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New Mexico State University
Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Services

TEACH Grant Program – Now Available at NMSU

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants of up to $2,000 per semester and up to $4,000 per year in “grant” aid to eligible undergraduate and graduate students. Eligible undergraduate students may not receive more than $16,000 and graduate students may receive no more than $8000 in total TEACH Grant. Students enrolled less than full-time will have their TEACH Grant prorated based on enrollment hours. The amount of TEACH Grant awarded when combined with other student aid may not exceed a student’s cost of attendance (COA).

Effective Dates The first TEACH Grants will be awarded to eligible students for the 2008–2009 school year.

Conditions In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, students must agree to serve as a full-time teacher at specified schools serving low-income students and teach in a specified field for four academic years within eight years after completing the college course. TEACH Grant recipients that do not fulfill their teaching obligations must repay the “grant” as if it were a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan with interest accruing from the date the grant(s) was disbursed.

Student Eligibility Requirements To receive a TEACH Grant at NMSU you must meet the following criteria:

  1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) @ www.fafsa.ed.gov , although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
  2. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
  3. Completion of Admission to the Teacher Education Program (TEP) or admission to the program for Reading Specialist.
  4. Be fully admitted to The Teacher Education Program (TEP) and enrolled in a program of study designated as TEACH Grant eligible
    • Eligible programs of study at New Mexico State University are:

      Elementary Education/Bilingual Education
      Elementary Education/Teaching English-Second Language
      Early Childhood Education/Bilingual Education
      Special Education
      Special Education/Elementary Ed
      Special Education/Secondary Education
      Secondary Education/Secondary Math
      Secondary Education/Secondary General Science
      Secondary Education/Secondary German
      Secondary Education/Secondary Spanish
      Secondary Education/Secondary French
      Education/Science
      Education/Math
      Education/Bilingual Multicultural Special Education
      Education/Early Childhood Special Education
      Education/Special Education/Deaf-Hard of Hearing
      Education/Reading
      Reading

  5. Meet one of the following academic achievement requirements:
    • Score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test (e.g. SAT, or ACT) or
    • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) on your college coursework to receive a grant for each subsequent term.
  6. Complete the TEACH GRANT Entrance Counseling session.
  7. Complete TEACH Grant annual counseling and exit counseling as required.
  8. Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay and respond to requests by the U.S. Department of Education confirming your continuing intention to meet the teaching obligation.

Teaching Obligation
To avoid repaying the TEACH Grant with interest you must be a highly qualified, Fulltime teacher in a high need subject area for at least four years at a school serving low-income students. You must complete the four years of teaching within eight years of finishing the program for which you received the grant.

Specific definitions of TEACH Grant terms:

  • Highly Qualified Teacher: You must perform the teaching service as a highly qualified teacher, which is defined in federal law. The definition can be found online here.
  • Full Time Teacher: You must meet the state’s definition of a full time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching one of the high need subject areas.
  • High Need Subject Areas
    • Early Childhood with Bilingua/TESOL Endorsement
    • Foreign Language
    • Mathematics
    • Reading Specialist
    • Science
    • Special Education
    • Other teacher shortage areas listed in the Department of Educations Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing here.
  • Schools Serving Low-Income Students: Schools 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 can be found here.

Other Important Links

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GET A TEACH GRANT
TEACH GRANT AGREEMENT TO SERVE WEB USER GUIDE
SIGN THE TEACH GRANT AGREEMENT TO SERVE
TEACH GRANT EXIT COUNSELING
TEACH GRANT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS