<p>My guidance counselor just mentioned that in order to be considered for financial aid, I need to have a major and cant be undecided? Is that true?</p>
<p>Depends on the school. I know for UCs, their scholarship criteria revolve around majors, so in that case, you need one. However, for "regular" financial aid, it's based totally on your income.</p>
<p>For federal aid you don't need to have declared a major. My daughter is a sophomore and has just now declared her major. She received federal aid last year and this year.</p>
<p>The only federal grants I know of off hand that are dependent on specific majors are the SMART grant, which is for 3rd and 4th year students only, and the TEACH grant.</p>
<p>oh. ok good cause I was worried about this. </p>
<p>swimcatsmom- so your daughter applied undecided? And can you expand on the teach grant please?</p>
<p>Thanks to both of you</p>
<p>Yes she applied undecided. I think there are schools where you do have to apply to particular majors but at hers you do not. Her major is one that will qualify for the SMART grant.</p>
<p>I am not real knowledgeable about the TEACH grant as it is not one my daughter would qualify for. What I do know is that it is a new grant and is for potential teachers. It is only for certain areas of teaching (for instance a friend's daughter is planning on elementary school teaching and that does not qualify) and also requires the student to teach in a deprived area for a certain period of time. Not meeting the requirements causes the grant to revert to an unsubsidized loan with interest dated back to the original date of the loan (ugh). From the couple of comments I have read on CC it is a grant that financial aid officers are having difficulty administering leading to it not being widely awarded. (as an aside it seems to me that the powers that be come up with these wonderful grants without any input from anyone who has any actual operational experience of financial aid, making them very difficult to administer. it has taken several years and procedural changes for the SMART grant to be changed to where it's rules are approaching common sense! They need some financial aid officer to advise them. I nominate Nikkil and Kelsmom).</p>
<p>I will see if I can find a link to info on the TEACH grant.</p>
<p>Here is one link
NASFAA</a> TEACH Grant Resource Page</p>
<p>And here is a link to a financial aid page of a University - it explains it quite well.
TEACH</a> Grant Program</p>
<p>With it being a new grant the rules will probably change a few times. I have been following the evolution of the SMART grant as i knew it was one my daughter would probably qualify for. The rules for it, as far as credit hours etc, just now seem to be coming into line with normal credit hour requirements for Junior/Senior standing at most schools. I do watch the changes closely because I would hate for her to miss out on the grant because of being 1-2 credit hours below or above the rules. Hoping they do not change it too drastically before 2009-2010 when she will be eligible for it!</p>
<p>thanks a lot for the thorough explanation swimcats mom. I dont think im a potential teacher right now so it doesnt apply to me, but I hope your daughter gets the smart grant.</p>