TEACH Grant

The U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grant funds to postsecondary students who are completing or planning to complete coursework that is needed to begin a career in teaching, and who agree to serve for at least four years as a full-time, highly qualified teacher in a high-need field, in a school serving low-income students. Eligible full-time students may receive $4,000 per year in TEACH Grant funds, up to a maximum of $16,000 for undergraduates and post baccalaureate study, and $8,000 for graduate study. More details can be found on Federal Student Aid’s TEACH Fact Sheet.

BS in Biology Education
BS in Chemistry Education
BS in Math Education
Master of Science in Secondary Education

Master of Arts in Teaching (Secondary Education Only)

• Endorsement in Biology, Chemistry, Math and Special Education
• Note: Copy of certification of endorsement area must be attached to application

In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, 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. Specific definitions of these terms are included below.

You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher, which is defined in federal law. The informational sheet can be found online at: https://studentaid.gov/app/launchTeach.action

You must meet the state’s definition of a full-time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching one of the high-need subject areas. Elementary school teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement.

Other teacher shortage areas are listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide
Listing at https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.d…

Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits at

https://studentaid.gov/app/launchTeach.action.

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve. The Agreement is a legally binding document that defines the teaching obligations you must meet and specifies your repayment obligation if a TEACH Grant that you receive is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. When you sign the service agreement, you are agreeing to repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date that the grant funds were disbursed, if you do not complete the teaching obligation. Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it CANNOT be converted back to a grant.

You will be required to complete online counseling through the financial aid office each year that you accept a TEACH Grant. You will also be required to attend exit counseling when you graduate or leave school. If you receive the TEACH Grant but do not fulfill the requirements of the program, your grant will convert to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan, which you will have to repay with interest calculated back to the date the funds were disbursed. Once it converts to a loan it can never go back to a grant.

At Alcorn State University, you must:

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Financial need is not required.
• Complete Alcorn State University TEACH Grant Application.
• Be enrolled in an eligible program.
• As a Freshmen, you must establish a 3.25 cumulative GPA, continuing students must maintain a 3.25 cumulative GPA to continue eligibility. Your GPA will be monitored on a semester basis.
• Complete a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve with the U.S. Department of Education for each year of participation. The Agreement can be signed at https://studentaid.gov/app/launchTeach.action.
• Complete TEACH Grant Entrance interview for each year of participation at https://studentaid.gov/app/launchTeach.action.
• Serve as a full-time teacher for a total of at least four academic years within eight calendar years after you completed or withdrew from the academic program for which you received the TEACH Grant.
• Perform the teaching service at a low-income school in a high-need filled as outlined at https://studentaid.gov/app/launchTeach.action Attend an exit interview before leaving school.
• Understand that if you receive a TEACH Grant but do not complete the required teaching service, you will be required to repay the grants as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.

Deadlines: