TEACH Grant
The TEACH Grant is a federal program that provides annual grants to undergraduate and graduate students who plan to teach upon graduation.
TEACH Grant recipients must agree to teach full-time in high-need subject areas at schools serving children from low-income families for at least four years.
Award Amount
The TEACH Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year to full-time students (with aggregate limits of $16,000 for undergraduate programs and $8,000 total for graduate students). Part-time students receive prorated amounts.
Due to the Budget Control Act of 2011, the maximum annual amount of $4,000 is reduced by an annually defined percentage. TEACH Grants that are first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2020, and before Oct. 1, 2025, must be reduced by 5.7%, which results in the amounts below. Visit Federal Student Aid for further information.
Maximum Amounts
| Enrollment level | Per Semester | Per Year |
|---|---|---|
|
Full-time 6 credits in Summer, or 9 credits in Fall and Spring |
$1,257 | $3,772 |
|
Half-time 3 credits in Summer, or 6 credits in Fall or Spring |
$314 | $943 |
|
Less than half-time |
$139 | $471 |
TEACH Grant Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for a TEACH Grant, you must meet all the following requirements:
- Be a U.S. citizen or have an eligible non-citizen status
- Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year, but you do not have to demonstrate any financial need
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout your academic program, or a score above the 75th percentile on a national standardized college admissions test or be a current/former teacher or retiree with expertise in a high-need field.
- Majoring in education and pursuing a certification in a high need subject area OR you must be majoring in a high need subject area with the intent of also completing teacher certification
- Pursuing your first bachelor's degree or a Graduate program. Students pursuing a second undergraduate degree or those in a non-degree teacher certification program cannot receive a TEACH Grant.
- Complete an online TEACH Grant Initial Counseling for your first TEACH grant, and subsequent counseling for each subsequent TEACH Grant. This must be done before you sign the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Repay
- Complete the Agreement to Serve and Repay
TEACH Grant Service Requirement
TEACH Grant recipients must agree to teach for at least four academic years as a highly qualified teacher in a high-need field in a low-income school. You must complete these four years of service within eight years of finishing your teacher preparation programs.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory lists the approved elementary and secondary schools that serve pupils from low-income families.
TEACH Grant recipients must also teach in one of the approved high-need subject areas. The high-need subject areas for the state of Maryland that are offered at Loyola are:
- Elementary Education
- Special Education
- Math
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Earth and Space Science
- Social Studies
- English
- French
- Music
- Art
To view the entire list of fields that have been identified as high-need areas (not geographic areas) by the Department of Education, visit the annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing.
TEACH Grant Application Process
- Before you apply for a TEACH Grant, you must review the eligible majors in the Teacher Shortage Area Listings and the eligible schools in the Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory. After reviewing these eligible majors and schools, if you feel that you are willing to make the service commitment, you can complete the remaining steps.
- Complete the FAFSA process.
- Every year, you must complete TEACH Grant Counseling & Agreement to Serve.
- If you do not complete the required teaching obligation, you will repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accruing from the date that the grant funds were disbursed. The interest (the same rate as the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan) will accrue from the date that the grant was disbursed to your university account. Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.
- Within 120 days of completing or ceasing enrollment in your teacher preparation program, and every year thereafter, you must confirm to the U.S. Department of Education that you will fulfill the terms and conditions of your service agreement. When you begin your career as a teacher, you must document your teaching service with certification from the chief administrative officer at the school where you teach.
Teach Grant Exit Counseling
Federal regulations require that TEACH Grant recipients complete an Exit Counseling session when they graduate or withdraw from the school where they received their TEACH Grant.
The counseling session provides information about the terms and conditions of a TEACH Grant service agreement, and the rights and responsibilities that apply if your TEACH Grant is converted to a loan.