Types of Financial Aid
Grants
Towson University participates in the following federal and university grant programs. Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for these grant programs.
The Federal Pell Grant
These Federal Title IV grants are for first undergraduate bachelor's degree candidates who have exceptional financial need. Grants may range from $400 to $5,550 per year.
The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program (FSEOG)
This Federal Title IV grant is for exceptionally needy students pursuing a first bachelor's degree. Towson University may offer you up to $4000* to an eligible applicant.
*Annual grant maximums are subject to change. The Academic Competitiveness Grant (AC Grant)*
This federal grant is for first year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2006 and second year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2005.
You may receive an AC Grant of up to $750 for your first academic year of study and up to $1,300 for your second academic year of study. To receive the AC Grant you must have the following qualifications:
- U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen status
- Federal Pell Grant recipient
- Completion of a rigorous high school program of study (for both first and second year students)at least half-time enrollment in a degree program
- First year student (0-29 earned units) who was not previously enrolled as a degree seeking student in an undergraduate program while enrolled in high school and below the age of compulsory attendance
- Second year student (30-59 earned units), with a cumulative TU GPA of at least 3.0, or
- Second year transfer student with at least a 3.0 GPA for the units accepted for transfer
If you are a new freshman, your aid offer may include an AC Grant if it appears that you will meet all of the eligibility requirements for the grant. If you are a continuing student who received an AC Grant for your freshman year, your eligibility for a second year AC Grant will be determined during the fall 2009 term.
As with all other forms of aid, if at any time you are found not to meet all requirements, the grant will be withdrawn.
*Because they have not been reauthorized, the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (National SMART) Grant will end with the 2010-2011 year.
The National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant*
This federal grant is for students in the third and fourth year of a bachelor’s program who are pursuing college majors in high demand in the global economy. (Fifth year undergraduate students and second bachelor’s degree students are not eligible.) You may receive a SMART Grant of up to $4,000 if you have the following qualifications:
- U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen status
- Federal Pell Grant recipient
- At least half-time enrollment in an undergraduate degree program
- Cumulative TU GPA of at least 3.0
- Third (60-90 earned units) or fourth year student (90-120 earned units)
- Declared TU major in science, mathematics, technology, engineering, or critical foreign language.
Eligible TU majors for the SMART Grant include:
- Physical Science/Geology (PHSC-BS, GEOL-BS)
- Technology or foreign language: FORL-BS
- Biology: BIOL-BS
- Chemistry: CHEM-BS
- Computer Science: COSC-BS
- Computer Information Systems: CIS-BS
- Earth-Space Science: ESSC-BS
- Environmental Science and Studies: ENVS-BS, Geology: GEOL-BS
- Mathematics: MATH-BS
- Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Bioinformatics: MBBB-BS,
- Physics Southern Ocean Studies Dual-Degree Engineering Program: PHYS-BS, Medicinal Chemistry MDCH-BS, Forensic Chemistry: FCHM-BS
Eligible students will be notified of their SMART Grants during the fall term. Receiving a SMART Grant may result in a change to another part of your financial aid offer.
For more information on the new SMART Grant please visit the U.S. Department’s Web site at http://studentaid.ed.gov/.
*Because they have not been reauthorized, the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (National SMART) Grant will end with the 2010-2011 year.
The Institutional Grant Program
Towson University may offer up to $9,000* from this university grants program to full-time students who are first bachelor's degree candidates and have financial need. Funding is extremely limited in this program and only the earliest and neediest applicants receive grants
*Annual grant maximums are subject to change.
The TEACH Grant Program
Undergraduate and graduate students who plan to teach may wish to consider the TEACH Grant, a federal program that provides annual grants and requires teaching service in return for the grant.
The TEACH Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year ($16,000 total for an undergraduate program; $8,000 total for graduate studies) to full time students who plan to become highly qualified teachers. Students attending less than full-time will receive reduced amounts: up to $3,000 for three-quarter time enrollment; $2,000 for half-time enrollment, or up to $1,000 for less-than-half time enrollment).
TEACH Grant recipients must agree to teach full time in high-need subject areas at schools serving children from low income families.
General Eligibility Requirements
The general eligibility requirements for receiving a TEACH Grant include the following:
- U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen status
- Completion of a FAFSA, although demonstrated financial need is not required
- Graduate program of study or undergraduate first undergraduate degree program of study (students pursuing a second undergraduate degree or those in a non-degree teacher certification program cannot receive a TEACH Grant)
- Cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout your academic program, or a score above the 75th percentile on a national standardized college admissions test
- Acceptance into an eligible degree program:
- Majoring in education and pursuing a certification in a high need subject area, or
- Majoring in a high need subject area with the intent of also completing teacher certification
- Completion of online TEACH Grant Initial Counseling for the TEACH first grant, and Subsequent Counseling for each TEACH Grant received in the future at (done before signing the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve); see below for more information
- Completion of an Agreement to Serve (see below)
Service Requirement
TEACH Grant recipients must agree to teach for at least four full years within eight years of finishing their teacher preparation programs. They must teach in schools that have been identifed by the U.S. Department of Education as serving pupils from low income families. These elementary or secondary schools are listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.
TEACH Grant recipients must also teach in high need subject areas. These areas include the following:
- Bilingual education and English language acquisition
- Foreign language
- Mathematics
- Reading
- Science
- Special Education
In addition, there may be other identified teacher shortage areas as of the time you begin teaching in that field. These teacher subject shortage areas (not geographic areas) are listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing.
How to Apply for a TEACH Grant
Your first step in applying for a TEACH Grant is to review the eligible majors shown above and in the Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing and the eligible schools in the Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory . If, after you have reviewed the listing of eligible majors and eligible schools, you feel that you are willing to make the service commitment, you can complete the TEACH Grant Application, available in the Forms and Publications section.
TEACH Grant Initial and Subsequent Counseling
You will have to complete counseling each year that you accept a TEACH Grant. You will also be required to attend Exit Counseling when you graduate or leave school.
Within 120 days of completing or ceasing enrollment in your teacher preparation program, you must confirm to the U.S. Department of Education that you will fulfill the terms and conditions of your service agreement. When you begin your career as a teacher, you must document your teaching service with certification from the chief administrative officer at the school where you teach.
TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay
Each year that you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement), available electronically on the U.S. Department of Education Web site. When you sign the service agreement, you agree that if you do not complete the teaching obligation, you will repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accruing from the date that the grant funds were disbursed. The interest (the same rate as the Federal Direct Student Loan) will accrue from the date that the grant was disbursed to your university account. Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.
TEACH Grant Exit Counseling
Federal regulations require that TEACH Grant recipients complete an exit counseling session upon withdrawing or graduating from Towson University. The counseling session provides information about the terms and conditions of a TEACH Grant service agreement, as well as the rights and responsibilities that apply if your TEACH Grant is converted to a loan.
Financial Aid Office
Enrollment Services, Room 339
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Reception Desk)
Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Financial Aid Call Center)
Phone: 410-704-4236
Fax: 410-704-2584
E-mail: finaid@towson.edu
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