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Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial Aid

Grants

Grants are similar to scholarships in that they are financial awards that do not have to be repaid. However, unlike scholarships, they are typically awarded based on financial need rather than on demonstrated academic achievement.

Federal Pell Grant

A Federal Pell Grant is funded by the government and does not have to be repaid. The Federal Pell Grant may only be awarded to undergraduate, degree-seeking students who have not already obtained a bachelor’s degree. A student may not receive Federal Pell Grant funds from more than one school at a time.

Award amounts vary based on a student’s results from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the student’s enrollment status in courses that meet a degree requirement. Awards will be adjusted for each credit hour below full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours). The Federal Pell Grant is available in the summer semester.

Pell eligible students, who are maintaining Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress, may receive the Federal Pell Grant until the completion of their bachelor’s degree OR until the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters of the grant. For more information about the Federal Pell Grant, please visit the Federal Student Aid website. 

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

FSEOG is a grant funded by the federal government for undergraduate, degree-seeking students with exceptional financial need. The amount of FSEOG funds is limited. Priority is given to students who receive maximum Federal Pell Grants (0 to -1500 SAI), and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by MTSU’s priority deadline of April 1, 2024 for the 2024-25 award year.

A FSEOG grant does not have to be repaid. The average FSEOG award is $600 per academic year. There is no guarantee that every eligible student will be able to receive a FSEOG award. For more information about the FSEOG, please visit the Federal Student Aid website.

Federal TEACH Grant Program

The Federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants up to $4,000 per academic year to students who intend to teach in a high-need field for four years in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. Students interested in applying for the Federal TEACH Grant must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year and submit a Federal TEACH Grant application to the Financial Aid Office.

In exchange for receiving a Federal TEACH Grant, you must be a highly-qualified, full-time teacher in a high-need subject area for at least four years at a school serving low-income students. You must complete the four years of teaching within eight years of finishing the program for which you received the grant. You incur a four-year teaching obligation for each educational program for which you received Federal TEACH Grant funds, although in some cases, you may work off multiple four-year obligations simultaneously. If you do not meet your obligation requirements, your Federal TEACH Grant will convert to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and interest will accrue from the date you received the grant.

To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Be enrolled in a TEACH Grant eligible program (high-need field that leads to a bachelor’s or master’s degree)
  • Incoming freshmen must have a final cumulative high school grade point average of 3.25
  • Currently enrolled undergraduates must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 as of the last completed semester
  • Students entering a graduate program must have a final cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.25
  • Currently enrolled graduates must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 as of the last completed semester
  • Current or former teachers are eligible to receive the TEACH Grant for a graduate high need program only. Retirees from other professions are also eligible for the TEACH Grant for a graduate high need program only These types of TEACH Grant candidates are not subject to the GPA requirement.
  • A postbaccalaureate program is not TEACH Grant eligible since MTSU offers a bachelor’s degree in education

To apply:

For more information regarding the Federal TEACH grant, please visit the Federal TEACH website.

Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA)

The Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) provides a need-based grant program for  in-state undergraduate students attending eligible Tennessee institutions. Recipients must be U.S. citizens, meet Tennessee residency requirements for state student aid, be enrolled in a degree-seeking program, and meet TSAC’s need requirements based on FAFSA results. Awards vary based on need and enrollment status.

The TSAA does not require a separate application. If awarded the TSAA, the first eligible Tennessee school listed on your FAFSA will be notified. You can update your school of choice by updating your TSAC profile via the Student Financial Aid Portal. For more information about the TSAA, please visit the TSAC website.

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