Grants

Grants are awarded on the basis of financial need and do not require repayment. Frequently called gift aid, grants are available through federal, state, private and other sources. To apply for aid in any of the grant programs, you must be a citizen of the United States or intend to become a permanent resident or conditional permanent resident, or be otherwise classified as in eligible non-citizen.

• Federal Pell Grant For undergraduate students with exceptional need who have not already earned a bachelor's degree. The award amount varies depending on estimated family contribution (EFC) and enrollment status. Please note that award amounts posted on ELROY are usually based on full-time enrollment status. Your award may be less if you are enrolled in less than 12 hours of coursework. For information regarding summer Pell awards, please read the following link about Year Round Pell.
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) For undergraduate students with exceptional need who have not earned a bachelor's degree. If a student is eligible for the Pell Grant, he or she may also be eligible for FSEOG. However, funding is very limited. These funds are awarded on a first come, first served basis.
• Georgia Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents Grant (GLEPD) For Georgia residents who are dependent children of law enforcement officers, prison guards, or firemen who were permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty. For more information on this grant, go to GAcollege411's GLEPD website.
• Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) Provides up to $750 for the first year of undergraduate study and up to $1,300 for the second year of undergraduate study to students who are U.S. citizens, eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, and who have successfully completed a rigorous high school program, as determined by the appropriate state or local education agency and recognized by the Secretary of Education. First year students must have graduated from high school after January 1, 2006 and second-year students after January 1, 2005. Second year students must also have maintained a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0. Students must be enrolled at least half time. The Academic Competitiveness Grant award is in addition to the student's Pell Grant award. (Program is scheduled to be discontinued after Summer 2011 and no further awards made)
• National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant) Provides up to $4,000 for each of the third and fourth years of undergraduate study to full-time students who are U.S. citizens, eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, and majoring in physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, or engineering or in a foreign language determined critical to national security. The student must also have maintained a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 in coursework required for the major. The National SMART Grant award is in addition to the student's Pell Grant award. (Program is scheduled to be discontinued after Summer 2011 and no further awards made)

TEACH Grant

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants up to $4,000 to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. The first TEACH Grants will be awarded to eligible juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Potential recipients will receive further information via e-mail.

Teaching Obligation

In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must be a highly-qualified, full-time teacher in a high-need subject area for at least four years at a school serving low-income students. You must complete the four years of teaching within eight years of finishing the program for which you received the grant. You incur a four-year teaching obligation for each educational program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, although you may work off multiple four-year obligations simultaneously under certain circumstances. Specific definitions of these terms are included below.

Highly-Qualified Teacher

You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher, which is defined in federal law. The informational sheet can also be found at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg107.html.

Full-Time Teacher

You must meet the state's definition of a full-time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching one of the high-need subject areas. Elementary school teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement.

High-Need Subject Areas

• Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
• Foreign Language
• Mathematics
• Reading Specialist
• Science
• Special Education
• Other teacher shortage areas are listed in the Department of Education's Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.doc.

Schools Serving Low-Income Students

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 at https://www.tcli.ed.gov/CBSWebApp/tcli/TCLIPubSchoolSearch.jsp.

TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve. The Agreement is a legally binding document that defines the teaching obligations you must meet and specifies your repayment obligation if a TEACH Grant that you receive is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. When you sign the service agreement, you are agreeing to repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date that the grant funds were disbursed, if you do not complete the teaching obligation. Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

Documentation

You must respond promptly to any requests for information or documentation from the U.S. Department of Education, even if they seem repetitive. These requests will be sent to you while you are still in school as well as once you are out of school. You will be asked regularly to confirm that you either still intend to teach or that you are teaching as required. You must provide documentation to the U.S. Department of Education at the end of each year of teaching.

If you temporarily cease enrollment in your program of study or if you encounter situations that affect your ability to begin or continue teaching, you will need to stay in touch with the U.S. Department of Education to avoid your grants being converted to loans before you are able to complete your teaching obligation.

Eligibility Requirements

At Augusta State University, you must:

• Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Be enrolled as a full-time student
• Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework. Such coursework may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher)
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout the academic year
• Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

Awarding Process

Students that qualify for the TEACH Grant will be reviewed based on the information reported on the 2010-2011 FAFSA. Students will be notified by the ASU Financial Aid Office if they are eligible to receive the TEACH Grant. Once students have been offered the TEACH Grant they may accept and/or decline the award via ELROY . Accepting the award will also require students to fulfill the teaching obligation and complete the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve.

IMPORTANT REMINDER

Failure to 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 a loan with interest.

Once a grant is converted to a loan it can't be converted back to a grant!

For further information, please see:

http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/TEACH.jsp