A Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching. TEACH grants differ from other federal grants because it requires you to complete a teaching service obligation as a condition for receiving the grant, and the grant will convert to a loan if the obligation goes unfulfilled.
At this time, the only program eligible for the TEACH grant is the Temple Teaching Residency (TTR). Students must be enrolled full time to receive the full $4,000; less than full-time status will result in the student receiving less than the full amount.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the TEACH Grant, you must
- meet the basic eligibility criteria for federal student aid programs,
- complete the FAFSA,
- be enrolled in a TEACH grant-eligible program at an eligible school,
- at Temple, this is only the TTR program
- maintain a GPA of 3.25 or higher,
- complete TEACH Grant counseling, and
- sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve or Repay.
TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve or Repay
To receive the TEACH grant, you must sign the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve or Repay, in which you agree to
- serve as a full-time, highly qualified teacher for four (4) elementary or secondary years at a school or educational service agency that services low-income students;
- teach in a high-need field; and
- complete the required four (4) years of teaching within eight (8) years after you graduate from or otherwise ceases to be enrolled at the institution of higher education where the you received the TEACH grant
If you do not meet the requirements of your service obligation, all TEACH grants you received will be converted to Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Interest will be charged from the date of each TEACH grant disbursement, and the total added to your overall federal loan debt.
As required by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (the sequester law), any TEACH grant where the first disbursement is on or after Oct. 1, 2022, and before Oct. 1, 2023, requires a reduction of 5.7 percent from the award amount for which the student would otherwise have been eligible.