University of Nebraska Kearney

TEACH Grant

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grant assistance to students admitted in either an undergraduate or graduate degree program. It is intended for students who agree to teach full-time in high-need subject areas for at least four years in schools that serve students from low-income families. 

Amount of Grant

The TEACH Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year ($16,000 total for an undergraduate program; $8,000 total for a graduate program).  Students attending less than full time will have the grant reduced (three-quarter time students may receive up to $3,000; half-time students may receive up to $2,000, and less-than-half time students may receive up to $1,000). The amount of grant aid the student receives does not impact the service obligation.    

Eligibility  

• Must be admitted to the College of Education. For information on admission to the College of Education please see Frequently Asked Questions. 
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.  
• Complete a FAFSA, although you do not have to demonstrate financial need to be eligible.  
•  Meet the eligibility requirements for federal student aid. Generally this means you are a citizen or permanent resident, you are not in default on a student loan or owe a repayment on a federal grant and you are meeting UNK’s standard of Satisfactory Academic Progress.  
• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout your academic program, or demonstrate a score above the 75th percentile on a national standardized college admissions test.  
• Be enrolled in an eligible degree program.  
• Recipients of the TEACH Grant must be undergraduate students pursuing their first Bachelors degree or graduate students in a Masters program.  
• UNK students enrolled in either a second Bachelors degree or the Post Bachelor Teacher Certification program are NOT eligible to receive the TEACH Grant.   
• Complete TEACH Grant Entrance/Subsequent Counseling and sign a service agreement each year that you receive a grant. See sections below for information about these requirements.  

TEACH Grant Counseling

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must complete a counseling session. The counseling session provides the information required to make an informed decision regarding acceptance of the grant. Counseling is completed electronically on the U.S. Department of Education web site. UNK will be notified once a student has successfully completed the counseling session.  

Service Agreement

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 website. When you sign the service agreement, you are agreeing to repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. If the grant does convert to an Unsubsidized Loan interest will be charged from the day the grant funds were first received.  Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant. 

Teaching Obligations

Grant recipients agree to teach for at least four full years within eight years of finishing their degree, and to teach high-need subjects in designated schools that serve low-income students.   

• High-need subject areas include:  
• Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition 
• Foreign Language 
• Mathematics 
• Reading Specialist 
• Science 
• Special Education 
• Other teacher shortage areas listed annually in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing. 
• Schools currently 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. 
• You must meet your state’s definition of a highly qualified, full time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching one of the high-need subject areas.
  • Most elementary teachers, unless teaching English as a Second Language or Special Education, will not meet the full-time teaching requirement in the high-need field. 
   

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

For more information about pursuing a TEACH Grant-eligible program, contact the College of Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, (308) 865-8502. You may also consult the factsheet:  Teach Grant Factsheet. 

For more information about receiving a TEACH Grant, contact the Office of Financial Aid at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, (308) 865-8520.  

Teach Grant Eligible Programs at UNK: 

(**Refers to State of Nebraska high-need subjects.)