Grants for College

Grants are financial aid awards that do not require repayment, making them a valuable resource for potentially reducing educational costs. They may be ideal for first-time students, returning learners and those pursuing advanced degrees. By understanding the various types of grants for college and their eligibility criteria, you have the opportunity to secure vital funding to help achieve your academic goals.

State Grants

State grants are awarded annually to qualified students based on the state where they reside. Arizona state grant information is below. For details on state grant options outside of Arizona, contact your state’s department of education. Additionally, to learn more about GCU scholarships, visit our Additional Scholarships page. 

AZ Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP)

The Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) program establishes a federal-state partnership to provide financial assistance in the form of grants to students who have demonstrated financial need. Federal funds are provided to match appropriated state funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Each participating institution, public or private, provides institutional matching funds, which are equal to the amount of funds provided by the state for the LEAP program. Funds are dependent upon federal approval and may not be available for certain award years.

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Which institutions are eligible to participate?

Only public and private postsecondary institutions that are properly licensed in Arizona and accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency (which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education), are eligible.

Who is eligible to receive LEAP awards?

Arizona residents who are attending a participating eligible Arizona postsecondary education institution as either a full-time or half-time undergraduate-level student and who can demonstrate financial need, are eligible for LEAP awards.

How do I apply for the LEAP program?

If you meet the state minimum qualifications, have submitted all of your required financial aid documents for packaging, have a 0 to -1500 student aid index (SAI), and have not been awarded Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) funds, the Office of Financial Aid will automatically award in order of packaged date until funds are depleted.

How large are Arizona LEAP awards and must they be repaid?

LEAP awards at GCU are a maximum of $1,000 and a minimum of $100 per academic year. LEAP awards are grants and do not have to be repaid.

State Minimum Qualifications:

  • Must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen
  • Must be a resident of Arizona
  • Must be enrolled at least half-time as an undergraduate student in an institutionally or nationally accredited Arizona postsecondary school
  • Must have substantial financial need (be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant) as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  • Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as determined by the institution

Arizona Teacher Student Loan Program (ATSLP)

The Arizona Teacher Student Loan Program (ATSLP) is a forgivable loan program designed to financially support and encourage private college students who are Arizona residents to enter the teaching profession and teach in Arizona. Students must enter into an agreement with the Arizona Board of Regents to teach in an Arizona public school for one full school year for each year that ATSLP Loan funding was received. The agreement will provide the conditions of the forgivable loan and information on promising to repay the loan if the teaching obligation is not met. GCU must certify that the student meets the minimum qualifications for the program. Loans are awarded to eligible students on a first-come, first-served basis.

Loan program:

The forgivable loan can be applied toward tuition, instructional materials and mandatory fees as documented in the student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) at GCU, excluding all grants, scholarships and other tuition benefits (e.g., tribal and military). The forgivable loan can be awarded each academic year to:

  • Undergraduate students for a total of eight semesters/payment periods (e.g., fall and/or spring)
  • Post-baccalaureate student to a total of four semesters/payment periods (e.g., fall and/or spring)
  • Graduate students who do not have an undergraduate teaching degree to a total of four semesters/payment periods (e.g., fall and/or spring)

Minimum qualifications for loan:

  • Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident of the U.S. or otherwise lawfully present in the U.S.
  • Must be a resident of Arizona.
  • Must be admitted and enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate student at a qualifying private, postsecondary educational institution in Arizona.
  • Must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for each year enrolled in the Arizona Teacher Student Loan program.
  • Must sign the GCU ATSLP student agreement that requires the student to meet eligibility requirements for the program and specifies continuing eligibility terms, post-graduation or post-certification service obligations and repayment obligations if a student fails to meet eligibility requirements or service obligations.

Loan recipients have a grace period of 12 months after graduation or earning their teaching credential to begin teaching. (Deferment is possible if the recipient of the loan is temporarily unable to work; is called to active military duty; is enrolled in a graduate degree program that requires delaying the teaching requirement; or is unable to fulfill the teaching requirement due to circumstances beyond their control.)

Upon completion of the ATSLP and continuing until the teaching obligation is fulfilled:

  • Create an account with the Arizona Board of Regents’ designee and timely submit any required documentation annually by October 1.
    • Each annual report will include:
      • Employment documentation
      • Employer contact information
      • Your current address/phone information
  • Respond to all communication and requests from GCU and the Arizona Board of Regents or its designee within the timeframe indicated in the communication.
  • Comply with any procedures deemed necessary and appropriate by GCU and the Arizona Board of Regents, or its designee, all terms and conditions of the GCU ATSLP Student Agreement, and all applicable laws, rules, policies and regulations.

How do I apply for the program?

Students must complete the FAFSA and contact their student services counselor to complete the GCU ATSLP Student Agreement. Loans are awarded to eligible students on a first-come, first-served basis. More information can be found at azregents.edu.

Federal Grants

Federal grants for college are government-provided funds that do not require repayment (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund, or you receive a TEACH Grant and don't complete your service obligation). They are typically available to various students, including low-income individuals and first-time college attendees. These grants can help reduce the financial burden of tuition and other educational expenses, enabling you to focus on your studies. Familiarity with eligibility requirements and the application process is important for exploring these resources.

Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants are awarded to eligible undergraduate students pursuing their first bachelor's degree who demonstrate significant financial need. These funds do not have to be repaid except under certain circumstances. You are no longer eligible for the Pell Grant if you have already earned your first bachelor’s degree.

To determine eligibility, the U.S. Department of Education uses a standard formula established by Congress to evaluate the information reported on the FAFSA. The formula produces an SAI figure. This figure, along with your number of credits scheduled, is used by the Office of Financial Aid to determine the amount of funds to be awarded. There is a maximum lifetime Pell grant limit of the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters of eligibility.

As the federal award changes each year, please check with your student service counselor for current award maximums.

Federal SEOG (Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant)

The Federal SEOG (Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant)1 is awarded to you if you have financial need and meet the same federal general eligibility requirements as that of a Pell recipient. Students with the lowest SAI who also receive Pell Grants for the award year have primary consideration for this grant. As funds are limited, the selection process is completed on a first-come, first-served basis. As this is a grant, funds do not need to be repaid. The normal award is $1,000 per award year.

TEACH Grant

The U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program provides grant funds to postsecondary students who are completing coursework that is needed for a career in teaching and who agree to serve for at least four years and within eight years of completing degree.

You must serve as a full-time, highly qualified teacher in a high-need field and in a school serving low-income students after leaving school.

If you receive a TEACH Grant, but do not complete the required four years of teaching service within eight years after completing the coursework for which you received the grant, or if you otherwise do not meet the requirements of the TEACH Grant program, all TEACH Grant funds that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan that you must repay in full with interest to the Department of Education. Once a TEACH Grant is converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

Eligibility

If you plan to teach, you may wish to consider the TEACH Grant. Be aware that if you receive the TEACH Grant, but do not fulfill the stringent requirements of the program, the amount awarded in grant money becomes a loan with interest, compounded from the time of the award.

To be eligible at GCU, you must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
  • Complete a FAFSA, although you do not have to demonstrate financial need to be eligible
  • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout your academic program or demonstrate a score above the 75th percentile on a national standardized college admissions test (ACT, SAT, GRE or GMAT) or be employed as a full-time teacher as a graduate student
  • Be accepted into an eligible degree program 

    You also must:
  • Major in education and pursue a certification in a high-need subject area, or major in a high-need subject area without obtaining certification if you are already certified. You are only eligible if you are pursuing your first undergraduate degree. You are NOT eligible for the TEACH Grant if you are pursuing a second undergraduate degree
  • Sign an Agreement to Serve and complete entrance counseling each year that you receive a grant
  • Complete these forms at the Department of Education’s website: studentaid.gov

Counseling

You are required to complete entrance counseling through the Department of Education site each year that you accept a TEACH Grant. You will also be required to attend exit counseling when you graduate or leave school.

Documentation

Within 120 days of completing your program or ceasing enrollment in your program, you must notify the U.S. Department of Education that you are fulfilling (or plan to fulfill) the terms and conditions of your service agreement. You must document your teaching service annually; the chief administrative officer at the school where you teach must certify your documentation.

Amount of Grant

The TEACH Grant program provides grants of up to $4,000 per academic year to qualified students. Due to sequestration legislation, these awards are reduced by a pre-determined percentage each Oct. 1. In addition, the awards are reduced proportionally based on a student’s enrollment status of three-quarter time, half-time and less than half-time.

TEACH Grant Service Agreement

Agreement to Serve

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay that is available electronically on the Department of Education website. The Agreement to Serve states the conditions under which the grant will be awarded and the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgment by you that you understand that if you do not meet the teaching service requirements, you must repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan with interest accrued from the date the grant funds were disbursed.

  • For each TEACH Grant-eligible program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, you must serve as a full-time teacher for a total of at least four academic years within eight calendar years after you completed or withdrew from the academic program for which you received the TEACH Grant.
  • You must perform the teaching service as a highly qualified teacher at a low-income school. The term highly qualified teacher is defined in section 9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 or in section 602(10) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
  • Your teaching service must be in a high-need field.
  • You must comply with any other requirements that the Department of Education determines to be necessary. If you do not complete the required teaching service obligation, TEACH Grant funds you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan that you must repay with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.

You agree to teach in any of the following high-needs subject areas at low-income schools:

  • Bilingual education and English language acquisition
  • Foreign language
  • Mathematics
  • Reading specialist
  • Science
  • Special education
  • Other identified teacher shortage areas (listed by state, as of the year you will begin teaching). Find out more at: studentaid.gov

Fulfilling the service agreement requires the majority of your classes be taught in one of the high-need subject areas. Elementary teachers teaching multiple subjects will find it difficult, if not impossible, to satisfy their service obligation.

Apply for a TEACH Grant

For more information about applying for a TEACH Grant, speak with your university counselor by completing this form.

To minimize debt, and graduate with the least amount of debt possible, GCU encourages students to accept the most beneficial sources of financial assistance first, such as scholarships, grants, work-study (if eligible), student worker positions, and GCU’s interest-free payment plan options. Compare the terms of federal loans before applying for private loans.

1 As the GCU Office of Financial Aid becomes aware of outside scholarship opportunities, we will post them here. Although we screen these listings to eliminate any offers that do not appear to be legitimate, inclusion in this list does not indicate an endorsement or recommendation of any kind. You should review all scholarship information carefully, especially before submitting an application fee of any kind.