Office of Student Aid : Aid Programs : Grants : Federal Pell Grant : National SMART Grant

The National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant) is available during the third and fourth years of undergraduate study to students who meet the following criteria. This grant is in addition to the Federal Pell Grant and is designed to encourage students to pursue specific college majors.

Eligibility Requirements

A recipient must:

• Be a Federal Pell Grant recipient.
• Be enrolled and remain at a minimum of 6 credits per semester in a degree program at a four-year degree-granting institution. Dropping credits during a semester will result in adjustment to the SMART Grant for that semester.
• Enroll in specific majors such as science, mathematics, technology, engineering, and critical foreign languages.
• Maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale in course work required for his or her major and degree.
• Meet all other federal student financial aid eligibility requirements. Please review your rights and responsibilities.

Award Value

• $4,000 toward each of the third and fourth years of undergraduate study.
  • Third-year eligibility is defined as a minimum of 59.1 to less than 91.1 credits attained.
  • Fourth-year eligibility is defined as a minimum of 91.1 to less than 123.1 credits attained.

Application

Students apply for the National SMART Grant by completing and submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Penn State's Office of Student Aid determines eligibility by comparing NCES CIP codes assigned by colleges to all Penn State majors to the list of eligible NCES CIP codes listed in the list of specific majors and notifies eligible students of their awards.