Federal TEACH Grant Program

Undergraduate Students

• Must be admitted into College of Education
• Must be admitted into a shortage area degree program (see section below)
• Must have at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA
• Each year, complete the following on the Federal Student Aid website:
  • FAFSA
  • TEACH Grant Initial/Subsequent Counseling
  • TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

Graduate Students

• Must be admitted into a shortage area degree program (see section below)
• Must have at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA
• Each year, complete the following on the Federal Student Aid website:
  • FAFSA
  • TEACH Grant Initial/Subsequent Counseling
  • TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

Ineligible Student Groups

• Initial Teaching Certificate/Transition to Teaching Students
• Endorsement Program Students
• Incoming Freshmen not yet admitted into the College of Education

In order to be eligible for the TEACH Grant, students must be studying in a high-need shortage area. Students can qualify either through a nationwide shortage area or a state shortage area if they know in which state they plan to teach after graduation.

Nationwide Shortage Areas:

• Mathematics
• Science
• Foreign Language
• Bilingual Education
• English Language Acquisition
• Reading Specialist
• Special Education

State Shortage Areas will change every year and per state. You can check each year's shortage areas on the Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing (Nationwide List).

For your teaching obligation to be met for a state shortage area, your program must have appeared on a state shortage list either:

1. When you begin teaching (even if your shortage area is later removed from the list), OR
2. When you signed your Agreement to Serve or received your TEACH Grant (even if your shortage area is later removed from the list when you start teaching).

To be reviewed for the TEACH Grant, you will need to complete the following each year on the Federal Student Aid website:

1. FAFSA
2. TEACH Grant Initial/Subsequent Counseling
3. TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

You will be notified via email regarding your TEACH Grant eligibility in around a week after completing all items.

Each year, you will need to continue maintaining a 3.25 cumulative GPA and complete the following on the Federal Student Aid website:

1. FAFSA
2. TEACH Grant Initial/Subsequent Counseling
3. TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

TEACH Grant recipients must: 

1. Agree to teach for at least 4 full years
2. These four years must be within 8 years of completing their degree
3. Teaching must occur in a designated school that serves low-income students
4. You must meet your state's definition of a highly-qualified, full-time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51%) of your teaching time on a high-need subject area

If teaching obligations are not met, any TEACH Grant funds that have been received will turn into unsubsidized loan funding that must be repaid with accrued interest.

More can be read about TEACH Grant repayment on the Federal Student Aid website.

A list of schools that serve low-income students can be viewed by state through the Department of Education's annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teach Cancellation Benefits.

For questions about the TEACH Grant or your program's eligibility, please contact the UNK Office of Financial Aid:

• Phone: (308) 865-8520
• Email: finaid1@unk.edu

For questions about applying to the College of Education, please contact the UNK Educator Certification Office: 

• Phone: (308) 865-8264
• Email: ECO@unk.edu

For further resources about the TEACH Grant Program, please visit the Federal Student Aid website.