The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant was established by the 2007 College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) to encourage highly qualified teachers to serve low income schools in high-need fields.  Participation in the program is optional and was first available for the 2008-09 year.  USC-Columbia began participation in the TEACH Grant program in the Fall of 2009.

TEACH Grant applicants must complete the FAFSA and enroll in a program (major) that prepares them to teach in either a federally defined high-need field¹ or in a field classified as high-need by state².

In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, students must agree to teach a majority of classes in a high-need field at a low-income³ public or private elementary or secondary school, as a highly-qualified teacher.  Students must teach full-time for at least four academic years within the first eight years of completing the program of study for which the TEACH Grant was received.

TEACH Grants will be converted into Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, with interest accrued from the date of disbursement of each grant received, for students who do not meet, in full, all required teaching obligations. Grants converted into loans can never be converted back into grants.

Questions regarding the TEACH Grant may be directed to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.

1. Federally defined high-need fields:
   1. Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition.
   2. Foreign Language.
   3. Mathematics.
   4. Reading Specialist.
   5. Science.
   6. Special Education.


2. Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing (by state): http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.doc


3. Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits: go to https://tcli.ed.gov and click on the Search button.