TEACH Grant
If you plan to teach in a high-need field and in a low-income school, you need to learn about the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant! This is a federal grant and many of the majors and minors qualify you to teach anywhere in the U.S. Review this website for a list of state-specific high-need fields: Teacher Shortage Areas.
TEACH Grant recipients can receive up to $4,000 per year for four years as an undergraduate and two years as a graduate student.
- Eligible graduate students must contact our office to request to have the TEACH Grant added to their financial aid offer
- Due to federal sequestration, the maximum TEACH Grant is $3,772 for the 2023-24 academic year
To qualify for a federal TEACH Grant you must:
- Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Complete the FAFSA
- Score above the 75th percentile on the ACT or SAT (undergraduate students only) OR maintain a GPA of at least 3.25 (undergraduate and graduate students)
- Be enrolled as an undergraduate (first Bachelor's degree only) or graduate student
- Be in a qualifying major or minor
- Sign an agreement to teach full-time in a low-income school and in a high-need field for four academic years within eight calendar years after graduation
- Be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
High-Need Fields
- Mathematics;
- Science, including, but not limited to, computer science;
- Foreign language;
- Bilingual education;
- English language acquisition;
- Reading specialist;
- Special education; or
- Any other field that has been identified as high-need in the annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing (Nationwide List).
2024-2025 Qualifying Majors and Minors
Undergraduate Students
- 21B *Basic Science (K-8)
- 21I *Mathematics (K-8)
- 21S *Social Studies (K-8)
- 21V Mid Level Dual
- 22J *Instructional Strategist
- 22K *Early Childhood Special Education
- 22L *Instrcnl Strgst I:Mild/Mod K-8
- 22U *Instrcl Strgst I: Mild/Mod 5-12
- 22W *Inst Strat II: Int Dis K-12
- 23L *Literacy Education
- 23M *Literacy Ed: Reading (K-8)
- 23N *Literacy Ed: English/LA (K-8)
- 23R *Literacy Education (5-12)
- 33K Technology & Engineering Education
- 33Y *Technology Education-Teaching
- 52A Music Education: Choral
- 52I Music Education: Instrumental
- 52J Music Education: Jazz
- 60A *Art Education-Teaching (K-8)
- 82A All Science Teaching
- 82J Middle/Junior High Science
- 90 Social Studies Major
- 96M *History Soc Sci End-Teaching
- 143 Business Teaching
- 210 ^Early Childhood
- 212 Elementary Education
- 222 Elementary Ed 2+2 Online
- 223 Elem. Ed for Paraeducator
- 411 *Health Education
- 420 Physical Education
- 514 *Deaf Hard Hearing-Teaching
- 600 Art Education
- 620 ^English Teaching
- 629 ^TESOL
- 698 TESOL/Spanish
- 780 ^Spanish
- 800 ^Mathematics
- 829 *STEM Education
- 844 ^Biology
- 865 Chemistry
- 870 ^Earth Science
- 880 Physics
- 88H Physics Teaching - Honors Research
*Indicates Minor only
^Indicates Major or Minor
Graduate Students
- 242 Special Education: Field Specialization
- 28C #Counseling: School Counseling
- 353 School Library Studies
- 62T TESOL
- 696 TESOL/Spanish
- 78T Spanish: Teaching Emphasis
- 80A Math for Middle Grades (4-8)
- 80K Mathematics: Secondary
- 821 Science Education
- 827 Science Education: Earth Science
- 828 Science Education: Physics
#Students must have completed a teacher education program as an undergraduate
TEACH Grant Requirements
In order to receive the TEACH Grant, you must accept it on your financial aid offer. You must also complete two online requirements on the Federal Student aid website.
TEACH Grant Frequently Asked Questions
- What do I need to do to receive the TEACH Grant each year?
- Complete a FAFSA every year
- Be enrolled in a TEACH-eligible program of study (see list of qualifying majors and minors above)
- Meet certain academic achievement requirements (score above the 75th percentile on one or more portions of an ACT/SAT test or maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25).
- Complete two online requirements of TEACH Grant Entrance Counseling and the TEACH Agreement to Serve or Repay every year.
- Be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress
- What is the GPA requirement for the TEACH Grant?
You may qualify for the TEACH Grant if you have a 3.25 GPA. If you qualify by GPA, you must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 in order to continue to receive the TEACH Grant. If you drop below a 3.25 GPA, you’ll lose the grant until you increase your GPA to at least 3.25.
- What is the TEACH Grant Service Obligation?
In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must agree to:
- Serve as a full-time highly-qualified teacher for four elementary or secondary school years at a school or educational service agency that serves low-income students;
- Teach more than 50% of your day in a high-need field; and
- 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 where you received the TEACH Grant.
- If you do not meet the requirements of your service obligation, all of the TEACH Grants you received will be converted to Direct Unsubsidized Loans. You must repay these loans in full, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.
- What happens if I end up not following through the “agreement to serve”?
If you do not complete the Service/Teaching Obligation that accompanies the TEACH Grant, it will convert to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan that you’ll be required to repay. You will be required to complete Conversion Counseling which reviews loan repayment and responsibilities.
- What if I accept the TEACH Grant and then decide I don’t want it anymore?
If you no longer wish to receive the TEACH Grant and know for sure you will not be completing the service obligation, you should contact MOHELA to request they convert the grant to a loan. Repayment of the loan will not begin until your six-month grace period (starts after you graduate or cease to be enrolled half-time) is over.
If you decide you no longer want the grant and it is accepted but not paid, you simply need to contact our office and request that we cancel the grant and remove any checklist items concerning the grant from your To-Do List, in the Student Center.
If you decide you no longer want the grant and it has already paid towards you bill, you have a couple options (we cannot cancel a disbursement after 120 days):
- You can request we cancel all future disbursements and keep the amount already accepted for current semester. However, you should expect that any paid grant amounts will convert to an unsubsidized loan.
- You can request we cancel any funds for the current term that have disbursed up to 14 days after disbursement, and all future disbursements, without further action. However, you will be required to pay the bill that is generated due to us charging back the grant.
- You can request we cancel any funds for the current term that have disbursed. However, after 14 days, you will be required to bring in a check for the amount we will be canceling (charging back to the bill).
- How can I find out if a school I am interested in or am teaching at is considered “low income”?
Elementary and secondary schools (public and private) and educational service agencies serving low-income students are listed in the annual Teacher Cancellation Low-Income (TCLI) Directory. In addition, all elementary or secondary schools operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)d on Indian reservations by Indian tribal groups under contract or grant with the BIE qualify as low-income schools, even if they’re not listed in the TCLI Directory.
- What if the school I want to teach at is not on the low-income directory or my school falls off the directory?
Just because the school is not on the low-income directory now, does not mean that it will never qualify. Let’s say your third year of teaching your school ends up on the directory; your third year of teaching would count as your first year of the service obligation being completed. Even if the school falls off the directory the next year, you can stay where you are and have the following years count towards the service obligation.
- Who do I contact if I have questions about my TEACH Grant and employment after I leave UNI?
If you have questions about your TEACH Grant certification, contact the TEACH Grant servicer, MOHELA, at 1-888-866-4352.