Federal TEACH Grant Information

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant is a merit-based Federal Title IV program designed to encourage highly qualified teachers to serve in low-income schools in high-need fields.

Program Requirements

In exchange for TEACH Grant funding, recipients sign an Agreement to Serve with the federal government committing to:

Serve as a full-time, highly qualified teacher* (see definition below) for at least 4 academic years within 8 years of completing the academic program
Teach within certain high-need fields (bilingual education and English language acquisition, foreign language, mathematics, reading specialist, science, and special education) and any other field that has been identified as high-need by the federal government, a state government, or a local education agency, and that is included in the annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing (Nationwide List).
Teach at an eligible school. Schools serving low-income students are indicated for each state via the Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory (TCLI).

Failure to fulfill the program requirements will result in the grant converting to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan at 6.8% interest, which begins from the time the funds were initially awarded. The Department of Education predicts that 80% of the funds awarded will convert to loans. Once converted to a loan, the funds cannot be converted back to a grant.

Application Process

The TEACH Grant program is available for degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students, students enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher credential program and current teachers. To be eligible for the program, each year students must:

Submit the Teach Grant Request Form to the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid at UNCW.
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Be sure to enter the UNCW school code 002984
Sign the Agreement to Serve.
Complete Entrance Counseling.
Officially declare an eligible major to serve in a high-need field (listed above)
Possess a minimum 3.25 GPA (Students who do not initially meet the GPA requirement may also qualify if they scored above the 75^th percentile on one of the batteries in a school admission test)

Award Amount

The TEACH Grant Program awards the following amounts to students who plan to teach full-time in high-need subject areas at schools that serve students from low-income families.

Up to $4,000 per year for full-time students
$2,000 per year for half-time students
$1,000 per year for less than half-time students
Maximum $16,000 total award for undergraduate studies
Maximum $8,000 total award for graduate studies

As required by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (the sequester law), any TEACH Grant where the first disbursement is on or after October 1, 2022 and before October 1, 2023 requires a reduction of 5.7 percent from the award amount for which the student would otherwise have been eligible.

For example:

For any 2021-2022 TEACH Grant first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2021, and before Oct. 1, 2022, the maximum award of $4,000 is reduced by 5.7 percent ($228), resulting in a maximum award of $3,772.
For any 2022-2023 TEACH Grant first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2022, and before Oct. 1, 2023, the maximum award of $4,000 is reduced by 5.7 percent ($228), resulting in a maximum award of $3,772.