Federal TEACH Grant Information

The Federal College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 established the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program, effective 2008-2009. Mississippi State University is approved to participate in the TEACH Grant Program. The Federal Department of Education's TEACH Grant Program details can be found at: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/teach

If you intend to teach and to major in an academic program that prepares you to teach, you may be interested in the TEACH Grant program to help meet your postsecondary educational costs. In exchange for the grant, you must agree to the following:

  • Serve as a full-time highly qualified teacher in a high-need field.
  • Teach in a Title I elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students.
  • Teach for at least four academic years within eight years of completing the program of study for which you received the grant.
  • If you fail to complete the teaching service requirements, the TEACH Grants that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan for which you will be required to repay, with interest compounded from the date of each initial TEACH Grant disbursement. Once the grant converts to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

TEACH Grant Eligibility Requirements

For each award year that you request a TEACH Grant you must meet the following requirements to be eligible for a TEACH Grant and to enable TEACH funds to disburse to you:

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  2. Meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requirements for federal student aid https://www.sfa.msstate.edu/policies/satisfactory-academic-progress/
  3. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). List MSU's Federal school code (002423) to have results sent to MSU https://studentaid.gov/.
  4. Complete the MSU TEACH Grant Request Form (print form at www.sfa.msstate.edu/forms/ and submit to www.sfa.msstate.edu/dawg-documents/)
  5. Accept the TEACH Grant award listed on your MSU online Award Notification Letter (Log onto MSU myState using your MSU Net ID and Password).
  6. Complete both the U.S. Department of Education's Federal TEACH Grant Initial and Subsequent Counseling session and the Federal Agreement to Serve (ATS) electronically https://studentaid.gov/ (two separate steps to complete at the same website).
  7. Have and maintain a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA each semester enrolled, or have scored above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test. Retirees with high-need field expertise and current teachers working to obtain a Master's degree or former teachers pursuing an alternative route to certification within a Master's degree program do not have to meet the initial GPA/75th percentile requirement, but will need to submit a copy of your teaching license and a signed letter from your teaching employer verifying your employment as a teacher. Retirees with high-need field expertise will need to document their expertise and will need to have their expertise, major, and course-work verified by an MSU Academic Advisor to ensure the TEACH Program's regulations are met.
  8. Be enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student in a postsecondary educational institution that is participating in the TEACH Grant Program. Second bachelor's and second master's degree students are ineligible for a TEACH Grant.
  9. Be enrolled in course work necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such course work. Such course work may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher).

TEACH Grant Exit Counseling

Prior to graduating or leaving school, you must complete the online TEACH Grant Exit Counseling session. This exit counseling session will explain your TEACH Grant Service Obligation and the terms and conditions that apply if your grant is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. To complete the TEACH Grant Exit Counseling, please visit: https://studentaid.gov/teach-exit-counseling/.

TEACH Grant Awards

If you are an eligible full-time student, you may be awarded up to $4,000 per year in Federal TEACH Grant funds. If you are enrolled less than full-time, we will prorate the grant award according to your hours enrolled. The Budget Control Act of 2011 (the Sequester Law) states that TEACH Grants that are first disbursed on or after Oct. 1of the current year, and before Oct. 1 next year, must be reduced by the sequester rate amount percent from the award amount for which a recipient would otherwise have been eligible. The sequester amount percent changes yearly on October 1. TEACH awards are not processed until after the last day to add/drop courses each semester. Once we begin the process, we will notify you via e-mail of your status. TEACH awards are based upon eligibility requirements as listed above, enrollment hours, and other aid received (TEACH cannot exceed your budget/cost of attendance). To ensure compliance with federal regulations, TEACH Grant applicants must have their major/course work verified each semester by an Academic Advisor within their field of study (this advisor is only for TEACH applicants). We will provide you with the advisor contact information via e-mail when we check eligibility requirements.

Summer TEACH Grant Awards

The TEACH Grant Request Form is applicable for the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms, within the same academic year. If you received a TEACH Grant award during the Fall or the Spring term(s), you will not need to complete another TEACH Grant Request Form for Summer.

To be considered for a Summer TEACH Grant award, you must:

  • Have remaining eligibility (not have received your $4,000 annual limit)
  • Meet the above listed eligibility requirements
  • Be enrolled during the Summer term(s)

***If you have not already completed an online TEACH Grant Request Form and you want to apply for a Summer TEACH Grant, please complete it at (www.sfa.msstate.edu/forms/), along with the electronic Federal TEACH Grant Initial and Subsequent Counseling session, and the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Agreement to Serve (ATS), both located at https://studentaid.gov/.

Important TEACH Grant Resources

Highly Qualified Teacher

This will provide guidance to you on the criterion for being a highly qualified teacher

High-Need Fields

The Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing includes the following:

  • Bilingual education
  • English language acquisition
  • Foreign language
  • Mathematics
  • Reading specialist
  • Science
  • Special education: or
  • Another field documented as high-need by the Federal government, a State government, or a Local Education Agency, and approved by the Secretary. This field must be included in the Department's annual nationwide listing (see link above)

(Please note: The Nationwide Listing does not include Elementary Education and several other degree programs/subject areas in the list of high need subject areas).

List of Title I Schools Serving Low-Income Families

This link will provide you with a list of schools that serve low-income students, which includes any elementary or secondary school listed in the Department of Education's Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits