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Teach Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant

Through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, Congress created the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program that provides grants of up to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in a high need field and in a school that serves students from low-income families.

As a condition for receiving a TEACH Grant, the student MUST sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS) in which the student agrees to teach:

  • In a high-need field
  • At an elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency that serves students from low-income families
  • For at least four complete academic years within eight years after completing (or ceasing enrollment in) the course of study for which the student received the grant

You must provide the Department of Education with documentation of your progress toward completing your service obligation.

If the student does not meet these requirements of the service obligation, all TEACH Grant received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. You must repay these loans in full, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement. You will be repaying more than you received.

For more information, click here: TEACH 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.

For the purpose of the TEACH Grant program, the definition of a low-income school is a public or private elementary or secondary school that is listed in the annual directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Complete FAFSA on file.
  • Meet the general eligibility requirements for federal student aid.
  • Must be enrolled as an undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate student in a university which participates in the TEACH grant program
  • Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) each semester.
  • Meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally, scoring above the 75th percentile on one or more portions of a college admissions test or maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 each semester). For specific information about the academic requirements, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.
  • Be enrolled in a TEACH Grant eligible program at Clayton State University. (If you change major within the academic semester, the TEACH Grant will be removed for the next semester within the academic year.)
  • High-Need Fields
    • Bilingual education and English language acquisition,
    • Foreign language
    • Mathematics
    • Reading specialist
    • Science
    • Special education 
    • Any other field that has been identified as high-need by the federal government, a state government, or a local education agency, and that is included in the annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing (Nationwide List).

More information about high-need fields.

Interested in TEACH Grant

If you would like your eligibility for the TEACH Grant Program to be reviewed, please follow the below steps:

If approved by the Office of Financial Aid, students will be contact via email regarding next steps.

TEACH Grant Award

Students who are awarded the TEACH Grant must:

  • Complete TEACH Grant counseling that explains the terms and conditions of the TEACH Grant service obligation. You must complete counseling each year that you receive a TEACH Grant.
  • Complete the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve or Repay. Each year that you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign an Agreement to Serve or Repay on Federal Student Aid. The agreement explains the terms and conditions for receiving a TEACH Grant. By signing the Agreement to Serve, you agree to these terms and conditions and acknowledge that if you do not fulfill the service obligation in the agreement, the TEACH Grant funds you received will be converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan that you must repay.

TEACH Grant Enrollment Requirements

The amount of your TEACH grant will depend on your enrollment status.

Eligible full-time students may receive $4,000 per year in TEACH Grant funds:

  • Up to a maximum of $16,000 for undergraduate study

The TEACH Grant program funding has been reduced by sequestration.

  • For any TEACH Grant first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2020, and before Oct. 1, 2024, the maximum award of $4,000 is reduced by 5.70% ($228), resulting in a maximum award of $3,772.
Undergraduate Enrollment Status Per Semester Per Semester Award (reduced due to sequestration)
Full Time (12+ credit hours) $1,886
Three-quarters Time (9-11 credit hours) $1,414
Half-Time (6-8 credit hours) $943
Less than half-time (1-5 credit hours) $471

 

What ae the Requirements to Keep this as a Grant?

Every year, you have to complete several steps to be reviewed for the TEACH grant:

  • Fill out and submit your FAFSA by stated deadlines
  • Prove you are a US citizen or an eligible noncitizen
  • Enroll in the Department/School of Education at Clayton State University
  • Take courses that are designated as TEACH grant eligible (this grant is one that specifies that you have to take specific classes for the grant; it also specifies the type of teaching job you must accept in order to keep the grant from converting into a loan)
  • Study in a specific high-need field once you receive your grant
  • Maintain academic requirements: score higher than the 75th percentile in your admissions testing or keep your GPA above 3.25
  • Sign a TEACH grant ATS each year
  • Complete TEACH Grant counseling each year

After graduation, you must teach in the high-need field you studied in school. When you start looking for teaching jobs, you can read through the US Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for teacher loan forgiveness benefits. As long as you teach at that school, or another approved institution, for the duration of your service obligation, your grant should remain as a grant. If you transfer to a school that isn’t designated as a low-income school, your grants will convert to a loan.

TEACH Grant Exit Counseling

Students who have received a TEACH Grant are required (per federal regulations) to complete online exit counting in the event of:

  • Change in major to something other than an eligible academic program
  • Withdrawal from school
  • Graduation from program of study

The online TEACH Grant Exit Counseling session provides information about the terms and conditions of a TEACH Grant service agreement. In addition, the rights and responsibilities that apply if your TEACH Grant is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan are also covered.