34 C.F.R. Subpart F—Determination of Awards
Title 34 - Education
(a) Submission process. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, an institution must disburse an ACG or a National SMART Grant to a student who is eligible under §691.15 and is otherwise qualified to receive that disbursement and electronically transmit disbursement data to the Secretary for that student if— (i) The student submits a valid SAR to the institution; or (ii) The institution obtains a valid ISIR for the student. (2) In determining a student's eligibility to receive a grant under this part, an institution is entitled to assume that the SAR information or ISIR information is accurate and complete except under the conditions set forth in 34 CFR 668.16(f) and 668.60. (b) Student Aid Report or Institutional Student Information Record deadline. Except as provided in the verification provisions of 34 CFR 668.60 and the late disbursement provisions of 34 CFR 668.164(g) of this chapter, for a student to receive a grant under this part in an award year, the student must submit the relevant parts of the valid SAR to his or her institution or the institution must obtain a valid ISIR by the earlier of— (1) The last date that the student is still enrolled and eligible for payment at that institution; or (2) By the deadline date established by the Secretary through publication of a notice in the (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a–1) (a)(1) For each award year, the Secretary establishes and announces the ACG and National SMART Grant Scheduled Awards depending on the availability of funds for all students who are eligible for a grant under §691.15. (2) The Secretary may revise the ACG and National SMART Grant Scheduled Awards in an award year depending on the availability of funds for all students who are eligible for a grant under §691.15. (b)(1) The maximum ACG Scheduled Award for an eligible student may be up to— (i) $750 for the first academic year of the student's eligible program; and (ii) $1,300 for the second academic year of the student's eligible program. (2) The maximum National SMART Grant Scheduled Award for an eligible student may be up to $4,000 for each of the third and fourth academic years of the student's eligible program. (c) The amount of a student's grant under this part for an academic year, in combination with the student's EFC and other student financial assistance available to the student, including the student's Federal Pell Grant, may not exceed the student's cost of attendance. Other student financial assistance is estimated financial assistance as defined in 34 CFR 673.5(c), 682.200(b), and 685.102(b). (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a–1) (a)(1) Programs using standard terms with at least 30 weeks of instructional time. A student's payment for a payment period is calculated under paragraphs (b) or (d) of this section if— (i) The student is enrolled in an eligible program that— (A) Measures progress in credit hours; (B) Is offered in semesters, trimesters, or quarters; (C) Requires the student to enroll for at least 12 credit hours in each term in the award year to qualify as a full-time student; and (D) Is not offered with overlapping terms; and (ii) The institution offering the program— (A) Provides the program using an academic calendar that includes two semesters or trimesters in the fall through the following spring, or three quarters in the fall, winter, and spring; and (B) Provides at least 30 weeks of instructional time in the terms specified in paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(A) of this section. (2) Programs using standard terms with less than 30 weeks of instructional time. A student's payment for a payment period is calculated under paragraph (c) or (d) of this section if— (i) The student is enrolled in an eligible program that— (A) Measures progress in credit hours; (B) Is offered in semesters, trimesters, or quarters; (C) Requires the student to enroll in at least 12 credit hours in each term in the award year to qualify as a full-time student; and (D) Is not offered with overlapping terms; and (ii) The institution offering the program— (A) Provides the program using an academic calendar that includes two semesters or trimesters in the fall through the following spring, or three quarters in the fall, winter, and spring; and (B) Does not provide at least 30 weeks of instructional time in the terms specified in paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A) of this section. (3) Other programs using terms and credit hours. A student's payment for a payment period is calculated under paragraph (d) of this section if the student is enrolled in an eligible program that— (i) Measures progress in credit hours; and (ii) Is offered in academic terms other than those described in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section. (4) Programs not using terms or using clock hours. A student's payment for any payment period is calculated under paragraph (e) of this section if the student is enrolled in an eligible program that— (i) Is offered in credit hours but is not offered in academic terms; or (ii) Is offered in clock hours. (5) Programs for which an exception to the academic year definition has been granted under 34 CFR 668.3. If an institution receives a waiver from the Secretary of the 30 weeks of instructional time requirement under 34 CFR 668.3, an institution may calculate a student's payment for a payment period using the following methodologies: (i) If the program is offered in terms and credit hours, the institution uses the methodology in— (A) Paragraph (b) of this section provided that the program meets all the criteria in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, except