Federal TEACH Grant

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program provides up to $4,000 per year in grant funds for undergraduate and graduate 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.

Be aware that if you receive the TEACH grant but do not fulfill the stringent requirements of the program, the amount awarded in grant money converts to a Federal Stafford Unsubsidized loan with interest (at the same rate as the federal Stafford loan) compounded from the time of the award. 

According to some estimates, only 20% of the students who participate in the TEACH grant program will ultimately keep the funds as grants, while the rest will see the funds converted into loans with accumulated interest. 

TEACH grant details

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Program information

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year in grants for graduate and undergraduate students who intend to teach full-tim in high-need subject areas for at least four years at schools that serve students from low-income families. 

•For undergraduates - up to $4,000 per year for first baccalaureat degree - maximum of $16,000

•For graduates - up to $4,000 per year for a Master's degree - maximum of $8,000

The first TEACH Grants will be awarded to eligible students for the 2008-09 academic school year.

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 cannot be converted back to a grant. 

It is very important to be well informed and make careful considerations before applying for this funding.  If you do not fulfill all obligations tied to this grant, the funding will be converted to an unsubsidized loan with interest accruing from the date the grant originally disbursed to your student account. 

For more information about pursuing a TEACH Grant-eligible program at NAU, contact the College of Education Division of Student Services. 

For more information about receiving a TEACH Grant, contact our office.  

Eligibility

To receive a TEACH grant, you must:

  • complete the FAFSA, although you do not have to demonstrate financial need
  • meet the general eligibility requirements for federal student aid
  • Be enrolled in a program of study designated as TEACH Grant-eligible—eligible programs are those that prepare a student to teach in a high-need area; a list of possible TEACH Grant-eligible program is in our Academic Catalog 
  • The following are eligible TEACH grant majors at NAU:
    Early Childhood Special Education
    Secondary Education-Biology
    Secondary Education-Chemistry
    Secondary Education-Earth Science
    Secondary Education-Mathematics
    Secondary Education-French
    Secondary Education-German
    Secondary Education-Spanish
    Secondary Education-Physics
    Secondary Education-Physical Science
    Special and Elementary Education
    Special and Secondary Education
  • sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and respond to requests by the Department of Education, confirming your continuing intention to meet the teaching obligation
  • for Undergraduate Programs, meet one of the following academic achievements:
  • score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test (SAT, ACT, GRE, etc.)
  • graduate from high school with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 to receive the grant as a freshman
  • have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 through the most recent payment period on your college coursework to receive a grant for each subsequent term
  • for Graduate Programs, meet one of the following academic standards:
  • score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test (SAT, ACR, GRE, etc.)
  • have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 to receive the grant the first time
  • have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 through the most recent term in the Master's degree program for subsequent payments
  • be a current teacher or be a retiree from another occupation with expertise in a high-need field, enrolled in a Master's degree program
  • be a former teacher pursuing an alternative route to certification within a Master's degree program.  
Agreement to serve

Each year you receive the TEACH Grant, you are required to sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay service agreement that is available on the Department of Education website.  

The TEACH Grant service agreement specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements and includes an acknowledgement that you understand the consequences of not meeting the teaching service requirements. 

If that occurs, 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. 

You must meet the state's definition of a full-time teacher and spend the majority of your time teaching in one of the high-need subject areas.  Elementary teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement. 

Information on being a Highly-Qualified Teacher.   

High-needs fields of study

High-Need Fields of Study include:

  • Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
  • Foreign Language
  • Mathematics
  • Reading Specialist
  • Science
  • Special Education
  • Other teacher shortage areas documented as high-need by the Federal or State government, a local education agency approved by the Department of Education and listed in the Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing at the time you begin your teaching service.  
Serving low-income students
Schools serving low-income students include elementary or secondary schools listed in the Department of Education's Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.  
Additional information

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 cannot be converted back to a grant. 

It is very important to be well informed and make careful considerations before applying for this funding. If you do not fulfill all obligations tied to this grant, the funding will be converted to an unsubsidized loan with interest accruing from the date the grant originally disbursed to your student account. 

For more information about pursuing a TEACH Grant-eligible program at NAU, contact the College of Education Division of Student Services at 928-523-2611 or 928-523-2145, or via email at COE.StuServ@nau.edu.  

For more information about receiving a TEACH Grant, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid at 928-523-4951, or via email at Financial.Aid@nau.edu.