Federal TEACH Grant

TEACH Grant Basics

The Federal TEACH Grant was established in 2008 to provide grant support to students who are committed to teach in teacher shortage fields in low-income serving schools. Recipients are required to teach as a highly qualified teacher in a high need field at a low-income school for 4 years within 8 years of completing their program. If a student fails to fulfill their service obligation, their Federal TEACH Grant will be converted to an unsubsidized Direct loan. Interest will then be calculated from the point the grant funds were originally disbursed to the recipient. For more detailed information, please see the US Department of Education's TEACH Grant Fact Sheet.

Application Process

1. Attend a TEACH Grant information & counseling session to be sure the Federal TEACH Grant is an appropriate program for you.
2. Complete the Lewis & Clark Federal TEACH Grant Application and submit it to Student Financial Services.
3. Complete an Agreement to Serve with the US Department of Education.
4. Once Student Financial Services receives both the Federal TEACH Grant Application and notification that the Agreement to Serve has been signed, we will award the Federal TEACH Grant.

Highly Qualified Teacher

To have teaching service count toward the TEACH Grant service obligation, recipients must meet the definition of a Highly Qualified Teacher according to the No Child Left Behind rules. Click here to visit the US Departmet of Education's site which discusses the definitions of a Hightly Quailfied Teacher

High Need Fields

• Math
• Science
• Bilingual Education
• English Language Acquisition
• Special Education
• Reading Specialist
• Other high need fields defined at the state level. Click here for a listing

Low Income Serving School

To satisfy the terms of the TEACH Grant, teaching service must be performed at a public or private elementary or secondary school that is listed in the US Department of Educations' Annual Directory of Designated Low-income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits. These are typically schools which serve a large number of students from low-income families and also any schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education.

Conversion to Loan

Should a TEACH Grant recipient fail to perform the service obligation of the TEACH Grant, their funds will be converted to a loan. Once a grant has been converted to a loan it cannot be changed back. Interest will be calculated retroactively from the date the funds were originally disbursed. The loan must then be repaid as an Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan. If the loan is not paid accouring to the terms, it will go into default and may result in a number of negative consequences including adverse credit reporting, eligibility for further federal aid, wage and tax refund garnishment, and/or litigation.