Federal Pell Grants: Awards are available to undergraduate financial aid applicants who will not have received a baccalaureate degree by July 1, 2009 and Teaching Credential students with an Expected Family Contribution of $4,617 or less. To maintain maximum eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant, students are required to be enrolled in at least 12 units each quarter. Part time awards are prorated for less than full time enrollment according to the following schedule:

3/4 time = 9 to 11.5 units
1/2 time = 6 to 8.5 units
Less than 1/2 time = 1 to 5.5 units

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG ): SEOG is a need-based grant funded by the federal government, ranging from $100 to $4,000 per academic year. Recipients must be enrolled at least half time. SEOG is awarded to qualified undergraduate students with no prior baccalaureate degrees who have exceptional financial need. First priority is given to students with the lowest expected family contributions.

California Student Aid Commission Awards: These renewable awards are offered by the State of California to residents of California who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens. CSAC determines eligibility for grants, which are based on academic achievement and financial need. Students must meet GPA requirements and family income and asset requirements. All eligible students are expected to apply for Cal Grants by submitting the FAFSA and GPA Verification Form. Renewal awards are based on continued financial eligibility and maintaining satisfactory academic progress. Students may log into the Student Aid Commission's website to view their Cal Grant award eligibility and/or to report any changes.

 

UCR Grant: UCR Grants are awarded to eligible undergraduate students from funding provided by the Regents of the University of California and the State of California. Recipients must be enrolled at least half time. Award amounts are determined based on family income and financial need. Students who exceed 16 quarters of attendance or the equivalent will lose eligibility for UCR Grant.

Academic Competitiveness (ACG) Grant: ACG Grants are available to Federal Pell Grant recipients who are U.S. citizens, in their first or second academic year, who have completed a rigorous secondary school program of study (UC admits should qualify). First year students may not have been previously enrolled in an undergraduate program. Second year students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00. Award maximums are $750 for the first year of study and $1,300 for the second year of study. Annual award amounts may be reduced by the U.S. Department of Education if sufficient funds are not available for all eligible students in an award year. More information regarding the ACG grant program is available from the Department of Education's Student Aid on the Web site.

National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant: SMART Grants are available to Federal Pell Grant recipients who are U.S. citizens, in their third or fourth academic year, who are enrolled full time, majoring in physical, life or computer science, engineering, mathematics, technology, or a critical foreign language as determined by the Department of Education (likely to include Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Farsi, Urdu, and Chinese), who have a a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in their major. Award maximums are $4,000 for each of the third and fourth year of study. Annual award amounts may be reduced by the U.S. Department of Education if sufficient funds are not available for all eligible students in an award year.

Additional Eligibility rules for receipt of ACG and SMART Grants

The ACG Grant or SMART Grant amount, in combination with the student's Federal Pell Grant assistance and remaining financial aid, may not exceed the cost of attendance. ACG Grant and SMART Grant awards will be used to reduce self help from loans or Federal Work-Study first. If the total gift aid (grants and scholarships) that a student receives exceeds the student's financial need, the ACG or SMART Grant must be reduced.

Based on federal regulations, ACG and SMART Grant awards must be adjusted if a student fails to maintain full-time status. Awards will be cancelled for any term in which a recipient enrolls for less than 12 units.

Students may only receive one ACG or SMART Grant award (i.e., three quarters of disbursement) at each grade level. A student may not receive a lower level award once he or she has received payment for a higher level award. Normal grade level progression will be calculated as follows:

0 to 44.5 units = Grade level 1 for ACG Grant 1 eligibility
45 to 89.5 units = Grade level 2 for ACG Grant 2 eligibility
90 to 134.5 units = Grade level 3 for SMART Grant 1 eligibility
135 to 180 units = Grade level 4 for SMART Grant 2 eligibility

Federal regulations require inclusion of transfer units in determining a student's grade level for determination of award level eligibility.

If a recipient's class level changes, the student must meet the eligibility requirements for the next year's award level. For example, if a student advances from freshman to sophomore status upon earning 45 units, the student must meet the 3.0 second year GPA requirement to receive an ACG Grant 2 award. ACG Grant awards will also be cancelled once the recipient advances to junior status (i.e., completion of 90 units).

Once a student has received three quarters of SMART Grant 2 disbursement (i.e., senior level award), no additional SMART Grant funds may be received, even if the student has not yet completed his or her requirements for graduation.

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.

*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 and can also be found online 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 the University of California, Riverside, you must:

• Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• Be enrolled as a graduate or post-baccalaureate teaching credential student in UCR’s Graduate School of Education Master of Education (M.Ed.) program or teaching credential program.
• Be enrolled as an upperclassman (junior or senior) student in the UCR Ca-TEACH SMI program who has successfully completed EDUC 003 or EDUC 004.

All other programs are ineligible.

• 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.