TEACH Grant

TEACH Grant is sponsored by University of Northern Iowa. Offers grants to students aiming to teach in high-need fields at low-income schools, with a service commitment of four years.

TEACH Grant | Admissions & Aid Administrative Departments Pre-Professional Preparation Online & Distance Education Admissions & Aid open dropdown Online & Distance Education Life on Campus open dropdown Student Health & Wellbeing Support UNI open dropdown 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. Due to federal sequestration, the maximum TEACH Grant is $3,772 for the 2026-27 academic year.

Eligible graduate students must contact our office to request to have the TEACH Grant added to their financial aid offer.

Federal TEACH Information Satisfactory Academic Progress Financial Literacy Requirement Personal Finance Resources Frequently Asked Questions TEACH Grant Eligibility Criteria To qualify for a federal TEACH Grant you must: Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen 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) Science, including, but not limited to, computer science; English language acquisition; Any other field that has been identified as high-need in the annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing (Nationwide List) .

2026-2027 Qualifying Majors and Minors Qualifying Majors and Minors 21S *Social Studies (K-8) 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 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) 80A Math Teaching: Upper Sec Math​ 80C Math Tchg: Secondary Math 82J Middle/Junior High Science 96M *History Soc Sci End-Teaching 222 Elementary Ed 2+2 Online 223 Elem.

Ed for Paraeducator 242 Special Inclusive Education 88H Physics Teaching - Honors Research ^ Indicates Major or Minor 21U Early Childhood Education 42P Leadership in Physical Education 62U TESOL : Applied Linguistics MA 78T Spanish: Teaching Emphasis​ 80A Math for Middle Grades (4-8) 80K Mathematics: Secondary 242 Special Education: Field Specialization 353 School Library Studies 827 Science Education: Earth Science 828 Science Education: Physics 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 Online Counseling TEACH Agreement to Serve or Repay 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).

Accept the TEACH Grant on your financial aid offer . 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 the U.S. Department of Education to request they convert the grant to a loan. Repayment of the loan will not begin until after your six-month grace period, which starts after you graduate or cease to be enrolled half-time.

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 you have been notified of a TEACH Grant disbursement without further action. However, you will be required to pay the bill that is generated due to us charging back the grant. After 14 days of being notified of the disbursement, you will be required to bring in a check for the amount we will be canceling (charging back to the bill).

What if my major or minor is removed from the list of qualifying high-need fields?

You may still receive the TEACH Grant (provided you meet all other criteria) and fulfill the service obligation if the high-need field was on the list at the time you signed your Agreement or received your TEACH Grant, even if that field is no longer designated as high-need when you begin teaching; or at the time you begin teaching in that field, even if the field is later removed from the list.

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 Federal Student Aid .