What is a TEACH Grant?

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching. The TEACH Grant is different from other federal student grants because it requires you to take certain kinds of classes in order to get the grant, and then do a certain kind of job to keep the grant from turning into a loan (studentaid.gov).

 

 

In exchange for the grant, candidates must agree to serve as a full-time teacher at certain schools and within certain fields for at least four academic years within eight years of completing the course of study for which the candidate received a grant. 

Applicants for TEACH Grants may be undergraduate students, graduate students, students enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher credential program, or current or prospective teachers.

To receive TEACH Grants, a teacher candidate must agree to:

  • You must serve as a full-time teacher for a total of at least four academic years within eight years after you complete or otherwise cease to be enrolled in the program(s) for which you received TEACH Grant funds.
  • You must perform the teaching service as a highly qualified teacher at a low-income school or educational service agency.
  • Your teaching service must be in a high-need field.
  • You must provide ED with documentation of your progress toward completing your service obligation.
  • If you do not meet the requirements of your service obligation, all TEACH Grants you received will be converted to Direct Unsubsidized Loans. You must repay these loans in full, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.

A full-time teacher candidate may receive up to $3,772. The total amount of TEACH Grants that the candidate may receive for undergraduate or post-baccalaureate study may not exceed $16,000.  The total amount that a graduate student may receive may not exceed $8,000.  If the student is enrolled less than full-time the amount of the annual TEACH Grant that they may receive must be reduced. 

Enrollment Status Per Semester Disbursed after October 1, 2019 Disbursed after October 1, 2020
Full Time (12+ hours Undergraduate- 9+ hours Graduate) $1,882 $1,886
3/4 Time (9-11 hours Undergraduate- 7-8 hours Graduate) $1,411.50 $1,414.50
1/2 Time (6-8 hours Undergraduate- 5-6 hours Graduate) $941 $943
Less than 1/2 Time $470.50 $471.50

The amount of the TEACH Grant, in combination with other assistance the student may receive, may not exceed the cost of attendance, as provided in section 472 of the Higher Education Act. If the TEACH Grant and other aid exceed the cost of attendance for an academic year, the student’s aid package must be reduced.

Please note: If you plan to teach in a high-need field that is included in the Nationwide List, that field must be listed for the state where you teach either at the time you begin your qualifying teaching service or at the time you received a TEACH Grant. For more information, please click on Official TEACH Grant Website. To Apply, visit Agreement to Serve.

TEACH Grant Eligible Programs

Undergraduate Degree Programs

  • B.S.Ed. - Elementary Education
  • B.S.Ed. - Middle Grades Education (Math and Science)
  • B.S. - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Environmental Geosciences or Applied Mathematics
  • B.A. - Mathematics, French, or Spanish

Graduate Degree Programs

  • M.Ed. - Elementary Education
  • M.Ed. - Elementary Education and Special Education
  • M.Ed./ M.A.T. - Middle Grades Education (Math and Science areas)
  • M.A.T. / M.Ed.- Special Education
  • M.A.T. / M.Ed. - Interrelated Special Education/Early Childhood
  • M.Ed./ M.A.T. – Secondary Education (Earth Science, Mathematics. Spanish, Biology, Chemistry or Physics)
  • M.Ed./M.A.T. - Reading Education
  • M.A.T. - Education (Foreign Language or English for Speakers of Other Languages)

Teaching Certification Programs

  • B.S. - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Environmental Geosciences or Applied Mathematics
  • B.A. - Mathematics, French, or Spanish

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