Grants for College

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, and you must have substantial financial need (be Pell eligible), the Office of Financial Aid will automatically award in order of packaged date until funds are depleted.

How large are the Arizona LEAP awards awarded at GCU 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

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.

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.

• 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.