Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Undergraduate

Academic Competitiveness Grant

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is intended to encourage, respectively, rigorous academic study in high school. Accordingly, the eligibility criteria relate to those goals.
These grants differ from other Title IV aid. A student may receive only two ACG awards, one for the first and the second academic years. ACG has a set value: an ACG is $750 for the first year and $1,300 for the second year.

These amounts may only be reduced in limited circumstances. Do not confuse the eligibility criteria: rigorous program of secondary school study only applies to the two years of ACG.

To receive an ACG, students must: —be U.S. citizens (unlike with other FSA programs, they cannot be noncitizens); —receive a Pell grant for the same award year; —be enrolled full time in an associate’s, bachelor’s, or combined undergraduate/graduate (if it includes at least three years of undergraduate education) degree program or in a two-academic-year program acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor’s degree; —be enrolled in the first or second academic year of a program of study at an eligible two-year or four-year degree-granting institution; —have successfully completed a rigorous secondary school program of study and graduated after January 1, 2006, for first-year students —and after January 1, 2005, for second-year students; and if first-year students, not have been enrolled while still in high school as regular students in an ACG-eligible college program, or if second-year students, have successfully completed their first year and have a cumulative GPA* of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Rigorous secondary school program of study

For qualifying for an ACG, any one of the following programs meet the “rigorous secondary school program of study” requirement: Rigorous secondary school programs designated by state education agencies (SEAs) and state-authorized local education agencies (LEAs) and recognized by the Secretary of Education. Advanced or honors secondary school programs established by states and in existence for the 2004-05 or 2005-06 school year. Secondary school programs identified by a state-level partnership recognized by the State Scholars Initiative of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) of Boulder, Colorado. A program for a student who completes at least two courses in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program with a score of four or higher on the course examinations or at least two Advanced Placement (AP) courses with a score of three or higher on the College Board’s exams for those courses. A secondary school program in which a student completes, at minimum: four years of English; three years of math, including algebra I and a higher level class such as algebra II, geometry, or data analysis and statistics; three years of science, including one year each of at least two of the following courses: biology, chemistry, and physics; three years of social studies; and one year of a language other than English. Other considerations A student must have successfully completed and graduated from one of the above types of program. Successful completion means fulfilling the requirements of the program, such as passing all of the designated coursework. Neither a general education development (GED) This eligibility is checked one time only, at the end of the first academic year. Subsequent changes to the student’s GPA do not affect ACG eligibility for the second year. The grades for all the hours in the payment period in which a student completes the first academic year are included when computing this GPA, even if the student surpassed the number of hours that defines the school’s academic year.

National Smart (National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent) Grant

The ACG and National SMART Grant programs are intended to encourage, respectively, rigorous academic study in high school and enrollment in college majors in the physical, life, and computer sciences; engineering; technology; mathematics; and certain foreign languages. Accordingly, the eligibility criteria relate to those goals.

These grants differ from other Title IV aid. A student may receive only two ACG awards, one for the first and the second academic years,* and only two National SMART Grant awards, one for the third and the fourth academic years. Also, both grants have a set value: an ACG is $750 for the first year and $1300 for the second year; a National SMART grant is $4000 for each of the third and fourth years.

These amounts may only be reduced in limited circumstances: if a school needs to avoid overawarding a student or if there is a nationwide ratable reduction because there are insufficient funds for all eligible students in a given award year. If there is a ratable reduction, the Department expects to announce it well in advance of the award year.

Do not confuse the eligibility criteria between the two grants: rigorous program of secondary school study only applies to the two years of ACG, and eligible postsecondary school major only applies to the two years of SMART.

National SMART Grant Eligibility

To be eligible for the National SMART Grant, students must:

  • Be U.S. citizens (unlike with other FSA programs, they cannot be noncitizens);
  • Receive a Pell grant for the same award year;
  • Be enrolled full time in a bachelor’s or combined undergraduate/graduate (if it includes at least three academic years of undergraduate education) degree program;
  • Be enrolled in the third or fourth academic year of their program of study at an eligible four-year degree-granting institution;
  • If third-year students, have successfully completed the second year, or if fourth-year students, have successfully completed the third year;
  • Have a cumulative GPA* of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the courses for their program (not only those in the major); and
  • Be majoring in physical, life or computer science, engineering, mathematics, technology, or a critical foreign language.

College programs of study are categorized according to their Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. These codes accompany the list of majors eligible for National SMART grants. This list will be reviewed each year, and any update will appear on Department websites.

OHLAP-Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program

This is a scholarship for Oklahoma residents attending Oklahoma colleges and universities. It is a program that a family must sign up for while the student is in the 8th, 9th, or 10th grade, and there are specific income, academic, and conduct requirements to receive the scholarship. For information on this award, contact the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education at 800-858-1840

Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG)

This grant is awarded up to $1,300 per year to eligible students. It is awarded based on financial need to residents of the state of Oklahoma who are attending colleges or universities within the state. To be eligible, it is important to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by April 30, but OKWU recommends filing by March 31. Grant eligibility and policy are determined by a state agency and not by the institution.

Pell Grant

For the 2009 – 2010 school year, this $486 – $5,350 federal grant is awarded to students who demonstrate financial need and qualify for the grant by filing the FAFSA.

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

This federal grant supplements the Pell Grant and is given to students with the high financial need. For the 2008 – 2009 school year, the grants at Oklahoma Wesleyan University range from $400 to $2,000 annually.