Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program provides grants of up to $4,000 per year to students who agree to serve as a highly qualified full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. A TEACH Grant recipient must teach for at least four academic years within eight years of completing the program of study for which the TEACH Grant was received.

Please note: As required by the Budget Control Act of 2011, any TEACH Grant first disbursed on or after October 1, 2017, and before October 1, 2018, must be reduced by 6.6 percent from the award amount for which a recipient would otherwise have been eligible; any TEACH Grant first disbursed on or after October 1, 2018, and before October 1, 2019, must be reduced by 6.2 percent from the award amount for which a recipient would otherwise have been eligible.

• For any grants disbursed on or after October 1, 2017, and before October 1, 2018, the maximum award of $4,000 is reduced by $264, resulting in a maximum award of $3,736.
• For any grants disbursed on or after October 1, 2018, and before October 1, 2019, the maximum award of $4,000 is reduced by $248, resulting in a maximum award of $3,752.

If a TEACH Grant recipient fails to complete the service requirement, the total amount of TEACH Grant funds received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. You must repay this loan in full, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.

Student Eligibility Requirements

To receive a TEACH Grant you must:

• Be pursuing a first bachelor's or master's degree at William Paterson University; students pursuing only a teacher licensure or second bachelor's or master's degree are not eligible. 
• Meet the basic eligibility criteria for the federal student aid programs.
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually and sign it electronically with your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID.
• Be enrolled in one of the appropriate liberal arts, science, or education majors.
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher to qualify, if you are a current student; incoming freshmen and graduate students must score above the 75th percentile on one or more portions of a college admissions test.
• Complete the TEACH Grant Initial Counseling Session and the annual Agreement to Serve (ATS).

William Paterson University Eligible Programs

Undergraduate

• Early Childhood/ Special Education (Teacher of Students with Disabilities)
  Dual Licensure P-3/ Special Education (Teacher of Students with Disabilities) (all academic majors are eligible)
• Early Childhood/ Bilingual
  Dual Licensure P-3/ Bilingual (all academic majors are eligible)
• Early Childhood/ ESL
  Dual Licensure P-3/ESL (all academic majors are eligible
• Elementary/Special Education (Teacher of Students with Disabilities)
  Dual Licensure K-6/Teacher of Students with Disabilities (all academic majors are eligible)
• Elementary (K-6)/Bilingual (all academic majors are eligible)
• Elementary (K-6)/ESL (all academic majors are eligible)
• K-6/5-8 Middle School
  Math, Science, Spanish, French, Chinese
• K-6/ 5-8/ Teacher of Students with Disabilities (all academic majors are eligible)
• Secondary K-12
  Mathematics with K-12 Secondary Ed
  Biology with K-12 Secondary Ed
  Chemistry with K-12 Secondary Ed
  Earth Science with K-12 Secondary Ed
• Secondary K-12 Subject /Special Education (Teacher of Students with Disabilities) (all academic majors are eligible)
• Secondary K-12/ESL (all academic majors are eligible)
  
• Foreign Languages
  Spanish with K-12 Secondary Ed
  French with K-12 Secondary Ed
  Asian Studies (Chinese and Japanese only) with K-12 Secondary Ed
• Secondary/Bilingual
  All academic majors (except English, Chinese, Spanish, French, and Japanese)

Graduate

• MEd Literacy- Reading Concentration
• MEd Curriculum and Learning- Teaching Children Mathematics Concentration
• MEd Curriculum and Learning- Middle and High School Mathematics Concentration
• MEd Curriculum and Learning- Bilingual/ESL Concentration
• MEd Special Education- Teaching Students with Disabilities Concentration
  
  
• MAT K-12 (Math, Science, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese)

Additional Information

• Current high-need fields (in schools that serve low-income families) are:
  • Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
  • Foreign Language
  • Mathematics
  • Reading Specialist
  • Science
  • Special Education
• Other Teacher Shortage Areas are listed by the Office of Postsecondary Education.

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. To access the list, please go to the Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory.

Useful Links:

• TEACH Grant Information
• TEACH Grant Exit Counseling
• Sample Potential Interest Notice