The TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000* per year to students who agree to serve for four years as a highly-qualified teacher in certain high-need fields at a low-income school.

*On August 2, 2011 Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011. This put into place automatic federal budget cuts known as a "sequester." For TEACH Grants first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2021, and before Oct. 1, 2023, the award amount must be reduced by 5.7 percent from the award amount for which a recipient would otherwise have been eligible.

Failure to Complete Service Obligation

Recipients who fail to complete the service obligation for this program will have their TEACH Grant(s) converted to Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans. If the grant is converted to a loan, retroactive interest will be applied at a rate of 6.8 percent accrued from the date each grant was originally disbursed. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that approximately 80 percent of students who receive a TEACH Grant will fail to complete the service requirement.

The chart below shows an example of the interest charged and repayment amounts for a student who received $16,000 of TEACH Grant funds and failed to meet the service obligation of the program.

	If you pay the interest at the time the TEACH Grant funds are converted to a loan:	If you do not pay the interest and it is capitalized:
TEACH Grant Amount	$16,000	$16,000
Accrued interest from September 1, 2008 to June 1, 2017 (6.8% fixed-interest rate)	$7,708 (paid at time of conversion to a loan)	$7,708 (capitalized)
Principal to be repaid	$16,000	$23,708
Monthly Payment (Standard Repayment Plan)	$184	$273
Number of Payments	120	120
Total Amount Repaid	$22,095	$32,740
Plus: Interest paid at time of conversion	$7,708	0
Grand Total Repaid	$29,803	$32,740

The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships believes it is important for students to thoroughly understand the service requirements for this program and thoughtfully determine whether it is appropriate to participate. Failure to complete the service requirements will greatly increase a student’s college loan debt.

Eligibility

Only students pursuing a first bachelor's degree or a master's degree are eligible for a TEACH Grant at the University of Oregon. Students pursuing only a teacher licensure or a second bachelor's degree are not eligible.

Students must be actively pursuing course work within a major that will enable them to teach in a federal or state-recognized high-need field, at a low income school, as a highly qualified teacher.

High Need Fields

Nationally recognized high-need fields are: mathematics, science, foreign language, bilingual education, English language acquisition, special education, and reading specialist.

Individual states may recognize additional fields. These state-recognized fields are only valid for the TEACH Grant if recognized in the state in which you intend to teach. All fields designated by a state are subject to change each year. Individual fields may no longer be considered high need by the time you begin your teaching service and would not then qualify as eligible service for the TEACH Grant.

For any student who submits this application, our office will review eligibility for the grant using information in a student's current academic record. However, there may be situations where the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships will need to request additional information from the student in order to document eligibility.

Academic Requirements

Students must either earn a GPA of 3.25 or better based on their class status (as described below) or have scored in the 75th percentile or better on at least one battery of a nationally normed admission test (such as SAT or GRE).

Class Status	GPA Standard
Undergraduate freshman students	Earn a high school GPA of 3.25 or better
Incoming undergraduate transfer students	Earn a transfer GPA of 3.25 or better
Continuing UO undergraduate students	Earn a UO GPA of 3.25 or better
Incoming graduate students	Earn an undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or better
Continuing UO graduate students	Earn a UO GPA of 3.25 or better

For students who do not meet the 75th percentile qualifier, their cumulative GPA must remain at or above 3.25 to continue to receive the grant for future terms. GPA is reviewed at the conclusion of every term to determine eligibility for the next term.

Note that the GPA requirements may not apply to graduate students who are current or former teachers.

To Apply

1. Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year
2. Complete TEACH Grant Initial and Subsequent Counseling and the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Repay (Agreement) with the U.S. Department of Education each year

Advising

We strongly recommend students take advantage of the advising services provided by the College of Education for educator preparation program requirements and career opportunities.

TEACH Grant Exit Counseling

Students who complete or discontinue their TEACH Grant eligible program at the University of Oregon are required to complete TEACH Grant Exit Counseling.