The TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000* per year to students who agree to serve for four years as a highly-qualified teacher in certain high-need fields at a low-income school.
*On August 2, 2011, Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011. This put into place automatic federal budget cuts known as a “sequester.” For TEACH Grants first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2019, and before Oct. 1, 2020, the award amount must be reduced by 5.9 percent from the award amount for which a recipient would otherwise have been eligible.
Failure to Complete Service Obligation
Recipients who fail to complete the service obligation for this program will have their TEACH Grant(s) converted to Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans. If the grant is converted to a loan, retroactive interest will be applied at a rate of 6.8 percent accrued from the date each grant was originally disbursed. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that approximately 80 percent of students who receive a TEACH Grant will fail to complete the service requirement.
The SOU Financial Aid Office believes it is important for students to thoroughly understand the service requirements for this program and thoughtfully determine whether it is appropriate to participate. Failure to complete the service requirements will greatly increase a student’s college loan debt.
Eligibility
Only students pursuing a first bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree are eligible for a TEACH Grant at Southern Oregon University. Students pursuing only a teacher licensure or a second bachelor’s degree are not eligible.
Students must be actively pursuing course work within a major that will enable them to teach in a federal or state-recognized high-need field, at a low-income school, as a highly qualified teacher.
High Need Fields
Nationally recognized high-need fields are: mathematics, science, foreign language, bilingual education, English language acquisition, special education, and reading specialist.
Individual states may recognize additional fields. These state-recognized fields are only valid for the TEACH Grant if recognized in the state in which you intend to teach. All fields designated by a state are subject to change each year. Individual fields may no longer be considered high need by the time you begin your teaching service and would not then qualify as eligible service for the TEACH Grant.
For any student who submits this application, our office will review eligibility for the grant using information in a student’s current academic record. However, there may be circumstances where the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships will need to request additional information from the student in order to document eligibility.
Academic Requirements
Students must either earn a GPA of 3.25 or better based on their class status (as described below) or have scored in the 75th percentile or better on at least one battery of a nationally normed admission test (such as SAT or GRE).
For students who do not meet the 75th percentile qualifier, their cumulative GPA must remain at or above 3.25 to continue to receive the grant for future terms. GPA is reviewed at the conclusion of every term to determine eligibility for the next term.
Note that the GPA requirements may not apply to graduate students who are current or former teachers.
To Apply
1. Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year
2. Complete the SOU TEACH Grant Application form and email it to finaid@sou.edu
3. Complete an Agreement to Serve with the U.S. Department of Education each year
Advising
We strongly recommend students take advantage of the advising services provided by the School of Education for educator preparation program requirements and career opportunities.
TEACH Grant Exit Counseling
Students who complete or discontinue their TEACH Grant eligible program at SOU are required to complete TEACH Grant exit counseling.