Gov. Rounds Urges Students to Apply for New Grants
Gov. Rounds URGES STUDENTS TO APPLY FOR NEW GRANTS
Students should apply at www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov
PIERRE, S.D.Gov. Mike Rounds today urged qualified Pell Grant-eligible students in South Dakota to apply for new grants worth between $750 and $4,000 that will help make college more affordable. The new Academic Competitiveness (AC) grants and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) grants provide $790 million in funding this fall and $4.5 billion over the next five years.
A federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. In the 2006-07 school years, college freshmen are the only students who qualify.
"In South Dakota, our strategy is to encourage students to get very serious about college while still in high school," Gov. Rounds said. "Both the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship and the state's new high school graduation standards have put the right emphasis on taking rigorous high school courses to better prepare yourself for higher education.
"These new federal grants will reward college students who excelled, while helping to make higher education more affordable," said Gov. Rounds. "These grants will encourage academic excellence and make careers in science and math more attractive. I urge every student to look at the Web site and check their availability as soon as possible."
There are two options for students from South Dakota to qualify for Academic Competitiveness grants in the 2006-07 school year:
* Take a set of courses in high school, with passing grades, in the following areas:
o Four years of English;
o Three years of math (including Algebra I and a higher-level course, such as Algebra II, Geometry, or Data Analysis and Statistics);
o Three years of science (including at least two courses from biology, chemistry, or physics);
o Three years of social studies; and
o One year of a foreign language.
* Take Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and earn certain 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.
http://www.state.sd.us/governor/