University of the State of New York, State Education Department.

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Joseph Frey, Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education

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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234
Deputy Commissioner Office of Higher Education Office of the Professions

To:	Presidents and CEOs of Colleges and Universities in New York State
From:	Johanna Duncan-Poitier
Date:	June 1, 2006
RE:	CEO Memo # 06-02: Additional Student Financial Assistance Available Through Two New U.S. Department of Education Grant Programs
	CEO Memo # 06-02: Additional Student Financial Assistance Available Through Two New U.S. Department of Education Grant Programs PDF Format

I am pleased to share with you information on two new grant programs available through the United States Department of Education that will provide additional financial assistance to qualified, Pell-eligible students in your colleges and universities. The Academic Competitiveness (AC) Grant Program and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART) are being offered, beginning in the 2006-07 academic year, to help prepare students to be leaders in a global future and to encourage students to pursue careers and opportunities in mathematics, science, engineering, technology, computer science, and in high-need foreign languages.

Academic Competitiveness (AC) Grant Program

Beginning in 2006-07, qualifying students who have completed rigorous secondary school programs and are eligible for federal Pell grants can receive an AC grant for up to $750 for the first year of study and up to $1,300 for the second academic year of study. According to the U.S. Education Department, to be eligible for the grant, each academic year, a student must:

Be a U.S. citizen;

Be a Federal Pell Grant recipient;

Be enrolled full-time in a degree program;

Be enrolled in the first or second academic year of the student’s program of study at a two-year or four-year degree-granting institution;

Have completed a rigorous secondary school program of study (after January 1, 2006, if a first-year student, and after January 1, 2005, if a second-year student);

If a first-year student, not have been previously enrolled in an undergraduate

program; and

If a second-year student, have at least a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale (as set forth in regulations to be promulgated soon) for the first academic year.

Additional information on what qualifies as rigorous secondary school programs for New York State students is attached for your information.

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

Beginning in 2006-07, qualifying, Pell-eligible third and fourth year students with majors in mathematics, science, engineering, technology, computer science, and high-need foreign languages can receive a National SMART grant for up to $4,000 for each of the third and fourth academic years of study. To be eligible for each academic year, a student must:

Be a U.S. citizen;

Be a Federal Pell Grant recipient;

Be enrolled full-time in a degree program;

Be enrolled in a four-year degree-granting institution;

Major in physical, life or computer science, engineering, mathematics, technology, or a critical foreign language; and

Have at least a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale (as set forth in regulations to be promulgated soon).

Additional information on both grant programs, including a message from Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, is available on the U.S. Department of Education’s Web site at http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/guid/secletter/060502.html .

Looking ahead, we must work together to prepare our students to keep up with growing demands for more knowledge and skill in the face of increasing competition in a changing global economy. These two new U.S. Department of Education grants will support this important work. Both the Academic Competitiveness Grant Program and the National SMART grant are consistent with the priorities in the Regents Statewide Plan for Higher Education 2004-2012 (http://www.highered.nysed.gov/) and the Regents Call to Action (http://usny.nysed.gov/summit/index.html).

Thank you for your commitment to helping to prepare all students to succeed in a global future and to keeping New York State on track as a world leader in higher education. I hope you will share this important information with financial aid advisors and others in your colleges and universities. If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to call me at (518) 474-3862 or e-mail me at hedepcom@mail.nysed.gov .

Attachment

Academic Competitiveness Grants

in New York State

The U.S. Department of Education (USED) has released information on the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) Program as included in the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA). These grants are available to certain Pell-eligible college students starting with the 2006-07 academic year. Secretary Margaret Spelling’s May 2, 2006 explanatory letter and informational attachment, which provide eligibility details and definitions of recognized rigorous secondary school programs of study, are available at

http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/guid/secletter/060502.html .

USED has provided options for a student to qualify as eligible for an Academic Competitiveness Grant. Students must also meet general Pell grant requirements:

Option 1: New York State students who receive a Regents diploma with honors or a Regents diploma with advanced designation would be eligible. USED has recognized the New York Regents diploma with honors and the Regents diploma with advanced designation as "rigorous secondary school programs of study for the Academic Competitiveness Grant program in 2006-07 and 2007-08".

Option 2: The State Scholars Initiative requirements. Students who participate in and complete the State Scholars program will be eligible. This program is not currently offered in New York State.

Option 3: A required set of courses similar to the State Scholars Initiative. This program of study includes four years of English, three years of Math (including Algebra I and a higher level course such as Algebra II, Geometry, or Data Analysis and Statistics), three years of science (including at least two courses from biology, chemistry or physics), three years of social studies, and one year of a foreign language. The program of study must be completed with passing grades.

Option 4: Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses and test scores. This program requires a minimum of two Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in high school and a minimum passing score on the exams for those classes. Students must score 3 or higher on AP exams and 4 or higher on IB exams.

In addition to the options listed above the USED recently issued the following guidance regarding the eligibility of dually enrolled students:

Question: In establishing the ACG program, Congress restricted eligibility for students to receive a first year ACG grant to a student who "has not been previously enrolled in a program of undergraduate education" (see §401A(c)(3)(A)(ii) of the Higher Education Act. (HEA)). Does a student who participated in a dual enrollment program, where the student took college level classes while still enrolled in high school, meet the condition of "has not been previously enrolled in a program of undergraduate education" and therefore qualify as eligible for an ACG?

USED Response: This restriction does not apply where a student enrolled in one or more college level undergraduate courses while still in high school, as long as the student was not admitted into a formal program of study at the postsecondary education institution. Under the Federal student aid programs, a formal program of study is defined as one that leads to a degree, certificate or other postsecondary education credential. The term used by the Department and by most institutional financial aid administrators to identify the status of this type of student is as a "regular student" of the postsecondary education institution.

In general, we would not consider a student who attends a postsecondary education institution to complete his or her high school diploma requirements to have been enrolled as a "regular student" at the postsecondary institution. Most dual enrollment students are not admitted as "regular students" enrolled in a program of study to obtain a degree, certificate or other postsecondary education credential. Those students are not disqualified from eligibility for Academic Competitiveness Grants simply by virtue of their participation in dual enrollment programs.

Eligible for First-Year ACG

Not Eligible for First-Year ACG

A student who, while in high school:

• took one or more undergraduate courses BUT

• was not formally admitted as a "regular student" by the postsecondary education institution.

A "regular student" is one who "is enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an institution for the purpose of obtaining a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential offered by that institution." 34 CFR §600.2.

A student who, while in high school:

• had been formally admitted as a "regular student" by the postsecondary education institution.

Public schools awarding Regents diplomas with honors, Regents diplomas with advanced designation, or Regents diplomas with advanced designation with honors keep permanent records of their high school graduates and can provide documentation for a student when needed, if the student’s diploma or official transcript does not denote the diploma granted.

Nonpublic school students may exercise eligibility Option 1 if the high school is registered by the Department. Home-schooled children may be eligible under Option 4. Students in the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) at independent colleges and universities, the Education Opportunity Program (EOP) at SUNY, or the College Discovery (CD) program and the Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge (SEEK) program at CUNY may also be eligible under the above options.

http://www.highered.nysed.gov/page name here