Clatsop Community College
For Immediate Release: July 12, 2006
Contact: Nadine Faith, 338-2306; nfaith@clatsopcc.edu

New Federal Grant Rewards Academic Achievement

A new federal grant, the Academic Competitiveness Grant, provides students with up to $1,300 in additional aid to attend college. By awarding students for academic perseverance, the new grant mirrors Clatsop Community College’s own academic success program.

The purpose of the Academic Competitiveness Grant is to encourage students in need to enter fields of study in math, sciences and foreign languages and to encourage students to complete their degrees in four years.

To qualify for the $750 grant, first year students must have graduated from high school after January 1, 2006, be US citizens, be admitted to a two or four year degree program for the first time, and enrolled full time. First year students are also required to have met rigorous academic standards while in high school, including four years of English, three years each of math, science and social studies and one year of foreign language, and be Pell Grant eligible.

To receive the grant for the 2006-2007 academic school year, second year students must have graduated from high school after January 1, 2005. They must also be US citizens who have completed 36-72 credits toward a two year or four year degree with a 3.0 GPA or better, be Pell eligible and enrolled full time.

Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, second year students will qualify by having received a first year grant and maintaining a 3.0 GPA with a minimum of 36 credits completed in their first year. Second year students receive $1,300 for the year.
Third and fourth year students qualify by being admitted to a specifically identified degree program and maintaining a 3.0 GPA. These grants are for $4,000 a year.

Similar to the new federal grant, CCC’s own Success Grant also works to reward students for maintaining continuous high academic standards while attending college. Now in its second year, the grant offers a maximum of $300 per term to all first-time freshmen starting at Clatsop during the 2006-2007 academic year. The grant is renewable for the following five terms as long as students achieve a cumulative 2.75 GPA each term. Students could receive up to $2,800 over a two year period from this grant.

For more information about the new federal Academic Competitiveness Grant, the Clatsop Community College Success Grant or other types of financial aid, contact Sharon Boring at (503) 338-2412.