1. Financial Aid & Loans
  2. Types of Aid
  3. Grants
  4. TEACH Grants

TEACH Grants

The TEACH Grant is a federal grant designed to encourage highly qualified teachers to serve in low-income schools in high-need fields.  It requires a service agreement with the potential to convert grant monies paid to a student loan.

About the Grant

  • The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants to students who plan to teach full-time in high-need subject areas at schools that serve students from low-income families.

Amount of Grant

  • $3772 for full-time enrollment per academic year (First disbursed on or after October 1, 2020 and before October 1, 2021).
  • $3764 for full-time enrollment per academic year (First disbursed on or after October 1, 2019 and before October 1, 2020).
  • Students can receive a prorated amount of the TEACH Grant for less than full-time enrollment.

Eligibility

The TEACH Grant Program is available for undergraduate and graduate students.

  • To be eligible for the program, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, and possess a minimum cumulative 3.25 GPA.
  • Students who do not meet the GPA requirement may also qualify if they scored above the 75th percentile on one of the batteries in a school admission test.
  • The TEACH Grant cannot be awarded to a student pursuing a second bachelor’s or second master’s degree.

Commitment

In exchange for TEACH Grant funding, recipients sign an Agreement to Serve committing to certain requirements.

  • Serve as a full-time, "highly qualified teacher" for at least 4 academic years within 8 years of completing the academic program.
    • A "highly qualified teacher", according to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), is a teacher who has obtained full state teacher certification or has passed the state teacher licensing examination and holds a license to teach in the state; holds a minimum of a bachelor's degree; and has demonstrated subject area competency in each of the academic subjects in which the teacher teaches.
  • Teach within certain high-need fields as defined by the U.S. Department of Education
    • Mathematics
    • Science
    • Critical Foreign Language
    • Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
    • Special Education
    • Reading Specialist
    • Other Identified Teach Shortage areas as of the time recipients receive the grant or as of the time they begin teaching in that field.  The “other identified teacher shortage areas” are listed in this publication at www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.doc.
  • Teach at an eligible school

Please note:

  • A program that is Teach Grant-eligible at one school might not be Teach Grant-eligible at another school.  Failure to fulfill the program requirements will result in the grant converting to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, which begins from the time the funds were initially awarded.
  • If you are not already committed to teaching a high-need subject in a low-income school, consider this grant carefully.  The Department of Education predicts that only 20% of students use the funds for grants after graduation.  This means 80% have their funds converted to unsubsidized loans with accumulated interest. Once converted to a loan, the funds cannot be converted back to a grant.

Application and Awarding

TEACH Grant awarding begins in July prior to the beginning of the upcoming academic year. 

  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming academic year.
  • Be accepted into one of the UNC Charlotte eligible degree programs.
  • Complete the Initial TEACH Grant Entrance Counseling session by logging in at StudentAid.gov.  Your federal student aid (FSA) ID is required.
  • The Office of Financial Aid will receive your entrance counseling confirmation within 2 -3 business days of completion and review of your eligibility.
  • If approved, you must accept your TEACH Grant award via your My UNC Charlotte account.
  • Within 3 – 5 working days of your acceptance, your TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS) will be available to sign at StudentAid.gov.

Programs

There are several Undergraduate and Graduate TEACH Grant Eligible Programs at UNC Charlotte.
 

Undergraduate Programs

All undergraduate programs must lead to teacher licensure in order to qualify.

  • B.A. Special Education
  • B.A. in one of these foreign languages with Teacher Licensure Track
    • French
    • German
    • Spanish
  • B.A. or B.S.(grades 9– 12) with Secondary Education Minor
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Physics
    • Earth Science
  • B.A. Middle Grades (in high need subject areas) and Secondary Education (MGSE)
  • B.A. or B.S.  Math with Secondary Education Minor

Graduate Programs

Students seeking K-12 teacher licensure through the Regional Alternative Licensure Center (RALC) are NOT eligible for the TEACH Grant. Approved graduate programs include Graduate Certificate (Teacher Certification), Masters of Arts in Teaching MAT or M. Ed. programs in the following:

  • English as a 2nd Language (TESL, CESL or MESL)
  • Foreign Language
    • French
    • German
    • Spanish
  • Middle Grades Mathematics (MGMA or SMAT)
  • Reading (M. ED or M.A. major in READ)
  • Specific Sciences (grades 9-12)
    • Biology (MSEC/SBIO)
    • Chemistry (MSEC/SCHE)
    • Earth Science (MSEC/SESC)
    • Physics (MSEC/PHST)
  • General or Comprehensive Sciences (grades 9-12, secondary school)
    • Middle Grades Science (MGSC)
  • Special Education (SPAC, SPGC) Adapted Curriculum and General Curriculum

Additional TEACH Grant Resources

View these helpful links for more information.