Grants for Teachers-to-be are Offered in Exchange for Service

Interim Education Dean Anita Greenwood

For the first time this year, UMass Lowell will be a participant in a national program that rewards the teachers of tomorrow for their pledge of service today.

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program, administered through the U.S. Department of Education, awards up to $4,000 per student per year in tuition-relief to graduate students in education — providing they commit to serving at least four years, following their graduation, teaching a high-need subject area in a low-income school. The program was created through a 2007 act of Congress; the first grants are being awarded this year. 

“There is a severe shortage of math and science teachers nationally and regionally, particularly in high-need districts,” says interim Education Dean Anita Greenwood. “The TEACH grants provide math and science graduates with the opportunity to finance a master’s degree and gain a teaching credential in order to work in a community where their skills and knowledge will be highly valued.”

To be eligible for grants, students must maintain a 3.25 GPA throughout their academic programs, must be enrolled in coursework — or planning to complete coursework — in teaching a high-need subject, and must renew  a service pledge each year of their schooling. They must also fulfill citizenship requirements and complete certain eligibility forms.

The grants are not open-ended.  In the event a student receives a grant award but then fails to complete his or her service commitment — four years of teaching within eight calendar years of graduation —the full amount received will then be converted to a federal unsubsidized, non-reversible loan which must then be repaid, together with interest, from the date the grant was disbursed. 

Some of the high-need subject areas that qualify for TEACH grants are bilingual education, foreign language education, special education, math, reading and science.  Other teacher-shortage areas may be identified from time to time.  The low-income schools identified in the program are listed in a directory published by the Department of Education. These can be accessed at www.tcli.ed.gov, by clicking on the Search button at that site.

For more information on the TEACH program, contact Christine Robbins at the University’s Financial Aid Office (ext. 4230) or Vera Ossen (ext. 4604) at the Graduate School of Education.

- Geoffrey_Douglas