Academic Competitiveness Grant

An eligible student may receive an Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) of $750 for the first academic year of study and $1,300 for the second academic year of study. To be eligible for each academic year, a student must:

Be a U.S. citizen;
Be a Federal Pell Grant recipient;
Be enrolled full-time (12 hours) in a degree program;
Be enrolled in the first or second academic year of his or her program of study at a two-year or four-year degree-granting institution;
Be a first-year student who has not been previously enrolled in an undergraduate program;
Be a second-year student with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; AND…
Have completed a rigorous high school program of study (after January 1, 2006, if a first-year student, and after January 1, 2005, if a second-year student)

The U.S. Department of Education has provided the definition of high school programs that are recognized as rigorous in the state of Georgia. These programs include:

The Georgia College Preparatory with Distinction Diploma

Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and test scores. This program requires a minimum of two Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in high school and a minimum passing score on the exams for those classes. Students must score 3 or higher on AP exams and 4 or higher on IB exams.

A set of courses similar to the State Scholars Initiative. This program of study requires passing grades in the following:

Four years of English;
Three years of Math (including Algebra I and a higher level course such as Algebra II, Geometry, or Data Analysis and Statistics);
Three years of science (including at least two courses from biology, chemistry or physics);
Three years of social studies; and
One year of a foreign language

Please refer to http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/about/ac-smart/state-programs06.html for information from the Department of Education regarding state by state definitions of rigorous programs of study. Students enrolled at Middle Georgia College must satisfy at least one of the above listed definitions to establish eligibility for the ACG.

Processing for the 2008-2009 award year is dependent upon a final high school transcript. Awards will be processed upon receipt. If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact the financial aid office at 478-934-3133.