The TEACH Grant program requires that upon graduation or within eight years of it, the student will teach four years in a low-income school for a high-needs subject. High-needs subjects are bilingual education, English language acquisition, foreign language, mathematics, reading specialist, science, and special education. If the post-graduation requirements are not fulfilled, the grant is converted to a loan and it must be repaid.
The Pell Grant is income based and is for undergraduates who haven't earned a Bachelor's degree yet. If you are getting a qualified teacher certificate after having earned a bachelor's degree, you may qualify. Applicants must be enrolled in school at least half time and can receive the grant up to 18 semesters or the equivalent if the first award was after July 1, 2008.
Applicants must have graduated from high school in California to receive this grant. The grant is income based and awarded on a first come first serve basis. Apply before March 2 to qualify for more funding. If you are attending a junior college, the deadline is September 2. All Cal grants are subject to state funding.
The National SMART Grant is offered to students in the third and fourth years of study. If it's a five year program, the fifth year is eligible for the SMART grant. Applicants must have a 3.0 grade point average and be pursuing a qualified major such as computer science, mathematics and engineering.
Qualified applicants must have fulfilled the high school courses required: four years of English, three years of math, science, and social studies, and one year of a foreign language course. In college, you must be enrolled at least half time and be in the first or second year of school. The amount of this grant can be lowered if there are too many eligible recipients that year.
The FSEOG is for undergraduates and is also income based like the Pell Grant. Students who are receiving Pell Grants are given first priority for the FSEOG.