Grants - Federal TEACH

The Federal Teacher Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program offers up to $4,000 per year ($16,000 total for an entire undergraduate program; $8,000 total for graduate students) in grants to full time students who plan to teach full time in high-need subject areas at schools serving students from low income families. Funding is available to part time students, although grant amounts will be reduced. Three-quarter time students may receive up to $3,000; half-time students may receive up to $2,000; and less than half-time students may receive up to $1,000.

Teaching Obligation

In accepting a TEACH Grant, recipients are obligating themselves to teach full time in a high-need field and in a Title I school (low-income students). A recipient must also comply with any other requirements the Department of Education deems necessary. As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years after completing or withdrawing from the academic program for which you received the TEACH Grant. IMPORTANT REMINDER: If you receive a TEACH Grant but do not complete the required teaching service explained above, you will be required to repay the grant as a Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan, with interest charged from the date of the TEACH Grant disbursement.

Schools Serving Low-Income Students

Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits. Access the directory at www.tcli.ed.gov and click on the SEARCH button.

TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve: Service Agreement

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 the U.S. Department of Education website. The TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded. When you sign the service agreement, you are agreeing to repay the grant as a Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan, with interest accrued from the date the grant funds are disbursed, if you do not complete the teaching obligation. IMPORTANT: Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

Counseling

You will be required to complete counseling through Student Financial Services and academic counseling through academic staff/coordinators each year you accept a TEACH Grant. You will also be required to attend exit counseling when you graduate or leave school.

Eligibility

Based on the high-need subject areas designated for the TEACH grants, eligible MSU undergraduate majors and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programs include:

• Reading: Licensure for grades K-12 (graduate level)
• Bilingual education: English as a second language, licensure for grades K-12
• Foreign language:  Spanish, French and German education, licensure for grades 5-12 and K-12
• Mathematics: math education, licensure for grades 5-12
• Science:  life science, chemistry, physics, and earth science education, licensure for grades 5-12
• K-12 Dance Education
• 5-12 Family and Consumer Science Education (PDF)
• K-12 Masters of Science in Reading
• K-12 Reading Licensure Endorsemen

Based on the high-need subject areas designated for the TEACH grants, eligible MSU undergraduate majors and graduate programs in Special Education:

• Special education (undergraduate): developmental cognitive disabilities, licensure for grades B-12
• Special education (graduate): learning disabilities (LD); emotional behavioral disturbed (EBD); licensure for K-12

To receive a TEACH Grant at Minnesota State, Mankato, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• You have completed the free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). (You do not have to demonstrate financial need to be eligible.)
• You have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout your college-level academic program, or have an ACT composite score of at least 23.
• You have applied and have been accepted to your major in one of the designated programs.
• You have applied and have been accepted to professional education
• You are pursuing your first undergraduate degree in one of the designated majors. (Students pursuing a second undergraduate degree are NOT eligible for the TEACH Grant.)
• You are enrolled each semester in coursework that applies to your major (or is necessary coursework) for the degree. Courses include subject area courses (e.g., math course for a student who intends to be a math teacher), as well as professional education and required core or support courses for the major.
• You have signed a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and will complete counseling each year you receive the grant.
• You have completed entrance counseling with your student relations coordinator and student financial services.

To Apply

Contact your college student relations coordinator:

• Special Education programs: Mymique Baxter (mymique.baxter@mnsu.edu)
• Foreign Languages and Bilingual Education: Gina Maahs (gina.maahs@mnsu.edu)
• Math and science education: Ken Adams (kenneth.adams@mnsu.edu)

1. Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) (fasfa.gov).
2. Sign an Agreement to Serve (https://teach-ats.ed.gov).
3. Complete the Minnesota State Mankato TEACH Grant entrance counseling with the coordinator.
4. Complete financial aid student loan counseling.
5. Gain admittance to Professional Education:

• a. Orientation
• b. Application

Documentation

You will need to confirm within 120 days of completing or ceasing to enroll in your teacher preparation program that you are fulfilling (or plan to fulfill) the terms and conditions of your service agreement. You must document your teaching service, and your documentation must be certified by the chief administrative officer at the school where you teach.

IMPORTANT: Students who receive a TEACH Grant and do not fulfill all the stringent requirements of the program will have the amount originally awarded as a grant convert to a loan with interest (at the same rate as the Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan), compounded from the time of the award disbursement.

Disclaimer

To the best of our knowledge, this outline provides a preliminary summary of the TEACH Grant Program based on the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. The information in this document is subject to change and is not binding on the Department of Education.