To Apply for
the TEACH Grant
- Obtain a Personal Identification Number (PIN) from the U.S. Department of Education.
- Complete the FAFSA by March 1 (priority filing date).
- (NIU's School Code is 001737)
- Eligible students will be notified through their NIU email.
- Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve.
- Complete the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant Program form with your academic advisor.
- Respond to requests by the U.S. Department of Education confirming your continuing intention to meet the teaching obligation.
- Submit the completed form to the Student Financial Aid Office (please include a copy of agreement to serve and entrance counseling).
TEACH Grant
The new Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants for graduate and undergraduate students who intend to:
- teach full-time
- in high-need subject areas
- for at least four years
- at schools that serve students from low-income families
Failure to complete the required four-year teaching obligation will result in repayment of grant funds awarded in the form of an interest bearing Stafford Loan.
For more information regarding the TEACH Grant program please see:
Eligibility Requirements
To receive a TEACH Grant, you must:
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Even though students do not have to demonstrate financial need, this application still needs to be completed.
- Meet the eligibility requirements for federal student aid. Generally this means that you are a citizen or permanent resident, you are not defaulting on a student loan or owe a repayment on a federal grant and you are meeting NIU's standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (Graduate Student's Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress)
- Be enrolled in a program of study designated as TEACH Grant-eligible. Eligible programs are those that prepare a student to teach in a high-need area. Make sure to research to see if your program of study is TEACH Grant-eligible at NIU.
- Must have a 3.25 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) on your college coursework (to receive a grant for each subsequent term)
- Be currently enrolled at NIU as a Junior, Senior or Graduate Student. This grant is not available for post-baccalaureate students.
Contractual Teaching Agreement
TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay
Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement) that will be available electronically on the Department of Education's Web site.
The TEACH Grant service agreement specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgment of understanding 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 first disbursed.
Teaching Obligation
To avoid repaying the TEACH Grant with interest you must be a highly-qualified, full-time teacher in a high-need subject area for at least four years at a school serving low-income students. You must complete the four years of teaching within eight years of finishing the program for which you received the grant. You incur a four-year teaching obligation for each educational program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, although you may work off multiple four-year obligations simultaneously under certain circumstances. Specific definitions of these terms are included below.
- Highly-Qualified Teacher -You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher, which is defined in federal law. In order to be a highly–qualified teacher, you must meet the certification requirements of the State of Illinois Department of Education.
- Full-Time Teacher - You must meet the state’s definition of a full time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching one of the high-need subject areas. Elementary teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement.
- High-Need Subject Areas
- Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
- Foreign Language
- Mathematics
- Reading Specialist
- Science
- Special Education
- Schools Serving Low-Income Students -Schools serving low-income students. This includes any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.
Grant Funding
Students who receive the TEACH Grant may receive up to $4,000 per year in funds:
- up to $16,000 for undergraduate study
- up to $8,000 for graduate study
Part-time students are eligible, but the maximum grant will be reduced if the student is not a full-time student.
Resources
For more information on the TEACH Grant, please the links below:
