SMART Grants - Educational Grants for the Student of Math, Science and Languages
Page 2

SMART Grants are not accessible for graduate students or those students that have already completed a bachelor's degree with no exceptions possible. The student must be enrolled in a four year degree program, be in either their third or the fourth year of said program and be eligible to receive a Pell Grant in the same year that they want to be considered for a SMART Grant. Students must also maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Students are required to sign a statement of educational purpose, are not allowed to owe a refund on another a Title IV grant, and cannot currently have a Title IV loan that is defaulted.

While the program itself is overseen by the Department of Education, the institution that the student is enrolled in will act as the disbursing agent. The institution calculates and pays the SMART Grants. This is done using a payment schedule developed by the Department of Education. The Department of Education will then calculate whether the student is eligible for assistance and the office the student sent the original application sent to will send the student a notification whether they were eligible for assistance. The student then delivers this received notification to the institution and will have their grant calculated from there. The funding available and the number of recipients that the institution estimates determine this payment schedule.

The total grants were $230,000,000 in 2007; approximately $260,000,000 in 2008; and approximately $270,000,000 in 2009. Depending on the need of the student and how much they are assigned, the grant received through the program can range upwards of $4000. SMART Grants assistance cannot exceed the student's actual cost of education. The average reward for students was around $3,291.

Due to recent cutbacks, there is no guarantee word yet on whether the SMART Grant will be available for students for the 2011-2012 year and onwards.


SMART Grants - Educational Grants for the Student of Math, Science and Languages
  Back to Page 1

About The Author The author edits a site featuring Grants for Education and another Government Grants site providing info on every grant the federal government offers. Michael Saunders has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Additional Resources

category - Education Grants

7 Steps Towards Choosing The Perfect College
In most instances, the problem doesn't stop with finances. Students often find it hard to choose the right school for them, pick the course that best suit their needs and abilities.

---

Teacher - Learn How To Write The Best Resume You Can
It should come as no surprise that there is a currently a shortage of teachers in the United States. This unfortunate trend has been seen for well over a decade. To compound the issue, recent labor...

---

Ethical Schools Project in Peru
The Ethical Schools Project revolves around the notion of promoting a culture of ethical behavior and civic responsibility among members of the youth, as well as teachers and parents. The project also aims to explore ways that would contribute to a reduction in corruption and other forms of illicit activities such as cocoa cultivation and illegal environmental degradation, which are both common practices in Peru.

---

Financing Your Education with Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants assist those undergraduate students enrolled in a postsecondary education that cannot afford their educational expenses without financial assistance. The grant is in place to help them meet their educational expenses to the successful completion of a postsecondary degree.

---