TEACH Grant

Students who plan to teach may wish to consider the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. The TEACH Grant is designed for students who intend to teach full time in a high-need field at a public or private elementary or secondary school that the U.S. Department of Education has designated as having a high concentration of students from low-income families.

Please Note: If you are not already committed to teaching a high-need subject in a low-income school, please use caution when considering this possible source of funds. According to some estimates, only 20 percent of students who participate in the TEACH Grant Program will be able to use the funds as grants, while many students will see their funds converted to loans with accumulated interest.

Grant Amount

The TEACH Grant Program will provide 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. The program is available only to students fully admitted into an eligible teaching credential program at CSU Long Beach.

Please note: Because total financial aid must not exceed the cost of attendance, receiving a TEACH Grant may reduce the recipient's eligibility for other sources of financial aid.

Teaching Obligation

In exchange for the TEACH grant, recipients agree to teach full-time for at least four years within eight years of finishing their teacher preparation program. In addition, recipients agree to teach in a low-income elementary or secondary school, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education’s Low – Income School Directory , and agree to teaching in a high need subject area. Grant recipients who are unable to complete any of the service requirements of the TEACH Grant Program will have their grants converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Student Loan. Once the loan is converted, it remains a loan which students must repay -- with interest accruing from the date the grant funds were disbursed.

There is no credit for part-time teaching or partial fulfillment of service.

Each year a grant recipient receives a TEACH Grant, they must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve. When recipients sign the service agreement, they are agreeing on fulfilling the stringent requirements of the program.

High Need Fields

High Need Fields designated by the U.S. Department of Education are:

Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
Foreign Language
Mathematics
Reading Specialist
Science
Special Education
Other identified teacher shortage areas as of the time you begin teaching in that field. These are teacher subject shortage areas (not geographic areas) that are listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a TEACH Grant, you must:

Complete a FAFSA and meet general eligibility requirements for federal student aid
Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
Be enrolled in an eligible credential program pursuing your initial credential
Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and maintain that GPA throughout your academic program (or score above the 75th percentile on a national standardized college admissions test).
Complete TEACH Grant counseling and sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve each year you receive the grant.

Eligible Programs at CSULB

Note: If you are admitted in one of the eligible credential program, but have a previous credential you are not eligible to for this grant.

Undergraduate of Post-Baccalaureate students fully admitted to the following credential programs are eligible for the 2009-2010 academic year:

Single Subject

Spanish
Math
Chemistry
Geoscience
Physics
Biological Science

Education Specialist Level One
Multiple Subject in conjunction with subject matter authorization in Mathematics
Multiple Subject in conjunction with subject matter authorization in Science

How to Apply

Students who are interested in applying for a TEACH Grant at CSULB must:

Complete a 2009-2010 FAFSA
Complete TEACH Grant Student Certification Form
Meet with advisor in room ED1-67
Meet with Credential Advisor
Complete TEACH Grant Counseling
Sign an Agreement to Serve
Submit all information requested on the TEACH Certification Form to the Office of Financial Aid for award processing.

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.