TEACH Grant

A TEACH Grant can help you pay for college if you plan to become a teacher in a high-need field in a low-income area. You’ll be required to teach for a certain length of time, so make sure you understand your obligation. 

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.

  • Undergraduate and Graduate students
  • Provides grants up to $2,000 per semester and up to $4,000 per year
  • Undergraduate students may not receive more than $16,000
  • Graduate students may receive no more than $8,000
  • Students enrolled less than full-time will have their TEACH Grant prorated based on enrollment hours
  • TEACH Grant cannot exceed student’s cost of attendance

Student Eligibility Requirements:

  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), although you do not have to demonstrate financial need
  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
  • Completion of Admission to the Teacher Education Program (TEP) or admission to the program for Reading Specialist
  • Be fully admitted to The Teacher Education Program (TEP) and enrolled in a program of study designated as TEACH Grant-eligible

You must also meet one of the following academic achievement requirements:

  • Score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test (e.g., SAT, or ACT) or
  • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) on your college coursework to receive a grant for each subsequent term.

If eligibility and academic achievement requirements are met, students must also complete the steps below to receive TEACH Grant funds:

  • Complete the TEACH Grant Entrance Counseling session.
  • Complete TEACH Grant annual counseling and exit counseling as required.
  • Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay and respond to requests by the U.S. Department of Education confirming your continuing intention to meet the teaching obligation.

Eligible Programs of Study:

  • Elementary Education/Bilingual & TESOL Education (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) 
  • Early Childhood Education/Bilingual Education
  • Special Education
  • Special Education/Elementary Education
  • Special Education/Secondary Education
  • Secondary Education/Secondary Math
  • Secondary Education/Secondary General Science
  • Education/Science
  • Education/Math
  • Education/Bilingual Multicultural Special Education
  • Education/Early Childhood Special Education
  • Education/Special Education/Deaf-Hard of Hearing
  • Education/Reading
  • Reading

After Leaving School Students Must:

  • Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve
  • Teach in a high-need field
  • Teach at an elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency that serves students from low-income families
  • Teach for at least four complete academic years within eight years after completing (or ceasing enrollment in) the course of study for which you received the grant

High-Need Subject Areas:

  • Early Childhood with Bilingual/TESOL Endorsement
  • Foreign Language
  • Mathematics
  • Reading Specialist
  • Science
  • Special Education
  • Other teacher shortage areas listed in the Department of Education’s Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing.

Other Important Information

TEACH Grant Frequently Asked Questions
TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve Web User Guide
Sign the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve
TEACH Grant Exit Counseling

IMPORTANT: If you do not complete your service obligation, all TEACH Grant funds you received will be converted to a Direct Subsidized Loan. You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education, with interest charged from the date the TEACH Grant was disbursed (paid to you or on your behalf).