Federal Student Aid - IFAP
   

Publication Date: June 20, 2008

DCL ID:  GEN-08-09

Subject: National SMART Grant Program - List of Eligible Majors for Academic Year 2008-2009


Summary: This letter provides the list of academic majors eligible for the National SMART Grant Program for the 2008-2009 award year.


Posted on 06-20-2008


Dear Colleague:

The final regulations for the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant) Program, published on October 29, 2007, provided a mechanism for institutions of higher education to request that additional majors be designated as eligible majors for which otherwise eligible students could receive a National SMART Grant. Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) GEN-08-02, published February 6, 2008, invited institutions of higher education to submit requests for additional majors to be designated as eligible majors for the National SMART Grant Program for the 2008-2009 award year. In response to DCL GEN-08-02, institutions submitted 33 requests for additional eligible majors. The 33 requests proposed that 26 new majors be included. Two requests were for majors already on the list of eligible majors: CIP code 11.0101, Computer and Information Sciences, General and CIP code 30.1901, Nutrition Science.

Under §401A(c)(3)(C)(i) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, an otherwise eligible student must pursue a major in the physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, or engineering or a critical foreign language to be eligible for a National SMART Grant. Because none of the requested additional majors fulfill this statutory requirement, no additional majors will be designated as eligible majors in the National SMART Grant Program for the 2008-2009 award year. Rather, the current list of eligible academic majors as published in DCL GEN-07-06 will carry over to the 2008-2009 award year. The complete list of eligible majors for award year 2008-2009 is provided as an attachment to this letter.

Thank you once again for all your support and assistance in awarding National SMART Grants to eligible students. If you have any questions regarding eligible majors, please contact Sophia McArdle at 202-219-7078 or by e-mail at sophia.mcardle@ed.gov.

Sincerely,


Vince Sampson
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Office of Postsecondary Education


Attachments/Enclosures:

GEN-08-09: National SMART Grant Program - List of Eligible Majors for Academic Year 2008-2009 in PDF Format, 552KB, 18 pages