(LifeWire) - Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Basics:
The federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education grant provides aspiring teachers in college with funds up to $4,000 per academic year in exchange for a commitment to later teach at a low-income primary or secondary school. If the pledge is not fulfilled within eight years, the aid defaults into a Direct Stafford loan. The TEACH grant is not based on financial need.
Qualifying for a Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant :
Among the criteria to be eligible for the TEACH grant, prospective teachers must be in an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate program at a TEACH-aligned institution; be on an education professional track; and score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or maintain at least a 3.25 grade point average. Then applicants must meet the commitment: to serve as a full-time instructor in a high-need field (say, mathematics) at a low-income K-12 school for four of the first eight years after completing the TEACH-subsidized program. If the agreement is unfulfilled, TEACH grant recipients have six months to enter repayment to the U.S. Department of Education.
Applying for a Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant:
The process begins with the student finding out from his or her college's financial aid office if the school participates in the TEACH program. Then the student should fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
