The University of Michigan will participate in the U.S. Department of Education's TEACH Grant Program, which is being implemented for the first time for the 2008-2009 academic year. The Department of Education will not have final rules and regulations for the program until July 2008. However, the following preliminary information has been released. Note that the eligibility criteria and other terms and conditions could change when the rules are finalized.

AMOUNT OF GRANT:  

The TEACH Grant Program will provide up to $4,000 per year ($16,000 total for four-year undergraduate programs; $8,000 total for graduate studies) in grants to students who plan to teach full-time in high-need subject areas at schools that serve students from low-income families. Three-quarter-time students can receive up to $3,000 per year; half-time students can receive up to $2,000 per year; and less-than-half-time students can receive up to $1,000 per year.

Grant recipients agree to teach for at least four years within eight years of finishing their teacher preparation program and to teach high-need subjects in designated schools that serve low-income students. If you do not complete the four-year teaching obligation, your grant will convert to an unsubsidized loan, which you will have to repay with interest.

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement), which will be available electronically on the U.S. Department of Education web site. When you sign the service agreement, you are agreeing to repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date the grants funds were first disbursed, if you do not complete the teaching service requirement. If the grant is converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

HIGH-NEED SUBJECT AREAS:  

• Bilingual education and English language acquisition
• Foreign language
• Mathematics
• Reading
• Science
• Special education
• Other identified teacher shortage areas

To receive a TEACH Grant, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Be enrolled in coursework or plan to complete coursework toward a career in teaching and/or in a high-need subject area
• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 as a high school graduate and maintain that GPA throughout your academic program (or score above the 75th percentile on a national standardized college admissions test)
• Complete TEACH Grant counseling and sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Service and Promise to Pay each year
• Complete a FAFSA, although you do not have to demonstrate financial need to be eligible

You must confirm within 120 days of completing or otherwise ceasing enrollment in your teacher preparation program that you are fulfilling (or plan to fulfill) the terms and conditions of your service agreement. You must document your teaching service, and your documentation must be certified by the chief administrative officer at the school where you teach.

Specific application instructions, including the application deadline, will be available on this site after final program regulations are released by the U. S. Department of Education. Students interested in applying should:

• Complete and submit an approved signed FAFSA for 2008-2009.
• Check this site frequently for updated information and application instructions.