05.07.08 | Changes to ACG and SMART Grants
Via NASFAA:
As amended by the Senate, HR 5175 makes the following changes::
* Directs all savings generated by the bill into the ACG and SMART Grant programs
* Adds a fifth year to SMART Grant eligibility for programs that require five years
* Allows students attending at least half time to qualify for ACG and SMART Grants and requires proration based on Pell Grant methodology for less than full-time attendance
* Allows eligible non-citizens (e.g. permanent residents) to qualify for ACG and SMART Grants
* Changes “academic year” to simply “year” for purposes of progression through grant levels, but did not include companion amendment recommended by NASFAA that would have allowed students who are classified as second year based solely on AP or IB coursework to be considered to have met the second year 3.0 GPA requirement
* Allows students who are enrolled in an institution that offers a single baccalaureate-level liberal arts curriculum that permits no subject area major, but who are taking coursework in an area equivalent to a SMART-eligible major at other bachelor degree-granting institutions, to qualify for SMART Grant eligibility
* Extends first-year ACG eligibility to students enrolled in at least a one-year certificate program and extends second-year ACG to students enrolled in at least a two-year certificate program. In both cases the certificate must be offered by a degree-granting institution
* Appears to remove some of the Secretary’s authority to define “rigorous secondary school program of study,” permitting only states to designate such programs. This amendment may further restrict what is currently considered a rigorous program
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