Federal TEACH Grant

The new Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program that 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. Graduate students are also eligible for $4,000 per year ($8,000 total). 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.   Second Baccalaureate students are not eligible to receive the TEACH Grant.

Important Reminder

Failure to complete the teaching obligation, respond to requests for information, or properly document your teaching service will cause the TEACH Grant to be permanently converted to a loan with interest. Once a grant is converted to a loan it can't be converted back to a grant!

Repayment example

Student Eligibility Requirements

To receive a TEACH Grant you must:

  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible, although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
  • Meet the eligibility requirements for federal student aid.
  • Be enrolled in a program of study designated as TEACH Grant-eligible. Eligible programs at NU are those that prepare a student to teach in a high-need area. For example, a bachelor's program with a math major could qualify for a student who intends to be a math teacher.
  • For undergraduate programs, meet one of the following academic achievement requirements
    • Score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test (e.g. SAT, ACT, GRE), or
    • Graduate from high school with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) to receive a grant as a freshman, or
    • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) on your college coursework to receive a grant for each subsequent term.
  • For graduate programs, meet one of the following academic achievement requirements
    • Score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test (e.g. SAT, ACT, GRE), or
    • Graduate from high school with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) to receive a grant as a freshman, or
    • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) through the most recent term in the Master's degree program for subsequent payments; or be a current teacher or be a retiree from another occupation with expertise in a high-need, enrolled in a Master's degree program; or be a former teacher pursuing an alternative route to certification within a master's degree program.
  • Complete TEACH Grant Entrance and Exit Counseling requirements
  • Fill out the NU Application for TEACH Federal Grant and TEACH Certification forms and submit to the College of Education.
  • Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and respond to requests by the U.S. Department of Education confirming your continuing intention to meet the teaching obligation.

Renewal of TEACH GRANT

As per Federal regulations, academic eligibility must be reviewed after every semester or year depending on how a TEACH Grant recipient was qualified. If the student qualified by having an 88 high school average or 3.25 cumulative grade point average (GPA), the student needs to maintain at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA, which is reviewed at the end of every semester.  

If the student qualified by having a test score (SAT/ACT/GRE) above the 75th percentile for the year the student took the test then the student must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA, which is reviewed at the end of every academic year.

It is important that you understand the end of semester academic requirement since it may impact your continued eligibility for the Federal TEACH Grant.

TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement) that will be available electronically on a 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 acknowledge 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.

Teaching Obligation

To avoid repaying the TEACH Grant with interest 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 four years of teaching within eight years of finishing the program for which you received the grant. You incur a four-year teaching obligation for each educational program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, although you may work off multiple four-year obligations simultaneously under certain circumstances. Specific definitions of these terms are included below.

Highly-Qualified Teacher

You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher, which is defined in federal law.

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.

High-Need Subject Areas

Schools Serving Low-Income Students

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.

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  contact the U.S. Department of Education (1.800.848.0979)  within 120 days to avoid your grants being converted to loans before you are able to complete your teaching obligation.

For more information about the TEACH Grant, contact the Financial Aid Office. 

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