Financial Aid Differs between schools?

<p>I saw another transfer post similar to mine a week or so ago and I figured maybe somebody has some answers to my questions too =)</p>

<p>I am transferring to another school in-state but received much less than I feel like I should have. I understand that colleges don't have to meet all my need, but the grants I was getting at my other school were a federal grant (the TEACH grant) and a state grant which i still continue to meet the requirements for.</p>

<p>My question is why am I not able to continue getting the same state grant I got at my old school? And is there any way I can get the TEACH grant still if my school doesn't offer it to undergrads? Is there any reason undergrads aren't offered it?</p>

<p>I have the option of going back to my old school, but it really is not that great for Education. I have a little more than a month to decide which school I want to go to.</p>

<p>Some, if not most, schools have elected not to participate in TEACH and I don’t believe you can receive it if your school is one of them.</p>

<p>Do you know of any reasons why schools elect to not be part of the TEACH grant? My school offers it for graduate students only, which I didn’t know since the financial aid portion of the orientation mentioned TEACH as part of their financial aid. It makes me not want to go to the current school since I can get up to $4000 from my old school just for wanting to teach after I graduate.</p>

<p>^ starting with the obvious - talk to a real person in the FA dept. </p>

<p>As far as grants… depending on your state… </p>

<p>some state grants may be to the student and you should get those (from the school),
but others are per student and are distributed to the school and then the school decides (sometimes based on a set criteria) what student from that state get what (if anything), from that pool of funds.</p>

<p>I think the problem is that TEACH is not really a grant – its a loan with some onerous requirements to avoid paying it back. You won’t get $4K from your old school for “wanting to teach” – you will HAVE to teach in order to avoid having to pay the money back, with interest accruing from the time of the original loan. </p>

<p>I found a good explanation on this page:
[TEACH</a> Grant Program](<a href=“http://www.lourdes.edu/FinancialAid/Grants/TEACHGrantProgram.aspx]TEACH”>http://www.lourdes.edu/FinancialAid/Grants/TEACHGrantProgram.aspx)</p>

<p>I thing most colleges feel it is too risky for undergrads – there are a lot of things that can happen along the way that can lead a student to change their mind – you might not get the grades, you might not be able to get your teaching credential, you might have a change of heart about your career – and 4 years is a pretty significant commitment.</p>

<p>I think the fact that you described it as a grant “just for wanting to teach” really illustrates the problem – it shows that you haven’t thought about, or weren’t informed, of the very serious commitment you would be making. It’s a lot more than “wanting to teach”.</p>

<p>I guess my statement was misinterpreted. What I meant by wanting to teach is that I’ve had my mind made up about being a teacher for quite some time. I’ve already had my plan of being a special education teacher in my hometown since high school.</p>

<p>I participated in the Teacher’s For Tomorrow program, and I did well enough to be one of two students chosen by my school system to be guaranteed a job with them after completing my education. Also, my guidance counselor informed for of the TEACH Grant during my senior year while I was applying to schools, which has really helped me out the first two years of college. I never questioned what I wanted to do after college, which I guess is really lucky since I know so many people change their majors lots and haven’t found the perfect fit for them. I’m just really passionate about teaching and helping others out. I would be going for it without the grant and without the guarantee of a job with my former school system, because it’s what I have wanted to do, and I really can’t picture myself in a different career.</p>

<p>Anyway, I will be calling my new school later today to see what can be done. I’ve already signed the agreement to teach. I’m well aware of what terms of service I agreed to, and I’ve been fully counseled in person at my previous school about the grant.</p>

<p>I am wondering if any accommodations can be made because I’ve previous received the moeny AND committed to the service, although it doesn’t really affect my future plans because I know where and what I’ll be teaching.</p>