Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant

TEACH Grant is a federal program awarded to students who commit to teaching specific high-need subjects at qualifying elementary or secondary schools that serve students from low-income families.

Find detailed information about the TEACH grant online at the Federal Student Aid website.

TEACH Grant Information on this page:

• Eligibility
• Agreement to Serve or Repay (Agreement)
• Teaching obligation
• Prevent your grant from converting to a loan

Eligibility

To receive the TEACH Grant at SDSU, you must:

• Be enrolled in a College of Education Credential program in one of the following high-need fields:
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Foreign Language
  • Reading Specialist
  • Bilingual Education
  • English Language Acquisition
  • Special Education
  • OR any other field that has been identified as high-need in the annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing (Nationwide List)
    • If you plan to teach in a high-need field that is included in the Nationwide List, that field must be listed for the state where you are teaching
      • at the time you begin teaching in that field, even if that field is later removed from the Nationwide List; or
      • at the time you signed your Agreement or received your TEACH Grant, even if that field is no longer designated as high-need when you begin teaching
• Have a cumulative 3.25 GPA prior to each disbursement
• Complete TEACH Grant counseling online and subsequent counseling each year you receive an award
• Sign an Agreement to Serve or Repay (Agreement) each year you receive an award.

Agreement to Serve or Repay (Agreement)

You must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve or Repay (Agreement) each year you receive a TEACH Grant.

In signing the Agreement you are agreeing to fulfill a specific teaching obligation within a particular period of time. By signing, you also indicate that you understand and agree if you fail to fulfill the program conditions, the grant funds you received will convert permanently to an unsubsidized Direct Loan with accrued and capitalized interest that you are required to repay. The accrued interest will be calculated from the date the grant funds were first disbursed to you, or disbursed toward the payment of your university charges.

Once the grant converts to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

Teaching obligation

To prevent the TEACH Grant from converting to an unsubsidized loan that you must pay back with accrued and capitalized interest, you must:

• Teach full time in a high-need field in an elementary or secondary school serving low-income students, and
• Teach in a qualifying school for at least 4 academic years within 8 calendar years after completing your program of study in which you received your TEACH Grant.

If you do not complete the required teaching obligation, your grant converts to an unsubsidized Direct Loan, with interest charged and capitalized from the date you first received the grant. The result can be a significant loan burden that you must repay.

Note: Qualifying schools serving low-income students are listed in the U. S. Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.

Prevent your grant from converting to a loan

To prevent your grant from converting to an unsubsidized Direct Loan, you must frequently and regularly communicate in writing and provide documentation to the U. S. Department of Education that you are either:

• Still enrolled in a teacher education program that will prepare you to fulfill your teaching obligation, or
• You are not yet employed as a full-time teacher, but you still intend to meet the terms and conditions of your teaching service obligation, or
• You are employed as a full-time teacher in accordance with the terms and conditions of your teaching service obligation and will document it at the end of each of the four required academic years of your teaching

If you temporarily cease enrollment in an eligible program or are temporarily unable to begin or continue teaching a high-need subject at an eligible school, you must contact the U. S. Department of Education to assess your options and provide whatever documentation is needed to prevent your grant from permanently converting to an unsubsidized Direct Loan.

Once your grant converts to a loan, for whatever reason, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

Amount

• Up to $4,000 per year if attending full time (reduced if attending less than full time). TEACH Grant is subject to federal sequestration, and the maximum award is adjusted each year.

The TEACH Grant, along with all other types of financial aid and resources you receive, cannot exceed the cost of attendance.

How to apply

1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
2. Contact the Cal Coast Student Financial Center to express your interest in the Federal Teach Grant. In conjunction with the SDSU College of Education, we will determine whether or not you are eligible for the grant and will communicate with you directly via email as to your eligibility and next steps.  

* TEACH Grant may affect your other financial aid awards.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are currently receiving a California Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) award, TEACH Grant may reduce or eliminate your MCS eligibility requiring you to pay back part or all of your MCS award. Be sure to speak with a financial aid counselor before requesting TEACH Grant.