Is there a federal grant that will pay off student loans for a teacher?
nicole85z asked:
I want to go as high as my masters degree and become a teacher (hopefully at a university) and I will have a substantial amount in student loan debt. Is there a grant I can apply for that will pay off these student loans? Or is there a loan that you can apply for and say you’re going into teaching and it becomes a loan that does not need to be repaid? Do I have to wait until I have a set career in place to apply?
I want to go as high as my masters degree and become a teacher (hopefully at a university) and I will have a substantial amount in student loan debt. Is there a grant I can apply for that will pay off these student loans? Or is there a loan that you can apply for and say you’re going into teaching and it becomes a loan that does not need to be repaid? Do I have to wait until I have a set career in place to apply?
Actually, sort of. It’s not that there are grants that will pay off your loans, rather there is a new government grant that will actually pay part of your tuition while you are actively in school.
Known as the TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) Grant, the program will pay up to $4000 a year to education majors who intend to teach in schools that provide education to students from low income families. As an applicant to this program, you’ll be required to sign a contract that commits you to teach in such a school - if you don’t satisfy the agreement after graduation, you’ll be obligated to pay back all of the grant funds with interest.
You apply for the grant through the FAFSA application, but your school’s financial aid office can give you all of the information that you need. Here’s a direct link to the Department of Education website that describes the program - - you’ll find a lot of info here, as well.
I hope this helped - good luck in your training and your future teaching career!