NMC clarifies eligibility rule for TEACH grant program

The Northern Marianas College recently clarified the eligibility of students for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education grant program.

It was misreported in a previously published article that students who qualify to receive the TEACH Grant include non U.S. citizens. However, the college emphasized that students eligible to receive this grant must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen with a green card or U.S. permanent resident status.

The TEACH grant program provides funds to students who are completing or who plan to complete coursework that is required to begin a career in teaching, and who agree to teach full-time for at least four years as a highly qualified teacher
at a school or educational service agency servicing low-income students, and in a high-need field.

The four years of teaching must be completed within eight years after students complete the program for which they received a TEACH Grant. NMC students will be able to avail of this grant in the upcoming Fall 2012 semester.

The program provides grants of up to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.

High-need fields are subject areas that include Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Reading Specialist, Science, and Special Education.

To be eligible for the TEACH Grant, students must:

-Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.

-Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen (U.S. permanent resident or green card holder).

-Be enrolled as an undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, or graduate student in a postsecondary educational institution that has chosen to participate in the TEACH Grant Program.

-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).

-Meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally, scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25).

-Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve.

For more information, contact the NMC Financial Aid Office at 234-5498 Ext 1527. (NMC)