Federal Pell Grant
The Federal Pell Grant is the largest federally funded grant program and serves as the foundation upon which all other undergraduate need-based aid is awarded. Typically, it is available only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's degree. Federal Pell Grant eligibility is determined according to federal law and is based on the financial information you and your family provided on your FASFA.
You are notified of your possible eligibility to receive a Federal Pell Grant via your FAFSA Submission Summary. Your FAFSA Submission Summary will either be mailed to you or sent via email if you provided your email address on your FAFSA application.
Our office will receive your information directly from the federal processor and determine the amount of your Federal Pell Grant in accordance with your enrollment.
You should carefully review the information on your FAFSA Submission Summary, and if it is correct, keep it for your records. If you discover errors or need to make adjustments, follow the instructions and submit corrections as soon as possible.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is awarded by our office to students who demonstrate exceptional financial need. Funding is extremely limited. Awards typically go to students who are eligible to receive a Pell Grant, have the lowest expected family contributions and have not earned a bachelor's degree.
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant was established by the federal government in 2007 to encourage highly qualified teachers to serve low-income schools in high-need fields. Institutional participation in the program is optional; USC began its participation in fall 2009.
TEACH Grant Requirements
Students must complete the FAFSA and select University of South Carolina Columbia to submit their application to us. The school code is 003448.
Students must enroll in a program (major) that prepares them to teach in a field classified as high-need by the state or federally, including:
- bilingual education and English language acquisition
- foreign language
- mathematics
- reading specialist
- science
- special education.
As a requirement for receiving a TEACH Grant, students must agree to teach a majority of classes in a high-need field at a low-income public or private elementary or secondary school as a highly qualified teacher. Students must teach full-time for at least four academic years within the first eight years of completing the program of study for which the TEACH Grant was received.
TEACH Grants will be converted into Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, with interest accrued from the date of disbursement of each grant received, for students who do not meet, in full, all required teaching obligations. TEACH Grants converted into loans can never be converted back into grants.
Questions regarding the TEACH Grant may be directed to our office.