Federal TEACH Grant
The Federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program was created to fill the teacher shortages in high-need fields. The TEACH Grant is the first federal grant program that requires a service agreement.
Grant Overview
The Federal TEACH Grant allows up to $4,000 per year for students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The grant amount is prorated according to how many eligible credit hours a student is enrolled in per term, meaning a student would need to be enrolled full time to be considered for the full $4,000. Funds are subject to sequestration (more information below), can only be applied towards a student’s first bachelor’s or graduate degree, and must be a TEACH-eligible program.
Sequestration
Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011, which has caused federal budget cuts to this program, known as a “sequester.” Therefore, TEACH grant funds first disbursed on or after October 1, 2020 and prior to October 1, 2025 will see a reduction of 5.7% from their originally approved award amount.
Eligibility Requirements
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- You do not have to demonstrate financial need
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Be enrolled in an eligible program
- Be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in a post-secondary educational institution that has chosen to participate in the Federal TEACH Grant Program
- Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework
- 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 Federal TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Repay (ATS)
Eligible Majors for 2024-2025 TEACH Grant
Bachelor’s Degree Programs
Master’s Degree Programs
- MEMS-M.ED: Math Specialist Endorsement
- MERS-M.ED: Reading Specialist (TL)
- MTED-MAT: Elementary Education (45 hr.)
- MTEL-MAT: Elementary Education
- MTES-MAT: Elementary Education- Special Education General Curriculum (45 hr)
- TEAB-MAT: Biology Education 6-12
- TECB-MAT: Biology Education 6-12 (45 hrs)
- TEAC-MAT: Chemistry Education 6-12
- TECC MAT: Chemistry Education 6-12 (45 hrs)
- TEAO-MAT: Computer Sciences Education 6-12
- TECO-MAT: Computer Sciences Education 6-12 (45 hrs)
- TEAE-MAT: Earth Science Education 6-12
- TECE-MAT: Earth Science Education 6-12 (45 hrs)
- TEAN-MAT: Engineering Education 6-12
- TECN-MAT: Engineering Education 6-12 (45 hrs)
- TEAG-MAT: English as a Second Language Education P-12
- TECG-MAT: English as a Second Language Education P-12 (45 hrs)
- TEAM-MAT: Mathematics Education 6-12
- TECM-MAT: Mathematics Education 6-12 (45 hrs)
- TEAD-MAT: Middle Education Mathematics
- TECD-MAT: Middle Education Mathematics (45 hrs)
- TEAI-MAT: Middle Education Science
- TECI-MAT: Middle Education Science (45 hrs)
- TEAP-MAT: Physics Education 6-12
- TECP-MAT: Physics Education 6-12 (45 hrs)
- TEAW-MAT: Spanish Education P-12
- TECW-MAT: Spanish Education P-12 (45 hrs)
- TSAC-MAT: Special Education Adapted Curriculum
- TSAE-MAT: Special Education Adapted Curriculum and Early Childhood Special Education Concentration
- TSEC-MAT: Special Education-Early Childhood Special Education Cognate
- TSEG-MAT: Special Education-Early Childhood Special Education and General Curriculum Concentration
- TSGA-MAT: Special Education-General Curriculum and Adapted Curriculum Concentration
- TSGC-MAT: Special Education
- TSSG-MAT: Special Education (45 hour)
Grandfathered Programs
Apply for TEACH Grant
- Complete the TEACH Grant Application in your ASIST account.
You will only see the TEACH Grant application as an option if you are in an eligible program. If you meet all of the requirements, your grant will be packaged when the application review is finished. - Next, you need to sign an “Agreement to Serve and Repay” contract with the federal government and complete the TEACH Grant federal initial and subsequent counseling before the funds are disbursed to your account.
Agreement to Serve and Repay
In exchange for receiving a Federal TEACH Grant, you must agree to serve as a full-time teacher for at least 4 of the 8 years following the completion of your program. You must also teach in a high-need field in a school that serves low-income students.
If you do not complete the service obligation, the U.S. Department of Education will convert all Federal TEACH Grant funds that you received to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized student loan. You will then have to repay the loan and will be charged interest from the date the grant(s) are disbursed.
High Need Fields
- Bilingual education and English language acquisition
- Foreign language
- Mathematics
- Reading specialist
- Science (including, but not limited to, computer science)
- Special education