Financial Aid

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants up to $3716* to students who intend to teach in a high-need area in a public or private elementary school that serves students from low-income families. Visit the U.S. Department of Education's TEACH grant website for more information.

Failure to complete a TEACH Grant eligible education degree or licensure program, complete the teaching obligation, respond to requests for information, or properly document your teaching service will cause the TEACH Grant to be permanently converted to an unsubsidized Federal Student Loan with interest accruing from the date the TEACH Grant was first disbursed. It is estimated that only 20% of students who participate in the TEACH Grant Program will be able to use the funds as grants, while many students will see their funds converted to loans with accumulated interest.

*$3716/year for first disbursements made after March 1, 2013 due to the sequester.

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Amount of Grant
Teaching Obligation
Highly Qualified Teacher Requirement
Full-time Teacher
Schools Serving Low-Income Students
Service Agreement
Undergraduate Eligible Academic Programs in High-Need Areas
Graduate Eligible Academic Programs in High-Need Areas
Eligibility Criteria
Documentation
How to Apply
 

 

Amount of Grant
The TEACH Grant Program provides up to $3496 per year ($13,984 total for an undergraduate degree; $8000 total for a graduate degree) in grants to full-time students who plan to teach full-time in high-need subject areas at schools serving students from low-income families. Students attending less than full-time will have the grant reduced (three-quarter time students may receive up to $2622 per year; half-time students may receive up to $1748 per year, and less-than-half time students may receive up to $874 per year).

Please note: Receiving the TEACH Grant may reduce the recipient's eligibility for other sources of financial aid if the TEACH Grant amount would exceed the student's cost of attendance.

Teaching Obligation
TEACH Grant recipients must agree to teach for at least four full years within eight years of finishing their teacher preparation program, and to teach high-need subjects in designated schools that serve low-income students. If the teaching obligation is not completed, the grants will convert to unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans, which must be repaid with interest.

Highly Qualified Teacher Requirement
TEACH Grant recipients must perform the teaching service as a highly qualified teacher, which is defined by the U.S. Department of Education. The definition can be found online. BW students who are awarded Ohio teaching licenses through Baldwin Wallace University are considered to be "highly qualified teachers" in Ohio.

Full-Time Teacher
TEACH Grant recipients must meet the state's definition of a full-time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of their time teaching one of the high-need subject areas. Early Childhood Education teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement.

Schools Serving Low-Income Students
Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the U.S. Department of Education's Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.

Service Agreement
Each year a student receives a TEACH Grant, a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement) must be signed. This form is available electronically on the U.S. Department of Education website, and must be completed upon Baldwin Wallace University's confirmation of enrollment in an eligible academic program. When signing the service agreement, the student is agreeing to repay the grant as an unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loan, with interest accrued from the date that the grant funds were disbursed, if the teaching obligation is not completed. Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

Undergraduate Eligible Academic Programs in High-Need Subject Areas
Students must declare an academic program that has been determined to be TEACH Grant eligible by Baldwin Wallace University. Because BW offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education, BW post-baccalaureate students are not eligible for the TEACH Grant.

• Declared academic program of Mild/Moderate Needs (Licensure of Intervention Specialist)
• Declared academic program of Middle Childhood with a declared minor of:
  
  • Science - Middle Childhood (Licensure of Science)
    
  • Math - Middle Childhood (Licensure of Math)
  • Reading/Language - Middle Childhood (Licensure of Language Arts)
    
• Declared academic program of:
  
  • Major in Mathematics with AYA Education Minor (Licensure of Integrated Mathematics)
  • Major in Integrated Science (and/or Biology, Chemistry, Physics) with AYA Education Minor (Licensure of Integrated Science)
    
  • Major in Biology with AYA Education Minor (Licensure of Life Science)
  • Major in Physics with AYA Education Minor (Licensure of Physical Science)
    
• Declared academic program of:
  
  • Major in Spanish with Multi-Age Education Minor (Licensure of Foreign Language)
  • Major in French with Multi-Age Education Minor (Licensure of Foreign Language)
  • Major in German with Multi-Age Education Minor (Licensure of Foreign Language)
    
    

Graduate Eligible Academic Programs in High-Need Subject Areas
Students must declare a major that has been determined to be TEACH Grant eligible by Baldwin Wallace University. Graduate non-degree students are not eligible for the TEACH Grant.

• Declared academic program of Mild/Moderate Educational Needs
• Declared academic program of Reading Specialization
  
  
  

Additional Eligibility Criteria:

•  Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen;
• Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);
• Be accepted into, have declared, and maintain eligibility in an eligible academic program at BW (see above);
• Undergraduate students must: 
  • Have earned at least 42 credits;
  • Have successfully completed at least one semester at BW;
  • Have and maintain a BW cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 to receive the TEACH Grant for each subsequent term OR have scored above the 75^th percentile* on one battery of the ACT (English, reading, math, science, or writing), SAT (reading, writing, or math), or GRE;
• Returning graduate students must:
  • Maintain a 3.25 cumulative BW GPA to receive the TEACH Grant for each subsequent term OR have scored above the 75th percentile* on one battery of the ACT (English, reading, math, science, or writing), SAT (reading, writing, or math), or GRE;
• New graduate students must:
  • Have a cumulative GPA from their undergraduate institution of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) OR have scored above the 75th percentile* on one battery of the ACT (English, reading, math, science, or writing), SAT (reading, writing, or math), or GRE;
• Complete the TEACH Grant Counseling and sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS) on the U.S. Department of Education's TEACH Grant website.

*Note: Students who wish to use their test scores to meet the eligibility requirement (as opposed to the cumulative GPA requirement) are responsible for providing official documentation to the Financial Aid Office before the start of Finals Week of their last term of enrollment of the academic year for which they wish to qualify for the TEACH Grant..

Documentation
Students will need to confirm to the U.S. Department of Education within 120 days of completing or ceasing to enroll in a teacher preparation program that the terms of the service agreement will be fulfilled. Documentation of teaching service certified by the chief administrative officer at the school must be provided. 
 

How to Apply
BW students who believe they meet the eligibility requirements should complete the TEACH Grant Request Form. Be sure to use the correct academic year form:

• 2012-13 TEACH Grant Request Form (Summer 2012, Fall 2012, and/or Spring 2013)
• 2013-14 TEACH Grant Request Form (Summer 2013, Fall 2013, and/or Spring 2014)

When the request form is received, we will review your information and notify you of our determination of your eligibility.

Financial Aid Office
Phone: 440 826-2108
Email: finaid@bw.edu

March 18, 2013.