What Is A Federal TEACH Grant?
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
The TEACH Grant is a merit-based grant awarded to students that are interested in pursuing teaching as their careers and become full-time teachers. TEACH grant is a need based grant therefore the student applicant must demonstrate financial need while applying for the grant. Do keep in mind that there is a mandatory stipulation to teach full-time for four years at a public or private elementary or secondary, low-income school. These four years of compulsory service must be completed within eight calendar years after graduation.
In the event of failure to fulfill this stipulation the TEACH grant would be converted to Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan with interest accrued from the date the grant was disbursed. This loan would be payable to the United States Department of Education (U.S ED). There is a grace period of 6 months prior to entering repayment if the TEACH Grant is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. In addition to the above four year stipulation there is a requirement that the low-income school shall belong to a ‘high-need field’, namely mathematics, science, foreign language, bilingual education, special education or reading.
How much TEACH grant is awarded to a student?
A student can receive an amount ranging anywhere from $25 -$4,000. However the amount of TEACH grant and other financial aid shall not exceed the student`s financial need.
During the fiscal year 2010 a sum of $10,880,000 was awarded by the USDE. The average sum awarded amounted to a student was $2,500.
What is the eligibility criteria for being awarded the TEACH grant?
The following are the requirements/criteria that will be considered for eligibility to receive a TEACH grant. Also listed are some of the conditions that a student applicant must agree to receive the grant
- The student must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- The student must be enrolled as an undergraduate, graduate or post baccalaureate
- The student must be enrolled in a post secondary institution that is currently enrolled in the TEACH Grant Program
- The student must enroll in course work that is required to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such course work. Such course work may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher)
- The student has to meet academic achievement requirements where he or she must have scored above the 75th percentile on a standardized test such as SAT or ACT for undergraduate students or GRE for graduate students.
- The student must have scored a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 on the latest college term
- The student must be willing to to sign the TEACH Grant Agreement that requires the student to serve in high-need low-income schools after graduation
- The student must serve as a full-time teacher for at least four academic years within eight calendar years after you completed or withdrew from the academic program for which you received the TEACH Grant
How do you apply for a TEACH Grant?
As with all federal grants, application for a TEACH grant starts with the applicant filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Do keep in mind the eligibility criteria and also if your educational institution participation in the TEACH grant program. For a list of participating institutions visit the Department of Education’s Student Aid website. This list is as of September 2010.
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