TEACH Grant

Federal TEACH Grant

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. To be considered for a Federal TEACH Grant, students must initiate the process of completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and Agreement to Serve (ATS), and TEACH Grant Counseling. Recipients of a TEACH Grant must agree to the following:

• Serve as a full-time highly qualified teacher at a school serving low income students in a high-need field.
• Serve for at least four academic years within eight years of completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant.
• Provide the Department of Education with annual documentation of your progress toward completion of your service obligation.

The Department’s TEACH Grant Servicer oversees your grant account until you meet your service obligation. Beginning in 2019, annual documentation of your teaching progress must be submitted each year by October 31st. Failure to submit proper documentation by October 31st will result in conversion of all your TEACH Grants into Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans with capitalized interest from the first date of disbursement. Finally, if you receive a TEACH Grant but do not complete the required four years of teaching service within eight years after you complete (or otherwise cease to be enrolled in) the program for which you received the grant, all TEACH Grant funds you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan that you must repay with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.

Schools and educational service agencies that serve low-income students

Elementary and secondary schools (public and private) and educational service agencies serving low-income students are listed in the annual Teacher Cancellation Low-Income Directory. In addition, elementary or secondary schools operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), or operated on Indian reservations by Indian tribal groups under contract or grant with the BIE qualify as low-income schools.

High-Need Fields

High-Need Fields are

• Bilingual education and English language acquisition,
• Foreign language,
• Mathematics,
• Reading specialist,
• Science, and
• Special education , as well as
• Any other field that has been identified as high-need by the federal government, a state government, or a local education agency, and that is included in the annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing (Nationwide list).

If you plan to teach in a high-need field that is included on the Nationwide List, that field must be listed for the state where you teach either at the time you begin your qualifying teaching service or at the time you received a TEACH Grant.

TEACH Grant Award Amount

Below are the maximum eligible TEACH Grant amounts based on enrollment:

For any 2021-2022 TEACH Grant first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2020, and before Oct. 1, 2022, the maximum award of $4,000 is reduced by 5.7 percent ($228), resulting in a maximum award of $3,772.

Federal Sequestration-Required Reduction

Beginning in the 2013-2014 award year, the federal government requires all TEACH grant awards to be reduced by a percentage of the maximum student eligibility. Percentage reductions are calculated by the Federal Office of Budget and Management (OMB) and is distributed institutions to implement every award year.

LMU TEACH Grant Awarding Policy

1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
2. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
3. Complete the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal TEACH Grant Initial and Subsequent Counseling session electronically.
4. Complete the U.S. Department of Education Federal Agreement to Serve (ATS) electronically.
5. Have and maintain a minimum 3.25 GPA.
6. Undergraduate students must have formally declared a minor in the School of Education in Elementary, Secondary, Bilingual or Special Education. Students are allowed to declare a minor after achieving junior standing; therefore, LMU does not award the TEACH Grant to freshman or sophomore level students. Students interested in a career in teaching should visit the School of Education, Center for Undergraduate Teaching Preparation.

Students who are graduating, cease to receive a TEACH Grant in a following academic year, or are enrolled less than half time must complete TEACH Grant exit counseling.