TEACH Grants

Federal TEACH Grants are available to UW-Madison teacher education students who are admitted formally to a “high-need” teacher education program and who meet specific academic requirements.

Officially-designated “high need fields” include Bilingual Education; Communicative Disorders; English as a Second Language; Family and Consumer Education; Mathematics; Music; Reading Specialist; Science certification areas; Special Education; and World Language Education certification areas. Elementary Education minors in these areas are not TEACH Grant eligible.

To be eligible for the grant, students in these programs must have scored above the 75th percentile on a nationally-normed admissions test or have earned at least a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) in the preceding school year. Students who become eligible for the program via GPA must earn a 3.25 GPA to maintain their eligibility.

Regrettably, because of the structure of our programs and federal regulations, students with a previous degree who are earning certification only (usually referred to as post-baccalaureate or "Education Special" students) are explicitly prohibited from receiving TEACH Grants. Students earning a second degree are eligible for TEACH Grants, as are graduate students completing certification work in ESL, Bilingual Education, or Reading.

Students may receive up to $4000 per year. The maximum aggregate for undergraduates is $16,000 and for graduate students is $8000. Students need not be enrolled on a full-time basis; the award amount will be proportionally reduced. TEACH Grant eligibility is not based on financial need, but applicants must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

All TEACH Grant recipients must meet a specific service requirement after completing their teacher preparation program. Recipients must be a full-time teacher in a “high-need field” in a “low-income” elementary or secondary school for a total of four academic years. This must be accomplished within eight years of their completing a teacher preparation program. “Low-income school” is defined as a public or private nonprofit elementary or secondary school eligible for assistance under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. There are over 1000 schools so designated in Wisconsin. For more specific information, see the following website: https://www.tcli.ed.gov/CBSWebApp/servlet/TCLIStateServlet.

IMPORTANT: Failure to meet the service requirement or to maintain the GPA eligibility requirement results in a TEACH Grant converting to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan at a 6.8% annual interest rate from the point of the initial award. Anything less than the required four full years of service results in grant conversion to loan. The four-year service commitment is required even when students take less than the full grant. Grant recipients who voluntarily leave a teacher education program or who are not permitted to continue remain liable for the conditions of the TEACH Grant.

UW-Madison students must take the following steps to apply for a TEACH Grant:

1. Read the Department of Education synopsis of the TEACH Grant program at http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/TEACH.jsp.
2. Complete the online “initial counseling” available at the following website: https://teach-ats.ed.gov/ats/index.action.
3. If still interested in the grant, complete the “Agreement to Serve” (ATS) at the same site.
4. Students who have not completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should do so (go to www.fafsa.ed.gov).
5. Complete the “UW-Madison TEACH Grant Application Form."
6. Submit a copy of the ATS and the TEACH Grant application form to Education Academic Services, Rust-Schreiner Halls, 115 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI 53715.

Education Academic Services staff will verify that applicants meet all grant requirements, including formal admission to a program and minimum test scores or grade-point average. Applicants will be informed if requirements are not met or that the application has been forwarded to the UW-Madison Financial Aid Office for further processing.

Students who, after reading the Department of Education synopsis and viewing the online initial counseling, have additional questions about the TEACH Grant program can contact Associate Dean Jeffrey Hamm by email at hamm@education.wisc.edu. NOTE: Dean Hamm will not respond to basic questions that are answered on the websites indicated above. For questions about financial aid please contact Senior Financial Aid Advisor Vera Abing at vera.abing@finaid.wisc.edu.

Comments or Problems: easinfo@education.wisc.edu.
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