that in lieu of paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(B) of this section, the program provides at least the same number of weeks of instructional time in the terms specified in paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(A) of this section as are in the program's academic year; or (B) Paragraph (d) of this section. (ii) The institution uses the methodology described in paragraph (e) of this section if the program is offered in credit hours without terms or clock hours. (b) Programs using standard terms with at least 30 weeks of instructional time. The payment for a payment period, i.e., an academic term, for a student in a program using standard terms with at least 30 weeks of instructional time in two semesters or trimesters or in three quarters as described in paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(A) of this section, is calculated by— (1) Confirming his or her full-time enrollment status for the term; (2) Determining his or her ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award; and (3) Dividing the amount described under paragraph (b)(2) of this section by— (i) Two at institutions using semesters or trimesters or three at institutions using quarters; or (ii) The number of terms over which the institution chooses to distribute the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award if— (A) An institution chooses to distribute all of the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award determined under paragraph (b)(2) of this section over more than two terms at institutions using semesters or trimesters or more than three quarters at institutions using quarters; and (B) The number of weeks of instructional time in the terms, including the additional term or terms, equals the weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year. (c) Programs using standard terms with less than 30 weeks of instructional time. The payment for a payment period, i.e., an academic term, for a student in a program using standard terms with less than 30 weeks of instructional time in two semesters or trimesters or in three quarters as described in paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A) of this section, is calculated by— (1) Confirming his or her full-time enrollment status for the term; (2) Determining his or her ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award; (3) Multiplying his or her ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award determined under paragraph (c)(2) of this section by the following fraction as applicable: In a program using semesters or trimesters— ; or In a program using quarters— ; and (4)(i) Dividing the amount determined under paragraph (c)(3) of this section by two for programs using semesters or trimesters or three for programs using quarters; or (ii) Dividing the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award determined under paragraph (c)(2) of this section by the number of terms over which the institution chooses to distribute the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award if— (A) An institution chooses to distribute all of the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award determined under paragraph (c)(2) of this section over more than two terms for programs using semesters or trimesters or more than three quarters for programs using quarters; and (B) The number of weeks of instructional time in the terms, including the additional term or terms, equals the weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year definition. (d) Other programs using terms and credit hours. The payment for a payment period, i.e., an academic term, for a student in a program using terms and credit hours, other than those described in paragraphs (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section, is calculated by— (1)(i) For a student enrolled in a semester, trimester, or quarter, determining his or her full-time enrollment status for the term; or (ii) For a student enrolled in a term other than a semester, trimester, or quarter, determining his or her full-time enrollment status for the term by— (A) Dividing the number of weeks of instructional time in the term by the number of weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year; (B) Multiplying the fraction determined under paragraph (d)(1)(ii)(A) of this section by the number of credit hours in the program's academic year to determine the number of hours required to be enrolled to be considered a full-time student; and (C) Determining a student's enrollment status by comparing the number of hours in which the student enrolls in the term to the number of hours required to be considered full-time under paragraph (d)(1)(ii)(B) of this section for that term; (2) Based upon that full-time enrollment status, determining his or her ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award; and (3) Multiplying his or her ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award determined under paragraph (d)(2) of this section by the following fraction: (e) Programs using clock hours or credit hours without terms. The payment for a payment period for a student in a program using credit hours without terms or using clock hours is calculated by— (1) Determining that the student is attending at least full-time; (2) Determining the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award; (3) Multiplying the amount determined under paragraph (e)(2) of this section by the lesser of— (i) ; or (ii) One; and (4) Multiplying the amount determined under paragraph (e)(3) of this section by— (f) Maximum disbursement. A single disbursement may not exceed 50 percent of any award determined under paragraph (d) or (e) of this section. If a payment for a payment