NOTE: The U.S. Department of Education is developing the operational rules for participating in the TEACH grant program. This process should be finalized by July 1, 2008.

Until that time, the Office of Financial Aid at Barton College will not be able to post more detailed information. The content supplied below is to answer some of the questions that have been directed to our office regarding this grant.

If you require more specific information, please contact the U.S. Department of Education at http://www.ed.gov or by phone at 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327).


T.E.A.C.H. GRANT

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant program was created by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. This new grant program will go into effect for the 2008-2009 academic year.

To date, the following requirements have been established:

General Program Requirements

  • The grant must be repaid as a Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan if the student does not fulfill ALL of the requirements of the program. Interest will accrue from date(s) of original disbursement.
  • A student can receive up to $4000 per year for an undergraduate degree ($16,000 aggregate for a 4 year program). A graduate student can receive $4000 per year ($8000 aggregate total).

Student Eligibility Requirements

To receive a TEACH grant, a student must:
  • Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
  • Be a US Citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework. Coursework that will prepare a student to teach in a high-need subject area (e.g. math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher) is acceptable.
  • Meet the following academic achievement requirements:
    • Score above the 75th percentile on one of the following college admissions tests (SAT, ACT, GRE) OR
    • Graduate from High School with a Cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale AND maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout your academic program for which you receive a TEACH Grant.
  • Complete a TEACH Grant counseling form developed by the Department of Education.
  • Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay each year you receivefrom the US Department of Education.

TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement) that will be available electronically on a Dept of Education web site. The TEACH Grant service agreement specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgement by you that you understand that if you do not meet the teaching service requirements you must repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. With interest accrued from the date of the grant funds were first disbursed.

Teaching Obligation

To avoid repaying the TEACH Grant as a loan with interest , you must be a highly qualified, full-time teacher in a high-need subject area for at least four years within eight years of finishing the program at a school serving low-income students.

High-Need Subject Areas include:

  • Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
  • Foreign Language
  • Mathematics
  • Reading Specialist
  • Science
  • Special Education
  • Other teacher shortage areas as listed here.

Schools Serving Low-Income Students

Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school listed here.

Documentation

For each TEACH-eligible program for which you receive TEACH Grant funds, you must also provide documentation to the DOE (Dept of Education) that you completed your teaching obligation. TEACH Grant recipients must also confirm to the Education Department in writing within 120 days of completing or otherwise ceasing enrollment in the TEACH-eligible program that they are fulfilling (or planning to fulfill) the terms and conditions of the service agreement.

Documentation of the teaching service must be certified by the elementary or secondary school’s chief administrative officer, upon completion of four academic years of teaching service. This documentation must show that you were a full-time, highly-qualified teacher at a school serving low-income students, teaching a high-need subject area for at least four years.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

  • FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE TEACHING OBLIGATION OR PROPERLY DOCUMENT YOUR TEACHING SERVICE WILL CAUSE THE TEACH GRANT TO BE PERMANENTLY CONVERTED TO A UNSUBSIDIZED FEDERAL DIRECT STAFFORD LOAN WITH INTEREST. Interest would accrue from the date of the original disbursement.
  • ONCE A GRANT IS CONVERTED TO A LOAN IT CAN’T BE CONVERTED BACK TO A GRANT!