Federal TEACH Grant Information
The Federal College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) of 2007 established a new student aid program called Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. The program became effective beginning with the 2008-09 school year, and colleges that are approved by the U.S. Department of Education to participate can process awards for eligible students beginning with the Fall 2008 semester. Mississippi State University has been approved to participate in the TEACH Grant Program.
In general, the Federal TEACH Grant Program provides financial assistance, through the federal student aid programs, to students while attending college, majoring in an academic program that will allow them to teach the majority of each school day in high need subject areas, as highly qualified teachers, at Title I (low income serving) elementary or secondary schools in the United States.
The law identifies the following as high-need subject areas for purposes of the TEACH Grant Program:
- Bilingual education
- English language acquisition
- Foreign language
- Mathematics
- Reading specialist
- Science
- Special education: or
- Another field documented as high-need by the Federal government, a State government, or a Local Education Agency, and approved by the Secretary. This field must be listed in the Department’s annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing at: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.doc
(Please note: Elementary Education and several other degree programs/subject areas are not included in the list of high need subject areas).
The following link provides guidance on the criterion for being a highly qualified teacher:
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/nclbguide/improve-quality.html
A link to a list of schools serving low-income families is:
https://www.tcli.ed.gov/CBSWebApp/tcli/TCLIPubSchoolSearch.jsp
TEACH Grants are available for Undergraduate and Graduate students. Students must apply for the TEACH Grant by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each school year. Eligible students must have either scored above the 75th percentile of scores on at least one of the batteries of a nationally-normed standardized admission test (Ex. ACT or SAT) or have a 3.25 Grade Point Average (on a 4.0 Scale) in high school and must maintain a 3.25 or better college Grade Point Average. Eligible full-time students may be awarded up to $4,000 per year in Federal TEACH Grant funds. The grant award is prorated downward for students enrolled less than full-time.
Recipients of the TEACH Grant must also sign an Agreement to Serve (ATS) with the U.S. Department of Education before receiving any grant funds. The Agreement to Serve generally indicates that recipients must teach in a Title I elementary or secondary school, in a high need subject area for the majority of each school day, as a highly qualified teacher for at least four years within eight years of completing the degree program for which the TEACH Grant was awarded. If the grant recipient fails to complete the required teaching service, all TEACH Grants received by the student must be repaid as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan, with interest added to the loan calculated from the date the TEACH Grant funds were originally disbursed.
Therefore, it is essential that students considering applying for the TEACH Grant program understand the requirements that must be fully met to receive the TEACH Grant while in college and also understand the commitment to teach after college to avoid having to repay the Grant later if the teaching requirements are not met.
Students interested in applying for the TEACH Grant must:
- File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for each school year in which the TEACH Grant is being requested (the FAFSA each year covers the Fall, Spring and Summer terms - in that order).
- Complete the MSU TEACH Grant Request Form for each year in which the TEACH Grant is being requested and submit it to the Department of Student Financial Aid at MSU at the address included on the form.
- If the applicant is eligible and a Teach Grant is awarded, the applicant must complete the TEACH Grant Counseling Requirement each year in which a TEACH Grant is being requested. The U.S. Department of Education provides the initial and subsequent TEACH Grant Counseling process on-line at the ATS web site see # 4 below.
- If the applicant is eligible and a Teach Grant is awarded, the applicant must complete the Agreement to Serve (ATS) through the U.S. Department of Education’s on-line ATS web site before any proceeds of the award can be disbursed. The ATS can not be completed for that school year until the TEACH Applicant has completed the application process at the school, been awarded the TEACH Grant by the school, the student accepts the TEACH Grant Award and the school submits an electronic (C.O.D.) report to the U.S. Department of Education indicating that the award has been made and the student accepted it (additional information will be provided to eligible students regarding the completion of the Agreement to Serve as soon as the TEACH Award has been processed). A new ATS must be completed for each school year in which a TEACH Award is processed. The web site for the U.S. Department of Education’s on-line ATS process and initial and subsequent TEACH Grant counseling is: http://www.teach-ats.ed.gov
We are pleased that the federal government has expanded the student aid programs to assist eligible students who plan on teaching in high need subject areas in Title I schools. We also want students considering application for the Grant to educate themselves on the restrictions and requirements including the requirement to repay the Grant if all federal teaching requirements are not fully met.
