The TEACH Grant Program

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program (TEACH Grant Program) awards grants to students who intend to teach, to help pay for the costs of their postsecondary education. As a condition for receiving a TEACH Grant, a student must agree to perform four years of full-time qualifying teaching service within eight years after ceasing enrollment at the school where they received the grant. If a TEACH Grant recipient fails to meet the service obligation requirement, all TEACH Grants they received are converted to Direct Unsubsidized Loans that must be repaid in full to the U.S. Department of Education (the Department), with interest.

This volume of the Federal Student Aid Handbook describes the eligibility requirements for a student to receive a TEACH Grant and the required counseling for TEACH Grant recipients, explains the terms and conditions of the TEACH Grant service obligation, and provides schools with guidance on calculating TEACH Grant awards.

This volume is new to the Federal Student Handbook for 2023-24. It consolidates into a single volume everything that was previously in Volume 3, Chapter 4 (“Calculating TEACH Grants”), information on TEACH Grant disbursement requirements that was previously in Volume 3, Chapter 1, the information on TEACH Grant student eligibility requirements that was previously in Volume 1, Chapter 5, the guidance on TEACH Grant counseling requirements that was previously in Volume 2, Chapter 6, and information on TEACH Grant packaging and overawards that was previously in Volume 4, Chapter 3.

In consolidating all TEACH Grant-related guidance into a single volume, we have attempted to eliminate duplicative content while ensuring that all relevant information previously in other volumes has been included in the new volume.

New Volume 9 is divided into three chapters:

The Consider Teachers Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-49) made numerous changes to the terms and conditions of the TEACH Grant program in section 420N of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (the HEA). In general, the Consider Teachers Act simply incorporated into the statute previous regulatory changes to the TEACH Grant Program that took effect in 2021. However, the new law also replaced the previous statutory requirement for TEACH Grant recipients to serve as highly qualified teachers (as that term was previously defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) with a requirement for grant recipients to meet all state teacher certification requirements. We have updated the information in Chapter 2 on the TEACH Grant service obligation requirements to reflect this statutory change. Certain other changes made by the Consider Teachers Act will not be implemented until the Department issues new regulations in the future. These other changes do not alter any of the current requirements related to determining eligibility for and awarding TEACH Grants.

In Chapter 1, we have revised the information on teaching in a high-need field and the academic eligibility requirements for receiving a TEACH Grant (previously in Volume 1, Chapter 5) for greater clarity. We have removed the “School without a traditional GPA example” that was previously in Volume 1, Chapter 5. We believe that this is an uncommon situation, and the general guidance on academic eligibility requirements adequately explains the policy illustrated in the example. Also in Chapter 1, we have added the definition of “postbaccalaureate program” to supplement the regulatory citation that was previously in Volume 1, Chapter 5.

In Chapter 2, we have expanded the information on TEACH Grant counseling and the Agreement to Serve or Repay to include additional detail.

The Department recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic created many unique challenges for postsecondary institutions. We provided a variety of special guidance and regulatory flexibilities due to the President’s declaration of the COVID-19 national emergency on March 13, 2020. In addition, Congress passed legislation offering relief from certain statutory requirements related to the Title IV, HEA programs.

With the end of the COVID-19 national emergency (April 10, 2023) and the public health emergency (May 11, 2023), most COVID-19 waivers will sunset during the 2023-24 award year. For guidance on the sunset of the COVID-19 waivers and flexibilities and other COVID-19 related guidance, please see the following webpages and Electronic Announcements: