Federal Financial Aid

Welcome Welcome to the online information session for

the TEACH grant. You will progress through the slides and learn about the purpose of the grant, the requirements for obtaining the grant, the limitations of the grant, and how to apply. Upon completing the orientation you will be given directions describing what you must do to document your participation in this online session.

We hope the presentation is helpful in informing you and answering any questions you have.

What is the TEACH Grant?The Teacher Education Assistance for College

and Higher Education Grant Program, (or TEACH Grant Program), is a federal financial aid program to assist individuals who wish to pursue their degrees in a high needs teacher education field, and to teach in that field in a low income school.

The program is non-needs based.It is a loan forgiveness program, provided you

adhere to the conditions and requirements of the loan.

What is the purpose of the grant?The purpose of the grant is to enhance the

availability of highly qualified teachers to teach in critical shortage subject areas in low income schools.

Will I be “highly qualified” when I graduate from the College of Education at USF?As a graduate of an educator preparation

program in the College of Education at the University of South Florida, you will meet the requirements of a “Highly Qualified Teacher” as defined in No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

What is a critical shortage subject area?These are subject areas that have been

identified by the U.S. Department of Education and the state Departments of Education as having too few teachers to meet the needs of the school districts.

These subject areas are identified each year and are published on the agency’s respective web sites. Later in this session you will be given the URLs for those web sites.

What is a low income school?A low income school is one that has been

identified as having students from low income families. These families are those that have parents or guardians who qualify for free or reduced lunch. The designation is based on the household income.

The U.S. Department of Education has a list of these schools that is updated yearly. Later in this session you will be given the URL for that web site.

What is the possibility of being hired in high need, low income schools?Historically the United States has had low

income schools. The definition could change, but undoubtedly we will continue to have low income schools.

The need for teachers in teacher shortage subject areas in low income schools fluctuates, but more than likely positions will be available. There are no guarantees.

How much is the grant worth?The annual maximum TEACH Grant is worth

$4,000Undergraduate students are eligible to receive a

maximum of $16,000 during their undergraduate degree.

Masters level students are eligible to receive a maximum of $8,000 during their graduate degree.

For part-time enrollment, the award will be prorated based on the number of credit hours taken.

What are the federal academic requirements of the grant?

You must have a 3.2 overall grade point average to be eligible for the loan.

What are USF requirements?You must have been admitted to the College

of Education in one of the critical shortage areas listed later in this presentation.

You must be making progress toward your degree to become a teacher and/or complete an endorsement in a subject area identified by the U.S. Department of Education or the Florida Department of Education. This means you must be taking courses to complete your degree in your program of study in the College of Education.

What must I do for loan forgiveness on this grant?You must teach in a critical teacher shortage

subject in a low income school for a minimum of four years within eight years of graduation.

What majors qualify for this grant?Currently, the following majors qualify for the grant. (The

disciplines are subject to change based on the federal and state designations of critical needs shortage areas.)

Foreign Language EducationB.S. DegreeM.A.T. Degree

Math Education B.S. DegreeM.A.T. Degree

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Science EducationB.S. DegreeM.A.T. Degree

Special EducationB.S. DegreeM.A.T. Degree

Gifted EducationM.A. Degree

Reading SpecialistM.A. Degree

How do I determine if a subject area is a high need field?A stated earlier, high need fields are defined as

teacher shortage areas and are listed by the federal government and/or the state in which you will be teaching.

The federal government website for teacher shortage areas is: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.pdf

The Florida government website for teacher shortage areas is: http://www.fldoe.org/evaluation/pdf/crit1200.pdf

What if I graduate from a high need field and it later becomes a field that is not high needs?You will need to pay back your loan as if it

were an unsubsidized direct loan with interest from the time the loan was made to you.

How do I identify a low income school?As stated earlier, the federal government

publishes the list of low income schools on its web site.

Visit the web site and look up the name of the state or the school district.

https://www.tcli.ed.gov/CBSWebApp/tcli/TCLIPubSchoolSearch.jsp

What happens if I do not fulfill my service obligation?

If you do not teach in a high needs field in a low income school for four years within eight years of graduation, your loan will convert to an unsubsidized direct loan with interest accruing from the date of the loan disbursement.

How do I apply?Complete the Free Application for Federal Aid

(FAFSA). Be sure to include USF’s school code, 001537, in the section that asks for which schools should receive your results.

Attend a TEACH Grant Information Session, or view this PowerPoint presentation if you are enrolled in an online degree program.

Complete the TEACH Grant Online Counseling session each year you receive a TEACH Grant. http://mappingyourfuture.org/oslc/counseling/index.cfm?act=Intro&OslcTypeID=33

Complete the Agreement to Serve (ATS) form each year you receive a TEACH grant. https://teach-ats.ed.gov

Need more information?Contact the USF Financial Aid Office or visit

online information at :

http://usfweb2.usf.edu/finaid/gift_aid/teach.html

You Are Almost Done!Congratulations! You have almost completed

the TEACH Grant Online Information Session.To complete the session, email Dr. Diane

Briscoe at briscoe@coedu.usf.edu with the phrase ‘TEACH Grant Online Orientation Session” in the subject line. In the message portion, indicate you have completed the Online Orientation Session and provide her with your University Identification Number. Upon receipt of your email, she will notify the Financial Aid Office you have completed the session.