Teacher Credential Students

Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH Grant)

Through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, Congress created the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program that provides grants of up to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school which serves students from low-income families.

To receive a TEACH Grant you must:

1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
2. Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen.
3. Be enrolled in a credential or graduate program leading towards teaching in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.
4. Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework in math, science, special education, bilingual education, computer, Foreign Language, English/Drama/Humanities, multiple subjects, History/Social science or Reading Specialist. Such coursework may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher).
5. Meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally, scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25).
6. Complete TEACH Grant entrance counseling each year you receive a TEACH Grant award.
7. Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve each year you receive a TEACH Grant award.
8. Complete TEACH Grant exit counseling each year you receive a TEACH Grant award.

There are conditions to receiving this grant that are not placed on other grants. Please make sure you understand these conditions prior to receiving any funds.

NOTE: The U.S Department of Education estimates that 80% of the students who receive this grant will not be able to fulfill the teaching obligation and their grant funds will convert permanently to an Unsubsidized Direct Loan. Students will then be charged interest from the date the grant(s) disbursed.

Award Amount

For the award year, the TEACH Grant Program provided:

• up to $4,000 per year if attending full time,
• up to $3,000 per year if attending 3/4 time,
• up to $2,000 per year if attending 1/2 time, or
• up to $1,000 per year if attending less than 1/2 time.

The TEACH Grant, along with all other types of financial aid and resources you receive, cannot exceed the cost of attendance.

Conditions

In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students. As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant.

High-Need Field

High-need fields are the specific subject areas identified below:

• Mathematics
• Science
• Special Education
• Bilingual Education
• Computer
• Foreign Language
• English/Drama/Humanities
• Multiple subjects
• History/Social Science
• Reading Specialist

These are teacher subject shortage areas (not geographic areas) that are listed in the Department of Education's Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing.

Schools Serving Low-Income Students 

Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary schools that are listed in the Department of Education's Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.

TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve that is available on the Department of Education website. The TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgment by you that you understand that if you do not meet the teaching service requirements you must repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date the grant funds were disbursed. Specifically, the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve will provide that:

1. For each TEACH Grant-eligible program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, you must serve as a full-time teacher for a total of at least four academic years within eight calendar years after you completed or withdrew from the academic program for which you received the TEACH Grant.
2. You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher at a low-income school. The term highly-qualified teacher is defined in section 9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 or in section 602(10) of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.
3. Your teaching service must be in a high-need field.
4. You must comply with any other requirements that the Department of Education determines to be necessary.

Documentation

You must confirm with the U.S. Department of Education within 120 days of completing or otherwise ceasing enrollment in your teacher preparation program that you are fulfilling (or plan to fulfill) the terms and conditions of your service agreement. You must document your teaching service, and your documentation must be certified by the chief administrative officer at the school where you teach. It is your responsibility as a TEACH Grant recipient to maintain communication with U.S. Department of Education.

Canceling your TEACH Grant

If you decide that you don't want a TEACH Grant (or if you want to receive less than the full amount for which you are eligible), you can cancel all or part of your TEACH Grant by notifying the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships:

1. 14 days after the date the school notifies you of your right to cancel all or part of the TEACH Grant 
   or
2. The first day of the school's payment period.

Important Reminder

If you receive a TEACH Grant but do not complete the required teaching service, as explained above, you will be required to repay the grant(s) as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Direct Loan, with interest accrued from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.

Federal Pell Grant

Students working towards a teacher certification program and have not previously earned a post-baccalaureate degree may be eligible for a Pell Grant for a maximum of 48 attempted units. Student must be enrolled in at least six Pell eligible units and be making satisfactory academic progress. The award amount is determined based on the student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the cost of education and the student's enrollment status. All teaching credential students automatically apply for this Grant by submitting the Free Application For Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA).

Preliminary Credential Core Courses (by Credential Programs)

To determine what Credential Program category you are in, please look at the following questions:

1. Are you pursuing a 'Single Subject', 'Multiple Subject', or 'Special Education' credential program?
2. Are you in an 'Intern' credential program or a 'Traditional' credential program?
3. If you are pursuing a Multiple Subject credential, are you in a 'BCLAD program or a non-BCLAD' program?

Listed in the tables below are Core credential courses that can be counted as units toward Pell Grants, State University Grant, Dream Grant and/or Cal Grants.

State University Grant (SUG)

Students enrolled in course through the College of Extended Learning are not eligible to receive State University Grant (SUG).

Eligibility criteria:

1. Must be a California resident;
2. Admitted into classified Credential program (conditionally classified does not meet criteria);
3. Enrolled 6 units or more of core credential courses listed above;
4. Enrolled in a first credential program. Student not eligible if enrolled in a 2nd Credential or beyond;
5. Meet the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) range;
6. Cannot accumulate more than 45 earned units or units cannot exceed required length of Credential program.

The maximum annual SUG award is up to tuition/fee, SUG does not cover additional campus charges. Any state resident who applies for financial aid will automatically be considered for this program. SUG funding is limited and based on the availability of funding at time of review of a student’s financial aid record.  You may not receive SUG if you are receiving another type of aid that pays your tuition fee costs.

Middle Class Scholarship (MCS)

The Middle Class Scholarship is a program that provides undergraduate students, and teaching credential students, with family incomes and assets up to $177,000, a scholarship to attend University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) campuses. If you are selected to receive the MCS, you will be notified by the Student Aid Commission.

MCS scholarshops are not set amounts and may vary by student and institution. The award is determined after you are awarded any Federal Aid, State Aid and Institutional Aid for which you are eligible. The final award amount will also be based on the number of students eligible for the MCS statewide and the funding allocated by the State Budget. To apply, complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) or the California Dream Act Application.