period calculated under paragraphs (d) or (e) of this section would require the disbursement of more than 50 percent of a student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award in that payment period, the institution shall make at least two disbursements to the student in that payment period. The institution may not disburse an amount that exceeds 50 percent of the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award until the student has completed the period of time in the payment period that equals, in terms of weeks of instructional time, 50 percent of the weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year. (g) Definition of academic year. For purposes of this section, an institution must define an academic year for each of its eligible programs in terms of the number of credit or clock hours and weeks of instructional time in accordance with the requirements of 34 CFR 668.3. (h) Payment period with two academic years. In a payment period, if a student is completing the remaining portion of the first academic year or second academic year for an ACG or the third academic year for a National SMART Grant Scheduled Award, the student's payment for the payment period— (1) Is from the ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award of the academic year being completed; and (2) Is calculated based on the total credit or clock hours, and, for a credit-hour program, weeks of instructional time, in the payment period. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a–1) (a) If a student enrolls in a payment period that is scheduled to occur in two award years— (1) The entire payment period must be considered to occur within one award year; (2) The institution shall determine for each ACG or National SMART Grant recipient the award year in which the payment period will be placed subject to the restrictions set forth in paragraphs (a)(3) and (a)(6) of this section; (3) The institution shall place a payment period with more than six months scheduled to occur within one award year in that award year; (4) If the institution places the payment period in the first award year, it shall pay a student with funds from the first award year; (5) If the institution places the payment period in the second award year, it shall pay a student with funds from the second award year; and (6) The institution must assign the payment period for both the ACG or National SMART Grant and the Federal Pell Grant to the same award year. (b) An institution may not make a payment that results in the student receiving more than his or her ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award for an academic year of the student's eligible program. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a–1) (a) If a student who receives a grant under this part at one institution subsequently enrolls at a second institution in the same award year, the student may receive a grant at the second institution only if— (1)(i) The student submits a valid SAR to the second institution; or (ii) The second institution obtains a valid ISIR; and (2) The student is receiving a Federal Pell Grant for the same payment period. (b) The second institution shall calculate the student's award according to §691.63. (c) The second institution may pay a grant only for that portion of the academic year of the student's eligible program in which a student is enrolled at that institution. The grant amount must be adjusted, if necessary, to ensure that the grant does not exceed the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award for that academic year. (d) If a student transfers between award years and the student's ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award at the second institution differs from the ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award at the first institution for that academic year of the student's eligible program, the grant amount at the second institution is calculated as follows— (1) The amount received at the first institution is compared to the ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award at the first institution to determine the percentage of the ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award that the student has received. (2) That percentage is subtracted from 100 percent. (3) The remaining percentage is the percentage of the ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award at the second institution to which the student is entitled. (e) The student's ACG or National SMART Grant payment for each payment period is calculated according to the procedures in §691.63 unless the remaining percentage of the ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award at the second institution, referred to in paragraph (d)(3) of this section, is less than the amount the student would normally receive for that payment period. In that case, the student's payment is equal to that remaining percentage. (f) A transfer student shall repay any amount received that exceeds his or her ACG or National SMART Grant Scheduled Award for an academic year in accordance with §691.79. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a–1)
Title 34: Education
PART 691—ACADEMIC COMPETITIVENESS GRANT (ACG) AND NATIONAL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS ACCESS TO RETAIN TALENT GRANT (NATIONAL SMART GRANT) PROGRAMS
Subpart F—Determination of Awards
§ 691.61 Submission process and deadline for a Student Aid Report or Institutional Student Information Record.
§ 691.62 Calculation of a grant.
§ 691.63 Calculation of a grant for a payment period.
§ 691.64 Calculation of a grant for a payment period which occurs in two award years.
§ 691.65 Transfer student: Attendance at more than one institution during an academic year.
