C.U. Boulder Office of Financial Aid

Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)

The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 created the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (National SMART Grant) Programs. For more background information on these programs, please see http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/ac-smart.html.

To be eligible for the ACG, a student must:

Be a U.S. Citizen
Be receiving a Federal Pell Grant
Be a first or second year undergraduate student
Have completed a rigorous high school program of study after January 1, 2006 for first year (0-29 hours) students, and January 1, 2005 for second year (30-59 hours) students.
Second year students must have a 3.0 GPA by the beginning of their second year
Be enrolled full-time in a two or four year degree program

To have completed a rigorous high school program, you must meet one of the following definitions:

Colorado Higher Education Admission Requirements (HEAR)

A student must have completed and passed all of the following high school courses:

Four years of English
Three years of math (at the Algebra I level or higher)
Three years of natural and physical science (of which two must be lab based)
Three years of Social Studies
Two years of academic electives (such as foreign languages, music, theatre, or additional other academic courses)

Eligible AP/IB Exam Score

Completion of two or more Advanced Placement (AP) courses with a score of three or better on at least two AP exams for the courses completed. Or, completion of two or more International Baccalaureate (IB) courses with a score of four or better on at least two IB exams for the courses completed.

Eligible High School Coursework

A student must have completed and passed all of the following high school courses:

Four years of English
Three years of math (including Algebra I and a higher level math class such as Algebra II, Geometry, or Data Analysis and Statistics)
Three years of Social Studies
Three years of Science (including at least one year each of two of the following: Biology, Chemistry, or Physics)
One year of a foreign language other than English.

Each state has a recognized rigorous program. For a list of programs see http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/about/ac-smart/state-programs.html.

Award Amounts

While eligibility for this grant is tied to Federal Pell Grant eligibility, grant amounts are not tied to the amount of Pell Grant received. Eligible first-year students will be awarded up to $750 for the academic year and second-year students can receive up to $1,300 for the academic year. Students can receive funding for a total of two years under the ACG program. If the number of students eligible for the Academic Competitiveness Grant exceed the amount of funds that the federal government has allocated nationwide, grant amounts may be reduced by the Federal Department of Education, even after they have been awarded by the university.

Our office identifies students eligible for the ACG and awards funds accordingly. If you think you should receive the ACG and have not, please fill out a petition and return it to our office.