TEACH Grant FAQs
Who is eligible for the TEACH Grant?
Eligible statuses include the following:
- U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens (based on federally determined guidelines)
- People enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student in a postsecondary educational institution
- Students enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or who plan to complete such coursework. Such coursework may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher).
- Students who scored above the 75th percentile on a college admission test (ACT/SAT/GRE) or who maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.25
- Students who complete the required Initial and Subsequent Counseling and a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS)
What is a high-need field?
The following fields qualify as high-need:
- Bilingual education and English language acquisition
- Foreign language
- Mathematics
- Reading specialist
- Science
- Special education
- Other identified teacher shortage areas at the time you begin teaching in that field. Teacher subject shortage areas are listed in the Department of Education’s Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing (DOC).
What is a low-income school district?
Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the Department of Education's Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory.
What is the annual amount of the scheduled award?
The annual amount is as follows:
Full-time student (12+ credit hours): $4,000
Three-quarter-time student (9-11 credit hours): $3,000
Half-time student (6-8 credit hours): $2,000
Less-than-half-time student (5 or fewer credit hours): $1,000
Is the TEACH Grant renewable?
Yes, but you must file the FAFSA for that year. Also, the required TEACH counseling and a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS) must be completed each year. You must maintain a 3.25 g.p.a. (needed for qualification) throughout your academic program.
How do I complete the counseling and service agreement?
Both must be completed online. You can sign the form using your Federal Student Aid PIN.
How does the Department of Education track my teaching service?
Within 120 days of completing or otherwise ceasing enrollment in your program of study, you must confirm to the U.S. Secretary of Education that either you are employed as a full-time teacher in accordance with the terms and conditions of the service agreement, or you are not yet employed as a full-time teacher but you intend to meet the terms and conditions of the service agreement.
At the end of each year, if you are performing full-time teaching service in accordance with the service agreement, you must provide the Secretary with documentation of your teaching service on a Secretary-approved form that is certified by the chief administrative officer of the school in which you are teaching. The form must document that you are a highly qualified teacher, teaching in any of the designated high-need fields, in a designated low-income school.
What happens if I don't complete the required teaching service in accordance with the service agreement?
If you receive a TEACH Grant but do not complete the required teaching service as explained above, you will be required to repay the grants as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, with interest charged from the date that each TEACH grant was disbursed. For more information, go to www.teach-ats.ed.gov.
