Federal TEACH Grant

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant is for students studying to be educators in a high-needs field. As long as certain criteria are met after graduation, this money does not need to be paid back, unlike a student loan.

A student who, after reviewing the initial eligibility criteria below, believes they meet criteria may submit an application to the Office of Student Financial Aid, at which point their eligibility will be confirmed or refuted by the grant administrator. Find out more about the Federal TEACH Grant.

Award amounts
Enrollment Status TEACH Grants first disbursed onorafter 10/1/2019 and before 10/1/2020 are reduced  by 5.9 percent. During the year you may receive  up to: TEACHGrants first disbursed onorafter 10/1/2020 and before 10/1/2021 are reduced  by 5.7 percent. During the year you may  receive up to:
Full-Time $3,764 $3,772
Three-Quarter Time $2,823 $2,829
Half-Time $1,882 $1,886
Less Than Half-Time $941 $943

*Lifetime eligibility cannot exceed 4 full years of grant funds for undergraduates and 2 full years for graduate students.

Conditions of eligibility

Before applying for the TEACH Grant MSU students must:

  1. Complete a 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
  2. Complete 2020-2021 TEACH Grant Entrance Counseling.
  3. Be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements.
  4. Have achieved one of the following:
    • A score above the 75th percentile on any battery from a nationally-normed undergraduate or graduate admissions test (ACT, SAT, etc). This percentile corresponds to all scores achieved during the same test period (placement tests are not considered)*; or,
    • A cumulative (MSU) GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale. Transfer and first-time students are ineligible for the TEACH grant during their first semester unless the above test score criteria has been met and scores submitted to MSU.*

      * Current, former or retired teachers need not meet these requirements.
  5. If applying as an undergraduate, must not have a prior bachelor’s degree.
  6. Be pursuing an eligible degree. An eligible degree is one that prepares the student to teach in a high‐need  field, generally a BSEd, MSEd, MAT, MATL, or SETL.
  7. Be pursuing an eligible degree in a high‐need field. A complete list of high‐need fields can be found  at http://www.missouristate.edu/FinancialAid/scholarships/TEACHGrant.htm. If enrolled in the Master  of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program, the student must also be enrolled in coursework necessary to  complete a teacher certification in a high‐need field

Steps for receiving the TEACH Grant

  1. Complete a 2020-2021 FAFSA
  2. Thoroughly review the grant application as well as the preliminary eligibility criteria listed below.
  3. Complete Entrance Counseling online. This must be done every year a student wishes to receive the grant.
  4. Submit the two-page application for the grant, complete with your academic advisor’s signature, to the Office of Student Financial Aid. Applications must be submitted annually, and students may submit an application as early as July 1st for the upcoming academic year. The last day to submit an application is two weeks prior to your final day of enrollment for the academic year.
  5. If eligibility is confirmed, accept your grant offer through your My Missouri State. Students will receive email instructions if approved.
  6. Once you have accepted your offer and completed entrance counseling you must sign your Agreement To Serve (ATS) online. Your ATS will not be ready to sign until the first week of fall classes. You receive email when it is available.
  7. Shortly after your ATS is signed your grant will be disbursed to your university account. You will be notified of the amount disbursed and your right to cancel the grant.

2020-2021 High-needs fields

Your major must prepare you to teach in a high-needs field, and the subject you teach must be on the nationwide list for the state you're teaching in during your first year of service. Because the nationwide list changes annually, please verify that your subject is listed that year before you begin teaching.

High-needs fields listed by the Department of Education

  • Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
  • Foreign Language
  • Mathematics
  • Reading Specialist
  • Science
  • Special Education

U.S Department of Education: Teacher Shortage Areas

List of high-needs fields nationally for 2020-2021

List of high-needs fields in Missouri for 2020-2021