Graduate and Professional Student Aid
Students fund their graduate education in many ways. Between loans, assistantships, work study, and scholarships - most students find the funding that they need to pursue their advanced degree. There are many different limits and types of aid designed to accommodate many different degree programs.
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Grants
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Loans
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Scholarships
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Other
The TEACH grant program provides additional funding to students who are interested in careers in Teaching. This is a grant which requires certain conditions to be met to avoid repayment. A unique feature of this new grant is that it will convert to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan if the Service Agreement conditions of the grant are not met. If recipients do not complete this service obligation, all amounts of the TEACH Grants will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan and repaid to the U.S. Department of Education.
Teaching Service Obligation
As a TEACH Grant Recipient, you must agree to:
- Teach as a highly-qualified teacher for at least four academic years within eight calendar years after completing the program for which you received the grant.
- Teach in a “high-need” field (mathematics, science, special education, foreign language, bilingual education, reading specialist, or other “high-need” fields as designated by the state and listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide listing.
- Teach in a private or public elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students and listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.
Counseling and Agreement to Serve
Students interested in receiving a TEACH grant must receive initial, subsequent and exit counseling. The counseling requirement for WSU will be online and will cover your rights and responsibilities as a recipient. In addition, you must sign an Agreement to Serve (ATS) every year before the grant can be disbursed. The ATS specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded and the teaching service requirements listed above. In signing, you are acknowledging that if you do not meet the teaching service requirements you will repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan with interest accrued from the date the grant funds were disbursed.
TEACH Grant Amount
The TEACH Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per scheduled award year ($16,000 total for an undergraduates; $8,000 for graduates). If you are enrolled less than full-time (12 credits for undergraduates; 10 credits for graduates) you will receive a pro-rated amount. Please note: the amount of the TEACH grant is considered a resource toward determining your eligibility for other aid.
Eligibility Requirements
- You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Please note that financial need is not required. The 2008-2009 FAFSA is available at fafsa.ed.gov.
- You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
- You must be accepted and enrolled in an eligible undergraduate or graduate program with WSU’s College of Education.
- You must have a cumulative WSU GPA of a least 3.25 at time of disbursement. New transfer students must have at least a 3.25 cumulative transfer GPA.
- You must complete online counseling each year you receive the grant and/or when you cease to be enrolled less than half-time.
- You must sign an “Agreement to Serve” each year you receive the grant.
Anticipated Notification and Award Timeline
Selected students are notified of possible TEACH Grant eligibility through a myWSU portal notice. At that time, you will be directed to the online counseling tool. If you are interested in receiving the TEACH grant, please follow the instructions to complete this requirement.
Once we have received confirmation that you have completed the counseling, we will verify your eligibility for the grant. If you meet all criteria as listed above, we will award the grant for the applicable semesters. At that time you will also be directed to complete the Agreement to Serve (ATS). Once we receive notification you have signed the ATS, we will release the grant. Please note that in some cases, your financial aid (typically loans) will be adjusted to account for the additional funding.
| Loan Type | Annual Loan Limit | Aggregate Lifetime Limit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate Student Subsidized Stafford Loan | $8,500 |
$65,500 |
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| Graduate Student Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | $12,000 |
$138,500 |
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| Pharmacy Student (9 month program) Subsidized Stafford Loan | $8,500 |
$65,500 |
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| Pharmacy Student (9 month program) Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | $24,500 |
$158,500 |
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| Pharmacy Student (12 month program) Subsidized Stafford Loan | $8,500 |
$65,500 |
|
| Pharmacy Student (12 month program) Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | $28,667 |
$158,500 |
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| Veterinary Student (9 month program) Subsidized Stafford Loan | $8,500 |
$32,000 |
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| Veterinary Student (9 month program) Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | $32,000 |
$158,500 |
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| Veterinary Student (12 month program) Subsidized Stafford Loan | $8,500 |
$65,500 |
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| Veterinary Student (12 month program) Unsubsidized Stafford Loan | $38,667 |
$158,500 |
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| Graduate PLUS Loan | Graduate PLUS loan amounts can vary widely. Students can borrow as much as they like as long as they do not exceed their total cost of attendance including other types of aid. Please note that this loan is subject to credit requirements. | ||
| Health Profession Loans | Health Profession Loans are awarded based on EFC criteria, FAFSA submission date, as well as the current HPL funding level. Amounts awarded vary by availability. | ||
| Private/Alternative Loans | Private/Alternative loan amounts can vary widely. Students can borrow as much as they like as long as they do not exceed their total cost of attendance including other types of aid. Please note that this loan is subject to credit requirements. | ||
Please note that Subsidized Stafford loans are awarded to students only if they have unmet need. If there is no unmet need, the Stafford loan will be awarded as an Unsubsidized Stafford loan.
Graduate/Professional students are eligible for a number of different employment opportunities. Many students are awarded Graduate assistantships that pay a certain portion of tuition as well as a monthly stipend in exchange for a certain number of hours of worked performed. More information regarding Assistantships can be found here.
Additionally, Graduate/Professional students can receive work study funds if eligible. Information regarding work study as well as general student employment information can be found here.