TEACH Grants
In some areas there is an ongoing need for teachers in certain fields to fill positions in low-income schools. The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant is designed to recruit highly qualified teachers to fill this need. You may qualify for a TEACH grant even if you also receive other federal student aid such as a Pell Grant or student loans.
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Description
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TEACH grants provide $4,000 per academic year to undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate students preparing for careers as teachers in primary or secondary education. You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for a TEACH grant, and you must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. If you meet eligibility requirements, you must sign a TEACH agreement that commits you to teaching in a low-income area for four of the first eight years after you complete or leave your teacher preparation program.
Eligibility
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To qualify for a TEACH grant, you must either score at or above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or keep a 3.25 grade point average (GPA). In addition, you have to be actively enrolled in an approved teacher preparation program at an institution that participates in the TEACH program. You must be taking courses that prepare you to teach and to earn teacher certification.
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Obligations
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To meet the requirements of the TEACH agreement, you have to teach at a low-income school or agency identified as such by the U.S. Department of Education or a school listed by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education. You must be able to teach in a high-need field. High-need fields include reading, English language acquisition and foreign languages. Other subjects that qualify are mathematics, science and special education. From time to time additional fields may be designated high-need.
Considerations
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In the event you do not fulfill the terms and conditions of the TEACH agreement, the money awarded as a grant will be converted to a federal unsubsidized loan and must be repaid. The requirement to teach for four years at a low-income school can be suspended in some cases while you continue your teacher education after finishing the program for which you received the TEACH grant. A suspension is also allowed if you are called to active military duty. Your obligations under the TEACH agreement may be waived entirely in the event you become permanently and completely disabled or in the event of your death.
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