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TEACH Grant Program

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants up to $4000 to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary school that serves students from low-income families. Visit the federal Department of Education TEACH grant website for more information at: http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/TEACH.jsp

Important Note about the TEACH Grant Program:

Failure to complete a TEACH Grant eligible education degree program, complete the teaching obligation, respond to requests for information, or properly document your teaching service will cause the TEACH Grant to be permanently converted to an unsubsidized Federal Direct Student Loan with interest accruing from the date the TEACH Grant was first disbursed. It is estimated that only 20% 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.

Amount of Grant
Teaching Obligation
Highly-Qualified Teacher
Full-Time Teacher
Schools Serving Low-Income Students
Service Agreement
Eligible Majors in High-Need Subject Areas at Kent State
Eligibility Criteria for Kent State University Students
Documentation
How to Apply

Amount of Grant

The TEACH Grant Program provides up to $4000 per year ($16,000 total for an undergraduate degree; $8000 total for a graduate degree) in grants to full time students who plan to teach full time in high-need subject areas at schools serving students from low-income families. Students attending less than full time will have the grant reduced (three-quarter time students may receive up to $3000 per year; half-time students may receive up to $2000 per year, and less-than-half time students may receive up to $1000 per year).

Please note: Receiving the TEACH Grant may reduce the recipient’s eligibility for other sources of financial aid if the TEACH Grant amount would exceed the student’s cost of attendance.

Teaching Obligation

TEACH Grant recipients must agree to teach for at least four full years within eight years of finishing their teacher preparation program, and to teach high-need subjects in designated schools that serve low-income students. If you do not complete the teaching obligation, your grants will convert to an unsubsidized Federal Direct Student Loan, which you must repay with interest.

Highly Qualified Teacher Requirement

You must perform the teaching service as a highly qualified teacher, which is defined by the U.S. Department of Education. The definition can be found online at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg107.html

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.

Schools Serving Low-Income Students Schools

Schools serving low-income students include 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 at https://www.tcli.ed.gov/CBSWebApp/tcli/TCLIPubSchoolSearch.jsp

Service Agreement

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement) which is available electronically on the U.S. Department of Education web site upon Kent State University’s confirmation of your enrollment in an eligible major. When you sign the service agreement, you are agreeing to repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan, with interest accrued from the date that the grant funds were disbursed, if you do not complete the teaching obligation. Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

Eligible Majors in High-Need Subject Areas at Kent State

Undergraduate Programs: Students must be admitted to the College of Education, Health and Human Services and must declare a major that has been determined to be TEACH Grant eligible by Kent State University. Because Kent State University offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, Post-Undergraduate students are not eligible for the TEACH Grant at Kent State University.

Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE) Eligible Majors:

Bachelor of Arts(BA) Eligible Majors with declared minor in Education:

Graduate Programs: Students must be admitted to the College of Education, Health and Human Services and must declare a major that has been determined to be TEACH Grant eligible by Kent State University. Graduate non-degree students are not eligible for the TEACH Grant.

Eligibility Criteria for Kent State University Students:

At Kent State University, you must:

Documentation
You will need to confirm within 120 days of completing or ceasing to enroll 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.

How to Apply

For more information about the TEACH Grant program at Kent State, contact the Student Financial Aid Office at (330) 672-2972 or finaid@kent.edu.