FAQ - I received the TEACH Grant as an undergraduate and have started to fulfill my service requirement. Now I want to pursue my Master’s degree. Can I receive the TEACH Grant as a graduate? What happens to the grant funds I received as an undergraduate?

Question
I received the TEACH Grant as an undergraduate and have started to fulfill my service requirement. Now I want to pursue my Master’s degree. Can I receive the TEACH Grant as a graduate? What happens to the grant funds I received as an undergraduate?
Answer

The TEACH Grant would be the only federal grant you would be eligible for as a graduate student.

While you are a graduate student, your service obligation for the TEACH Grant funds you received as an undergraduate will be suspended. However, once you earn your Master’s degree, you will have to teach for another four years regardless of how many years you taught before earning your Master’s degree. These four years of teaching will count toward your service obligation for the grants you received both as an undergraduate and as a graduate student (provided that you teach full-time in a high-need field at a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families).

Your TEACH Grant service requirement must be completed within eight years of earning your Master’s degree.