at 740-351-3485 to determine if you are eligible for the National SMART Grant.

Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant

The new Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year in grants for graduate and undergraduate students who intend to teach full-time in high-need subject areas at schools that serve low-income families for at least four academic years within eight years.

 Award

• Undergraduate study: up to $4,000 per year for first baccalaureate to a maximum of $16,000
• Post-baccalaureate study: up to $4,000 per year for first post-baccalaureate teacher certification program, up to remaining balance of undergraduate maximum
• Graduate study: up to $4,000 per year for a Master’s degree to a maximum of $8,000

Students that do not complete their four year teaching obligation will have to repay the TEACH Grants as if they were a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accruing from the time the grant was disbursed.

Student Eligibility Requirements 

To receive a TEACH Grant you must: 

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
• Be enrolled in a program of study designated as TEACH Grant-eligible.  Eligible programs are those that prepare a student to teach in a high-need area.  High need fields include:
1. Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
2. Foreign Language
3. Mathematics
4. Reading Specialist
5. Science
6. Special Education
7. Other teacher shortage areas documented as high-need by the Federal government, a State government, or a local education agency, approved by the U.S. Department of Education, and listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing at the time you begin your teaching service.

• Complete TEACH Grant initial counseling and subsequent counseling.
• Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and respond to requests by the U.S. Department of Education confirming your continuing intention to meet the teaching obligation.
• For undergraduate programs, meet one of the following academic achievement requirements:
1. Score above the 75^th percentile on a college admissions test (e.g. SAT, ACT, GRE); or
2. Graduate from high school with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) to receive a grant as a freshman; or
3. Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) through the most recent payment period on your college coursework to receive a grant for each subsequent term.

Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay

IMPORTANT REMINDER

If you receive a TEACH Grant but do not complete the required teaching service, as explained above, you will be required to repay the grants as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement. Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

If you are interested in learning more about the TEACH Grant Program, please contact Gina Bradley at 740-351-3485 or visit the the Department of Education's website.