Federal TEACH Grant

What is the Federal TEACH Grant?

The federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant is a federal program that provides grant funding of up to $4,000 per year to undergraduate and graduate students who are completing degrees that can lead to a career teaching in high need fields at the elementary or secondary level. It is available to students who are eligible to receive federal financial aid from the FAFSA, and who meet all of the requirements.

How is the TEACH grant different from other federal grants?

Most grants are considered “free money” awards, meaning that the funds are provided to the student and nothing is expected in return. The TEACH grant program is different from many grant programs as it has a service obligation attached. Students who receive the TEACH grant agree to do all of the below as part of their service obligation:

  1. Meet all state certification requirements for teaching in the state where they are teaching
  2. To teach full-time for 4 years in a low-income elementary or secondary school, or education service agency serving low-income students, as designated by the U.S. Department of Education
    • This must be completed within 8 years after the student graduates from or otherwise ceases to be enrolled at the institution of higher education where they receive the TEACH Grant
  3. To teach in a high-needs field (as specified by the U.S. Department of Education or other federal agency):
    • Mathematics
    • Science
    • Foreign Language
    • Bilingual Education and/or English Language Acquisition
    • Special Education
    • Reading Specialist
    • Or any field listed on the Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing at the time of service

Students who received the grant are required to complete annual TEACH Grant counseling and sign an Agreement to Serve or Repay, which outlines the conditions of the TEACH Grant, as well as exit counseling when they complete their degree (or stop receiving the TEACH grant for any other reason). More information can be found on this in the application section below.

Students must complete one four-year service obligation for all TEACH Grants they receive (under undergraduate or graduate). If a student is to receive funds both for undergraduate study and graduate study then they must complete one four-year service obligation for all TEACH Grants they receive as an undergraduate, and one four-year service obligation for all TEACH Grants they receive as a graduate.

If the service obligation is not fulfilled within 8 years of completion of the degree, the entire TEACH Grant amount that the student received converts into a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Interest on the Direct Unsubsidized Loan is assessed from the day the TEACH Grant was first received. Students are able to request this conversion at any point if they determine they will not be completing their service requirement.

How Much Will the TEACH Grant award be?

The amount of TEACH grant funding is based on a student’s enrollment status each semester. Students can receive up to a maximum of $4,000 per academic year (summer through spring), with an aggregate maximum of $16,000 for undergraduate degrees, or $8,000 for graduate degrees. The chart below shows the amount of funding received based on enrollment in a semester:

Full Time

Undergraduate: 12 or more credits

Graduate: 9 or more credits

 3/4 Time

Undergraduate: 9-11 credits

Graduate: 7-8 credits

 Half Time

Undergraduate: 6-8 credits

Graduate: 6 credits

 Less than Half Time

Undergraduate: less than 6 credits

Graduate: less than 6 credits
$2,000* per semester $1,500* per semester $1,000* per semester $500* per semester

*The TEACH program is subject to the Budget Control Act of 2011. The final amount of the TEACH Grant will be reduced slightly. Federal Student Aid publishes the amount of the reduction each year. The current reduction ( as of the 25/26 academic year) is 5.70% of the award amount, which results in a maximum annual award of $3,772 ($1,886 per semester) for those enrolled full time.

If a student is to have different enrollment statuses each semester, then the amount of the grant will be adjusted accordingly. For example: if an undergraduate was to enroll full time in the fall, but was half time in the spring, their total award for the year would be $3,000 ($2,829 after reduction).

Who is Eligible for the TEACH Grant?

To be eligible to receive the TEACH grant, a student must meet all of the following requirements:

  1. Eligible to complete the FAFSA and receive federal financial aid and have completed the FAFSA for the aid year in which they wish to receive the grant
  2. Have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher or have scored in the 75th percentile or higher on a college entrance exam (SAT, ACT, GRE, etc.)*
    • For incoming freshman: this will be based on final high school GPA
    • For incoming transfers: this will be based on your GPA at your previous institution
    • For current or continuing UMBC students: this will be based on your cumulative GPA at UMBC at the time you apply for the TEACH grant.
    • *the 75th percentile option only applies to initial eligibility for the TEACH grant, the student must then maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher in all subsequent semesters to continue receiving the award
  3. Be enrolled a TEACH grant eligible degree program (one that will lead to teacher certification)
  4. Be pursuing a content area that is on the high-needs fields list:
    • Bilingual Education and/or English Language Acquisition
    • Foreign Language
    • Mathematics
    • Reading Specialist
    • Science (including, but not limited to, computer science)
    • Special Education
    • Or any field listed on the Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing at the time of service
  5. Complete the required TEACH grant counseling and sign an Agreement to serve (acknowledging the service requirements) for each year that they wish to receive the grant.

