Review of Hidden Grades for Eligibility for Federal ACG and SMART Grants

1. Why are you requesting a copy of my hidden grades?
– You have been determined to be potentially eligible for the receipt of a Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) or National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART Grant). As part of the determination of your eligibility to receive one of these Federal grants, we must determine your GPA using the rules provided by the Federal Government. Under these rules, you must have a 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale and we must include grades (or grade equivalents) for all courses you have taken during your tenure at MIT. A grade of simply Pass or No Record does not meet this criteria, so we are obligated to ask you to provide a copy of all of your hidden grades.

2. What will happen to the hidden grades I provide SFS?
– Your grade reports will remain part of your confidential financial aid folder and will form part of your educational record at MIT. The recalculated GPA will be used solely for this purpose and will not be used in any other way or listed on institutional transcripts.

3. Who is being asked to provide copies of hidden grades?
– Under either the ACG or SMART Grant programs, the student must be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. Freshmen become eligible based on classes taken during high school. Sophomores with a cumulative GPA greater than a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale may be eligible for the ACG, and any Junior or Senior who is majoring in a field of national need (Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Technology, etc.) may be eligible for the National SMART.

4. What is the benefit if I am eligible?
– The ACG program awards $750 to eligible Freshmen and $1,300 to eligible Sophomores. The National SMART Grant awards $4,000 per year for eligible Juniors and Seniors. Since this money is subject to MIT's generous outside scholarship provisions, students who receive these grants will see their self-help (loan or work during the academic year) or their summer contributions lowered by the receipt of these funds. In other words, receipt of these funds for most students will mean that these students will need to work or borrow less over their MIT career.

5. Why can't SFS obtain my hidden grades without involving me in the process?
– Under the current policy of the Committee on the Undergraduate Program (CUP), hidden grades received during the Fall and Spring semesters of the Freshman year may only be utilized for specific purposes (see http://web.mit.edu/faculty/governance/rules/2.60.html#sec3).

6. What happens if I do not provide my hidden grades? Can I refuse to provide my hidden grades?
– Students who do not provide copies of their hidden grades will automatically be considered ineligible for the ACG and SMART Grant programs. If a student indicates that they would like to choose to remove themselves from consideration for these programs, SFS will revert the financial aid award to the original package (potentially including work and/or loan components). SFS will not replace the SMART or ACG Grants with MIT Scholarship.

7. When do I need to have this complete?
– Students should make every effort to complete the grade collection process during the first few weeks of the term. After a term is complete, students will not be able to retroactively regain eligibility for these grants, so these issues must be resolved within the academic semester.

8. Which grades to I need to turn in? Do I have to provide hidden grades for any other classes I take on P/D/F or Sophomore Exploratory status?
– The only hidden grades required to be disclosed under Federal guidance are those received during a semester in which all grades were subject to the same policy. In other words, students only have to provide hidden grades for courses taken during Fall, IAP and Spring of the Freshman year. Courses taken on Pass/Fail during other semesters do not carry a hidden grade and therefore do not need to be disclosed.

9. Who do I talk to if I have more questions?
– Feel free to speak with your financial aid officer or send an email to finaid@mit.edu if you have any further questions.