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TEACH Grant Program

Overview

The U.S. Department of Education’s TEACH Grant Program provides grant funds to postsecondary students who are completing or plan to complete coursework that is needed to begin a career in teaching. In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students (see below for more information on high-need fields and schools serving low-income students). As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant. Eligible full-time students may receive up to $4,000 per year in TEACH Grant funds. These amounts will be pro-rated based on actual enrollment status.

Am I Eligible?

To be eligible for the TEACH Grant, students must be enrolled in one of the following degree programs and have and maintain at least a 3.25 Cumulative GPA each semester.

Note: Only TEACH Grants for students fully accepted into their Education program will be processed (i.e. sophomore grade level and up).

How Do I Apply?

• Complete a FAFSA at
• Complete the ȺpÎÞÂë Teach Grant Application.
• Complete TEACH Grant Entrance Counseling at
• Sign and return your Financial Aid Award Letter to ȺpÎÞÂë. Your letter must indicate your acceptance of the TEACH Grant as awarded.
• Two weeks after submitting your signed award letter to the Office of Financial Aid Services, complete an Agreement to Serve (ATS) at .

Upon Graduation from ȺpÎÞÂë:

• Complete the TEACH Grant Exit Counseling form and submit to the Office of Financial Aid Services then proceed to the online .

Where can I find high-need fields and schools serving low-income students?

High-need fields are the specific areas identified below:

• Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition.
• Foreign Language.
• Mathematics.
• Reading Specialist.
• Science.
• Special Education.
• Other identified teacher shortage areas as of the time you begin teaching in that field. These are teacher subject shortage areas (not geographic areas) that are listed in the Department of Educations Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing. To access the listing, please go to .

As of July 1, 2010, a recipient of an initial TEACH Grant who has received an academic degree, or expertise, in a field that was, at the time the recipient signed the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve, designated as high-need, but no longer has that designation, can fulfill the service obligation associated with the TEACH Grant by teaching in that high-need field.

Schools Serving Low-Income Students

Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits. To access the Directory, please go to .    

What If I Change My Mind?

If you receive a TEACH Grant but do not complete the required four years of teaching service within eight years after completing the coursework for which you received the grant, or if you otherwise do not meet the requirements of the TEACH Grant Program, all TEACH Grant funds that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan that you must repay in full, with interest, to the Department of Education. You will be charged interest from the date the grant(s) was disbursed. TEACH Grant recipients will be given a 6-month grace period prior to entering repayment if a TEACH Grant is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Once a TEACH Grant is converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

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