The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH Grant) is a federal grant program for undergraduate and graduate students who plan to teach, providing up to $4,000 per year. Students who accept the TEACH Grant agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students. As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing your program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant.
Before completing the TEACH Grant Consideration Request, you should fully understand the eligibility and service requirements of this grant. Read the information below closely.
The Federal TEACH grant will convert into a Federal Unsubsidized Loan if you do not fulfill the teaching service requirement. You are commiting to teaching in a high-need subject area in a school serving low-income students. If you are unsure about this commitment, you should contact DePaul Central to discuss other aid resources.
If you do not fulfill the terms of the Agreement to Serve or Repay (Agreement), you will incur federal unsubsized loan debt. This is in addition to other federal student loans you may have borrowed. Interest on TEACH Grants converted to loans will be incurred from the date the grant(s) was disbursed, NOT from the date it converts to a loan. The interest rate on a TEACH Grant that converts to a loan will be the rate in effect at the time the TEACH Grant was disbursed, and will be a fixed rate.
In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant you must:
- Agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students (information about qualifying schools can be found on the Federal TEACH Grant website).
- Complete the required four years of teaching within eight years after you graduate from or otherwise cease to be enrolled at the institution of higher education you received your TEACH Grants.
- Upon completing your degree program, TEACH Grant recipients must provide documentation annually showing that they have completed a year of qualifying teaching service or to certify their intent to satisfy the TEACH Grant service obligation.
Eligibility Requirements for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.250 or higher. All eligible registered courses for the Federal TEACH program must be taken for a letter grade; “Pass/Fail” grades cannot be calculated into a qualifying cumulative GPA.
- Be accepted into and maintain enrollment in one of the approved TEACH Grant-eligible programs.
- Undergraduate students must have successfully completed 44 quarter hours or 30 semester hours for transfer students.
If you wish to apply for consideration for this grant, you will need to: