Publication Date: April 5, 2006

DCL ID: GEN-06-04

SUBJECT: Academic Competitiveness Grant and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant Programs.

SUMMARY: This letter contains information on two new grant programs created by the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA) under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

Posted on 04-05-2006

Dear Colleague:

On February 8, 2006, President Bush signed the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA), included within Pub. L. 109-171. The enclosure to this Dear Colleague Letter discusses the changes made by the HERA to the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), that created the two new grant programs identified above. A separate Dear Colleague Letter (GEN-06-02) was issued that discusses the changes made by the HERA to the provisions specifically related to the Title IV loan programs. Another Dear Colleague Letter is forthcoming and will discuss changes made to the Title IV general provisions as well as student and institutional eligibility.

The two new grant programs will make grants available to eligible students for the 2006-07 award year. The section citations in the enclosure are references to the new section of the HEA created by the HERA.

We appreciate your assistance and cooperation as we work to implement these new programs. In the coming months, we will provide further guidance on implementing the statutory changes made by the HERA. If you have any questions on the matters discussed in this letter, please contact Anthony Jones at (202) 502-7652.

Sincerely,

Attachments/Enclosures:

GEN-06-04: Academic Competitiveness Grant and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant Programs in PDF Format, 46KB, 4 pages