TEACH Grants

Through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, Congress created the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program. The TEACH Program provides grants to students who intend to teach full time for at least four years in high-need subject areas at a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.   

  • Undergraduate study: maximum of $4,000 per year for the first baccalaureate to a maximum of $16,000.
  • Graduate study: maximum of $4,000 per year for a master's degree to a maximum of $8,000.

*Please note that due to Federal Sequestration, new TEACH award amounts will be reduced by 5.70%.  For example, if you were eligible for $4,000 for the year, you will now receive $3,772.   This reduction is in place until October 1, 2024, at which time it is subject to change.

Conditions

In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students (see below for more information on high-need fields and schools serving low-income students). As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant. 

Important: If you fail to complete this service obligation, all amounts of  TEACH Grants that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan.  You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education.  You will be charged interest from the date the grant was disbursed.  Once a grant is converted to a loan it cannot be converted back to a grant.

Student Eligibility Requirements

To receive a TEACH Grant you must meet the following criteria:

  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Be enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student in a postsecondary educational institution that has chosen to participate in the TEACH Grant Program.
  • Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework. Such coursework may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher).
  • Meet one of the following academic achievement requirements: scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test, graduate from high school with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 to receive as a freshman, or maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on your college coursework).
  • Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (see below for more information on the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve).

High-Need Fields

Canisius offers programs in the high-need fields specific below:

  • Adolescence Education with concentration in:
    • Mathematics
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Physics
    • Spanish
    • French
    • German 
  • Literacy (Master's degree program only)
  • Special Education
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (Master's degree and Advanced Certificate Programs)
  • Bilingual Education (Advanced Certificate)

Note:  Other teacher subject shortage areas may be considered “high-needs” in geographic areas outside of Western New York.  See the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing. View the Nationwide Listing. 

Schools Serving Low-Income Students 

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. View the directory and click on the SEARCH button.

Teach Grant Agreement to Serve

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve that will be available electronically on a Department of Education website. The TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgment by you that you understand 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 disbursed. Specifically, the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve will require the following:

  • For each TEACH Grant-eligible program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, you must serve as a full-time teacher for a total of at least four academic years within eight calendar years after you completed or withdrew from the academic program for which you received the TEACH Grant.
  • You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher at a low-income school. The term highly-qualified teacher is defined in section 9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 or in section 602(10) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
  • Your teaching service must be in a high-need field.
  • You must comply with any other requirements that the Department of Education determines to be necessary.
  • If you do not complete the required teaching service obligation, TEACH Grant funds you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan that you must repay, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.

For more information about the TEACH Grant Program, Prospective student should contact the appropriate admissions office.  The Undergraduate Admissions Office is available at 716-888-2200 and the Graduate Education Office may be reached at 716-888-2544. Current students should contact Student Records & Financial Services at 716-888-2600. 

View the official federal government website.