The country has planned to extend several financial aids to meritorious students. One of those aids is the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant or simply SMART Grant. The grant is accessed to students desirous of pursuing courses of Physical, Life, or computer sciences. The other subjects for which the grants are also allowed include Mathematics, Technology, Engineering, and others. Students pursuing a liberal arts program and foreign languages that are critical for national security may also be considered eligible for the availability of this loan. The emergence of SMART Grant The grant has been approved by the Congress in the year 2005 with the submission of a proposal by the Department of Education. The proposal expressed its aim to reward meritorious students interested in the Mathematics and Science disciplines. The other disciplines that have higher demand have also been considered. The applicant needs to fill a free application for Federal Student Aid. Such an application would assess the applicant’s eligibility for getting access to a SMART Grant. The confirmation is available through the institution where continuation of the study has been planned. The eligibility criteria for applying This scholarship is open for students who are in their third or fourth year of an undergraduate program. Fifth-year students are also eligible for an application if the course is of that duration. These students have previously been eligible for a Pell grant whereby he/she is able to demonstrate the need to qualify for such a grant. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is also necessary in order to be eligible to apply. They should have attended the classes in the eligible field of study in the year while the grant is going to be issued. The amount of the grant In the category of SMART Grant, eligible students will be provided with the aid of $4000 for each of the 3rd and 4th year of study as well as the 5th year, if it exists. The underlying criterion in this regard is that the joined sum of SMART and Pell grants will never cross the number of actual expenses for the education. The amount is subjected to alteration depending on the discretion of the department. Students may also receive fewer amounts when the number of students exceeds the planned amount. How grants work Grants and Scholarships are known as gift aid as these aids are non-repayable. Grants are need-based, and so is SMART – it is offered to learners who have established their need through qualification of the Pell grant. Merit is also a criterion in providing this particular grant as those students are chosen who have decided to pursue through specialized subjects. Students who have been eligible for a SMART grant may find themselves ineligible in the following year providing they have not enrolled in at least one course in the fields of study that are required for payment of the grant. In order to be qualified, the applicant may not be required to become major at a particular level; the majority in another discipline is sure to serve the purpose.