Students seeking financial aid scholarships or government grants to help with the costs of attending a college or university should do research on federal grants that are available to disadvantaged students. The federal government is trying to give every student the opportunity to get a post-secondary education in order to secure a more successful future. There are several government grants that are available for those who are eligible to receive them, including the Pell Grant, AC Grant and the TEACH Grant.
Another grant that is offered by the federal government is the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant, commonly referred to as the SMART Grant. This grant is offered during the last two years of undergraduate course work to those students who are also eligible for the Pell Grant; these students are required to be majoring in relevant coursework such as physical or life sciences, mathematics, engineering or a technology field. Those pursuing a degree in a foreign language or some accepted liberal arts programs can still be eligible for this grant. Throughout the life of the grant, the student must command at least part-time student status and maintain a 3.0 or higher in addition to being a Pell Grant award recipient.
The SMART Grant provides students the possibility to earn up to $4,000 for each year of study, although, when combined with the Pell Grant, the award cannot be more than attendance costs. If it happens that more students are awarded the grant than is fiscally possible to award maximum amounts, the amount given to each recipient may be decreased according to the number of students gaining the award.
In order to be eligible for the SMART Grant, the potential student must be a U.S. citizen or eligible otherwise and also be awarded the Pell Grant for that same award year. Students must maintain a part time status at least, and be in the last two years of study. The student must be pursuing a major in the relevant coursework that is mentioned above and keep a steady GPA that must not fall lower than a 3.0 for the life of the grant. GPA is constantly monitored and is checked for consistency before each new award year.