TEACH Grant Conditions
In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students (see below for more information on high-need fields and schools serving low-income students). As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant. IMPORTANT: If you fail to complete this service obligation, all amounts of TEACH Grants that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education. You will be charged interest from the date the grant(s) was disbursed.
TEACH Grant Student Eligibility Requirements
To receive a TEACH Grant, you must meet the following criteria:
- 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.
- Be enrolled as an undergraduate student working on an initial bachelor’s degree or a graduate student working on an initial master’s degree, studying in a TEACH Grant eligible program (see below).
- Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or 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).
- Meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally, scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25).
- Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (see below for more information on the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve).
- Complete TEACH Grant Counseling for either initial or subsequent receipt of a TEACH Grant.
For more information, please review the Department of Education’s TEACH Grant webpage.
Application Process
- Review this TEACH Grant Fact Sheet before beginning your application
- Complete your TEACH Grant Eligibility Worksheet
- Complete your TEACH Grant Counseling and Agreement to Serve
TEACH Grant Eligible Programs
Undergraduate Students
- Early Childhood Education
- Elementary Education
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Middle Childhood Education with a Concentration in
- Mathematics
- Science
- Secondary Education with a Double Major in
- Biology Education
- Chemistry Education
- Mathematics
- Special Education Cross-Cat Disabilities Mild/Mod
Graduate Students
- Classroom Teaching: MAT
- Biology Education: MS
- Chemistry Education: MS
- Mathematics Education: MS
Other possible teacher shortage areas are listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing.
You can view a list of schools that are currently in the Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory here: https://studentaid.gov/tcli/