Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
What Is a TEACH Grant?
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
program provides grant assistance to students who either are completing or plan
to complete coursework to begin a career in teaching. Full-time students may receive
as much as $4,000 a year. When combined with other assistance, such as
federal loans,
scholarships,
and
federal work-study,
the award cannot exceed your chosen college's published
cost of attendance (COA).
TEACH Grant Eligibility and Teaching Obligations
Recipients of the TEACH Grant must meet specific eligibility requirements and agree
to fulfill the classroom teaching obligations outlined in the TEACH grant agreement.
You also are required to:
- Be enrolled in a teaching program or plan to complete the coursework necessary
to begin a career in teaching; and
- Meet academic achievement requirements. Most colleges require that you earn a
minimum GPA of 3.25 or score in the "75th percentile or greater" on standardized
admissions tests (SAT, ACT, GRE).
To be eligible for a TEACH Grant, you must attend or plan to attend a TEACH Grant-eligible
college. Currently more than 800 colleges participate in the TEACH program.
TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve
In exchange for a TEACH Grant, you must agree to work as a full-time teacher in
a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school attended
by low-income students. You must fulfill this obligation within eight years after
completing the studies for which you received the grant.
High-need fields are:
- Mathematics
- Science
- Foreign language
- Bilingual education and English language acquisition
- Special education
- Reading
If a TEACH Grant recipient doesn't honor his or her teaching obligation, then the
TEACH Grant gets treated as an Unsubsidized Stafford Loan and must be repaid with
interest.
Applying for a TEACH Grant
To apply for a TEACH Grant, complete the
federal student aid application (FAFSA)
and sign an "Agreement to Serve".