The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant provides up to $4,000 per year in grants for graduate and undergraduate students who intend to teach full-time in high-need subject areas for at least four years at schools that serve students from low-income families. Students may receive up to $16,000 for undergraduate study and up to $8,000 for graduate study. Part-time students are eligible, but the maximum grant will be reduced.

Teaching Obligation

You must be a highly-qualified, full-time teacher in a high-need subject area for at least four years at a school serving low-income students. You must complete the required four years of teaching within eight years of finishing the program for which you received the grant. If you do not complete the four years of teaching within eight years, the TEACH grant converts to an Unsubsidized student loan with interest that begins when it was first disbursed.

1. Full-Time Teacher: you must meet the state’s definition of a full time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching one of the high-need subject areas. Elementary teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement.
2. High-Need Subject Areas
   • Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
   • Foreign Language
   • Mathematics
   • Reading Specialist
   • Science
   • Special Education
   • Other shortage areas listed on the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area
3. Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.
4. Highly-Qualified Teacher: you must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher, which is defined in federal law.

Student Eligibility Requirements

To receive a TEACH Grant you must:

1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You do not have to demonstrate financial need, but the FAFSA is required.
2. Be enrolled in a program of study designated as TEACH Grant-eligible (see list below).  Undergraduate students must also meet VU’s Education Department admission criteria of passing Checkpoint 1 AND be admitted into the Education Program. This normally occurs during your sophomore year.
3. Meet either one of the following academic achievement requirements:
   • Score above the 75th percentile on any part of a college admissions test (e.g. SAT, ACT, GRE)
   • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) on your college coursework to receive a grant for each semester.
4. Complete the on-line TEACH Grant counseling.
5. Complete the VU Teach Grant Application (or renewal application).
6. Sign an on-line TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS) and respond to requests by the U.S. Department of Education confirming your continuing intention to meet the teaching obligation.

TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a new Agreement to Serve (ATS) and Promise to Pay (service agreement) that will be available electronically on the Department of Education Web site. The TEACH Grant service agreement specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgment by you that you understand that, if you do not meet the teaching service requirements, you must repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date the grant funds were first disbursed.

Documentation

You must respond promptly to any requests for information or documentation from the U.S. Department of Education, even if they seem repetitive. These requests will be sent to you while you are still in school as well as once you are out of school. You will be asked regularly to confirm that you either still intend to teach or that you are teaching as required. You must provide documentation to the U.S. Department of Education at the end of each year of teaching.

If you temporarily cease enrollment in your program of study or if you encounter situations that affect your ability to begin or continue teaching, you will need to stay in touch with the U.S. Department of Education to avoid your grants being converted to loans before you are able to complete your teaching obligation.

V.U. eligible majors