Note: once a student receives the TEACH Grant, they must continue to maintain minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 to be eligible to receive the grant funds each semester and/or renew their award for the following year. They must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements to maintain eligibility for federal financial aid.

The TEACH grant coordinator will review the account of all TEACH grant recipients each semester after grades are posted to transcripts. Students whose cumulative GPA drops below 3.25 and/or who fail to meet SAP requirements will have their grant cancelled. Students are able to re-apply for the TEACH grant in future semesters once they have raised their cumulative GPA to 3.25 or higher and/or are meeting SAP requirements.

*These requirements do not apply to select students who are current teachers or former teachers/retirees. Those applying for the grant who are currently actively teaching or whom are a former/retired teacher, and working to obtain a master’s degree should contact the TEACH Grant Coordinator Amanda Copper for more information.

How Can I Apply for the TEACH Grant?

If a student meets the eligibility requirements and are comfortable with fulfilling the service requirement after graduation, they can access and complete the TEACH Grant Application using the link below. Applications are typically reviewed within two weeks of submission. Students will be notified when their application is reviewed, and if any additional information is required.

Students must submit an application each year to continue receiving the grant, as grants are not automatically renewed due to the required counseling and agreement to serve. Reminders to submit renewal applications will be sent before the start of the next academic year to all prior recipients who are eligible and have not yet completed their degree.

2025-2026 TEACH Grant Application

2025-2026 is summer 25 to spring 2026. The last day to submit an application for the 25/26 year is May 1st, 2026.

2026-2027 TEACH Grant Application

2026-2027 is from the Summer 26 semester to the end of the Spring 2027 semester.

My Application was Approved. What Do I Do Next?

Once a student is approved for the TEACH grant, they will receive a notification to complete TEACH Grant Counseling. Once this has been completed, UMBC will be notified and the TEACH grant coordinator will create the student’s award in the federal system (this may take up to 2 weeks). Once the award is created, the student will be notified that can then complete the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve or Repay. Students should then notify the TEACH grant coordinator that they have completed the agreement as a completion notification will not be sent to UMBC. The TEACH grant coordinator will then add the TEACH grant to the student’s award package in myUMBC.

As the TEACH grant is based on enrollment, it may not apply to a balance immediately after a semester starts. Final award amounts will be verified and disbursed on the next Tuesday after the add/drop period ends each semester. If a TEACH grant is added to a student’s award package after the add/drop period has already ended, it should disburse and apply to the balance within 2 weeks.

I’m Graduating! How Do I Fulfill My Service Obligation?

Congratulations! To fulfill your service obligation, you will need to secure a full time teaching position that meets all of the requirements that you agreed to in your Agreement to Serve. Once you have served the required time, you can report your service to Federal Student Aid. Information on how to report your qualifying teacher service can be found on the FSA website.

Have More Questions?

Check the Frequently Ask Questions below! Any other questions about the program can be directed to the office’s TEACH Grant coordinator, Amanda Copper at acopper1@umbc.edu.

If your degree program is a TEACH Grant eligible program, but your application was denied this was likely due to one of two reasons:

  1. You are not eligible to receive federal financial aid OR
  2. You are not pursuing a content area that is on the high-needs fields list

Please check the communication you received for the specific reason for denial.

After you complete Entrance Counseling, our office must manually create your TEACH grant award in the federal portal before you are able to sign the agreement to serve (ATS). We are not able to do this until UMBC is notified and your counseling completion certification is linked up with our system, which typically takes about 5-7 business days. You will receive an email notification when your award has been created and you are able to access the ATS.

As the TEACH grant funding amounts are enrollment based, a student’s enrollment must be finalized and verified before the funding can be released. For students who are enrolled less than full time (less than 12 credits for undergrads, less than 9 credits for grads), enrollment will not be verified until after the add/drop period closes for the semester as students are still able to adjust their schedules until that point. You can find the add/drop deadline for the current semester on the UMBC Academic Calendar.  Awards will typically be applied to the balance within 2 weeks of enrollment being verified.

Any TEACH grants for which the service obligation is not met within eight years following completion of the degree program will be converted to a federal direct unsubsidized loan. These loans enter repayment six months after the date that the TEACH grant is converted, and will accrue interest during that period. The interest rate will be based on whatever the interest rate was on the date that the TEACH grant originally disbursed (meaning grants received in different years may have different interest rates after conversion). Back interest will be added for the period between award disbursement and conversion to a loan.

If at any time after receiving a TEACH grant, you decide that you no longer wish to teach, or you decide not to teach in a low-income school and/or in a high-need field, or for any other reason, you are able to request the conversion of your TEACH grant to an unsubsidized loan through the Federal Student Aid website.

Teaching while you are still enrolled in college and receiving the TEACH grant does not count toward fulfilling the service obligation for that program. The obligation begins after you complete your degree, and only teaching performed after that point can be certified and reported toward your TEACH Grant requirement.