§ 686.11 Eligibility to receive a grant.

(a) Undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate students.

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, a student who meets the requirements of 34 CFR part 668, subpart C, is eligible to receive a TEACH Grant if the student—

(i) Has met the application requirements in § 686.10;

(ii) Is enrolled in a TEACH Grant-eligible institution in a TEACH Grant-eligible program;

(iii) Is completing coursework and other requirements necessary to begin a career in teaching or plans to complete such coursework and requirements prior to graduating; and

(iv) Has—

(A) If the student is in the first year of a program of undergraduate education as determined by the institution—

(1) A final cumulative secondary school grade point average (GPA) upon graduation of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale, or the numeric equivalent; or

(2) A cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale, or the numeric equivalent, based on courses taken at the institution through the most-recently completed payment period;

(B) If the student is beyond the first year of a program of undergraduate education as determined by the institution, a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale, or the numeric equivalent, through the most recently completed payment period;

(C) If the student is a graduate student during the first payment period, a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale, or the numeric equivalent;

(D) If the student is a graduate student beyond the first payment period, a cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale, or the numeric equivalent, through the most-recently completed payment period; or

(E) A score above the 75th percentile of scores achieved by all students taking the test during the period the student took the test on at least one of the batteries from a nationally-normed standardized undergraduate, graduate, or post-baccalaureate admissions test, except that such test may not include a placement test.

(2)

(i) An institution must document the student's secondary school GPA under § 686.11(a)(1)(v)(A) using—

(A) Documentation provided directly to the institution by the cognizant authority; or

(B) Documentation from the cognizant authority provided by the student.

(ii) A cognizant authority includes, but is not limited to—

(A) An LEA;

(B) An SEA or other State agency; or

(C) A public or private secondary school.

(iii) A home-schooled student's parent or guardian is the cognizant authority for purposes of providing the documentation of a home-schooled student's secondary school GPA.

(iv) If an institution has reason to believe the documentation provided by a student under paragraph (a)(2)(i)(B) of this section is inaccurate or incomplete, the institution must confirm the student's grades by using documentation provided directly to the institution by the cognizant authority.

(b) Current or former teachers or retirees. A student who has met the application requirements in § 686.10 and meets the requirements of 34 CFR part 668, subpart C, is eligible to receive a TEACH Grant if the student—

(1) Is a current teacher or retiree who is applying for a grant to obtain a master's degree or is or was a teacher who is pursuing certification through a high-quality alternative certification route; and

(2) Is enrolled in a TEACH Grant-eligible institution in a TEACH Grant-eligible program during the period required for the completion of a master's degree.

(c) Transfer students. If a student transfers from one institution to the current institution and does not qualify under § 686.11(a)(1)(v)(E), the current institution must determine that student's eligibility for a TEACH Grant for the first payment period using either the method described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section or the method described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, whichever method coincides with the current institution's academic policy. For an eligible student who transfers to an institution that—

(1) Does not incorporate grades from coursework that it accepts on transfer into the student's GPA at the current institution, the current institution, for the courses accepted upon transfer—

(i) Must calculate the student's GPA for the first payment period of enrollment using the grades earned by the student in the coursework from any prior postsecondary institution that it accepts; and

(ii) Must, for all subsequent payment periods, apply its academic policy and not incorporate the grades from the coursework that it accepts on transfer into the GPA at the current institution; or

(2) Incorporates grades from the coursework that it accepts on transfer into the student's GPA at the current institution, the current institution must use the grades assigned to the coursework accepted by the current institution as the student's cumulative GPA to determine eligibility for the first payment period of enrollment and all subsequent payment periods in accordance with its academic policy.

[73 FR 35495, June 23, 2008, as amended at 85 FR 49823, Aug. 14, 2020]