TEACH Grant Program

The federal TEACH Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year* ($16,000 total for four-year undergraduate programs; $8,000 total for graduate studies) in grants to students who plan to teach full-time in high-need subject areas at schools that serve students from low-income families. Three-quarter-time students can receive up to $3,000 per year; half-time students can receive up to $2,000 per year; and less-than-half-time students can receive up to $1,000 per year.

Due to federal sequestration: TEACH Grants disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2020, and before Oct. 1, 2021, must be reduced by 5.7 percent from the amount for which a recipient would otherwise have been eligible; and any TEACH Grant that is first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2019, and before Oct. 1, 2020, must be reduced by 5.9 percent.

Because total financial aid must not exceed the Cost of Attendance, receiving a TEACH Grant may reduce your eligibility for other sources of financial aid.

Grant recipients agree to teach for at least four years (within eight years of finishing their teacher preparation program) and to teach high-need subjects in designated schools that serve low-income students. If you do not complete the four-year teaching obligation, your grant will convert to an unsubsidized loan, which you will have to repay with interest calculated back to the date the money was disbursed.

Each year that you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve, a standard service agreement available on the U.S. Department of Education website. When you sign, you are agreeing to repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date the grants funds were first disbursed, if you do not complete the teaching service requirement. If your grant is converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

• Bilingual education and English language acquisition
• World language
• Mathematics
• Reading specialist
• Science
• Special education
• Other identified teacher shortage areas (see the U.S. Department of Education's nationwide listing of teacher shortage areas)

TEACH Grant recipients are required to complete their service in a school serving low-income students. These can include any elementary or secondary school listed in the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Cancellation Low-Income Directory.

To be eligible for a TEACH Grant, you must:

• Meet the basic eligibility for federal student aid programs, including completing the FAFSA
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Be enrolled in coursework or plan to complete coursework toward a career in teaching and/or in a high-need subject area
• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 as a high school graduate and maintain that GPA throughout your academic program (or score above the 75th percentile on at least one battery on a national standardized college admissions test)
• Complete TEACH Grant counseling and sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Service annually

Eligibility Criteria for U-M Students

U-M students must be actively enrolled in either a graduate or an undergraduate teacher certification program administered through the Marsal Family School of Education and be majoring in one of the eligible critical need fields cited above. Note that:

• The University of Michigan does not offer any of the critical need fields as currently defined by the State of Michigan; these are predominately vocational in nature.
• Most elementary teachers, unless teaching English as a Second Language or Special Education, will not meet the full-time teaching requirement in the critical need field. U-M does not offer a Special Education certification program.
• Students pursuing a second bachelor's degree or certification following a first bachelor's degree are not eligible for the TEACH Grant.

Teach Grant-Eligible Programs at U-M

Graduate Master of Arts with Certification (MAC) Programs (major in subject area only):

• K-8 Reading Specialist or ESL only
• Elementary 6-8 Mathematics
• Elementary 6-8 Integrated Science
• Secondary Biology
• Secondary Chemistry
• Secondary Earth/Space Science
• Secondary Integrated Science
• Secondary Latin
• Secondary Mathematics
• Secondary French
• Secondary German
• Secondary Physics
• Secondary Spanish

Undergraduate Programs (major in subject area only):

• 6-8 Language Arts (ESL or Reading Specialist only)
• 6-8 Mathematics
• 6-8 Integrated Science
• Secondary Biology
• Secondary Chemistry
• Secondary Earth/Space Science
• Secondary English (ESL or Reading Specialist only)
• Secondary Integrated Science Comprehensive
• Secondary Integrated Science
• Secondary Latin
• Secondary Mathematics
• Secondary Environmental Studies
• Secondary French
• Secondary German
• Secondary Physics
• Secondary Spanish

Caution: If you are not already committed to teaching a high-need subject in a low-income school, consider this program carefully. Only an estimated 20% of students retain these grants; others who do not fulfill their agreements see their grants converted to unsubsidized federal loans and must pay accumulated interest.

Students who are interested in applying for a TEACH Grant should:

• Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Complete the U.S. Department of Education's Initial Counseling for the TEACH Grant.
• Print and sign the appropriate TEACH Grant Application/Certification for U-M Students form and submit to the U-M Office of Financial Aid. Application/Certification forms are available on our Forms page.
• If approved by a financial aid officer, students will be contacted via email regarding the requirement to sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve.