Federal TEACH Grant
The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 created the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant Program or , which awards grants to students who intend to teach.
The TEACH Grant recipient’s obligation is to serve as a highly qualified, full-time teacher in a high-need subject area for at least four years within eight years of finishing the program at a school serving low-income students/families.
Recipients who do not complete their teaching obligation will have to repay the TEACH Grants as if the grants were a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accruing from the time the grant was disbursed.
Student Eligibility Requirements
To receive a TEACH Grant you must:
- Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Meet the eligibility requirements for Federal Title IV Aid
- Must be pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree program in the School of Education (TEACH LSUS and EDD students do not qualify for the TEACH Grant.)
- Must be enrolled in coursework necessary to begin a career in teaching
- Must be enrolled at least half-time:
- Undergraduate = 6 hours
- Traditional Graduate = 6 hours
- Accelerated Online Graduate = 3 hours per session
- Entering freshmen must have a 3.25 high school GPA; First-semester graduate students must have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.25; Continuing undergraduate and graduate students must have a 3.25 cumulative GPA throughout your academic program for which you receive a TEACH Grant
Application Process
- Students must complete the each year to determine their eligibility for federal financial aid, including the TEACH Grant
- Students must complete the initial , which provides information about the program's requirements, service obligations, and consequences for not fulfilling the obligations
- Student must complete a each year with the U.S. Department of Education
Service Requirements
- Recipients of the TEACH Grant must complete a four-year teaching commitment within eight years of completing their program.
- Teaching service must be performed in a high-need field, as designated by the Department of Education, at an elementary or secondary school serving low-income students.
- Recipients must complete and fulfill the terms of the Agreement to Serve (ATS), which outlines the specific service requirements and consequences for not completing them.
- Recipients are required to provide annual documentation to the Department of Education, verifying their teaching service.
- Recipients that do not fulfill their service obligation, the TEACH Grant will be converted into a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Interest will be retroactively charged from the date the grant funds were disbursed.
- Converted loans must be repaid to the U.S. Department of Education. Standard loan repayment terms and conditions apply.
