TEACH Grant
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Up to $3,772 a year (after the sequester cut) if you'll teach a high-need subject at a low-income school; turns into a loan if you don't
- How much
- up to $3,772 a year after the 5.7% sequester reduction (statutory maximum $4,000)
- Who qualifies
- Academic requirement: generally a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 or a score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test. Undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, or graduate students in a TEACH-Grant-eligible program at a participating school. Service obligation: 4 years of teaching within 8 years or the grant becomes a loan.
- For undergrads, grad students
- For education - high-need fields (math, science incl. computer science, foreign language, bilingual education, English language acquisition, reading specialist, special education) students
- U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- When to apply
- Apply any time FAFSA-driven; counseling and the Agreement to Serve or Repay are required each year you receive the grant
- How to apply
- Enroll in a TEACH-Grant-eligible program at a participating school, submit the FAFSA, complete TEACH Grant counseling each year, and sign the Agreement to Serve or Repay
- What you'll need
- FAFSA only
- Last checked
- October 5, 2026, against the official page (studentaid.gov) and page 2
The details
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant. Statutory maximum $4,000 a year, reduced 5.7% by the sequester to $3,772 for awards first disbursed Oct 1, 2020 through Sept 30, 2027. You must sign an Agreement to Serve or Repay: teach full time for four school years in a high-need field at a school or educational service agency serving low-income students, within eight years after leaving school. If you don't, every TEACH Grant you got converts to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan with interest back to each disbursement. High-need fields: math; science (including computer science); foreign language; bilingual education; English language acquisition; reading specialist; special education; or another field on the Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide List for the state where you teach.
More federal and national aid
- QuestBridge National College Matchfull four-year scholarship to a partner college (worth $360,000+; tuition, room/board, no loans)
- Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship Programup to $55,000/yr for up to 4 years (last-dollar after institutional aid)
- Davidson Fellows Scholarship$100,000, $50,000, or $25,000 (one-time)
- Burger King Scholars Program$1,000 to $60,000 (most general-track awards $1,000 or $5,000; up to three $60,000 James W. McLamore WHOPPER Scholarships)
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)$37,000/yr stipend + $16,000/yr cost-of-education allowance to the school, for 3 years
Keep looking
We list programs; we don't decide who gets them. Always check the official page before you apply. Spot something wrong? Tell us.