Grants

Several grant programs provide assistance to students who qualify. Grants don't have to be repaid, but grants that exceed the cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies are subject to U.S. income taxation. Amounts used for room and board are considered taxable income.

  • Federal Pell Grant

    The Federal Pell Grant is the largest federal student aid gift assistance program available to undergraduates.

    To determine eligibility, a student must apply for this grant by completing the FAFSA. There is no priority deadline for the Pell Grant, but students should apply by April 1 to allow ample processing time before fall registration. Based on the information submitted, the school receives an Institutional Student Information Report (ISIR) in about two weeks. Simultaneously, the student receives a Student Aid Report (SAR). This report provides an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) that determines the applicant's entitlement. Other factors that affect the amount of the grant are enrollment status (full time or part time) and the cost of attendance.

    To receive the Pell Grant, a student must do the following:

    • Apply by submitting the FAFSA to the federal processor.
    • Follow instructions to correct the SAR if needed.
    • Be enrolled in an undergraduate course of study. (The grant is not available to students who have previously received a bachelor's degree from any institution.)
    • Be a U.S. citizen; be in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention to become a permanent resident; or be a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands or the Republic of Palau.
    • Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

    This program is available to full-time, first-time undergraduates who have exceptional financial need. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to receive FSEOG assistance. Awards are dependent on the level of federal funding received by Clemson University.

    Students are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Forms received by the federal processor by January 2 for incoming freshmen and April 1 for upperclassmen will receive priority consideration. Follow-up documents, if required, should be submitted promptly because FSEOG funds typically are depleted by mid-summer.

  • The South Carolina Need-Based Grant

    This program awards to South Carolina residents demonstrating financial need. Students are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Priority consideration is given to incoming freshmen who file the FAFSA by January 2 and upperclassmen who file the FAFSA by April 1 each year.

    Eligibility

    General requirements
    • Must be a legal resident of South Carolina
    • Must be a full-time, undergraduate student seeking your first baccalaureate degree.
    • Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have financial need as defined by Title IV regulations. Priority is given to FAFSAs received by January 2 for incoming freshmen and April 1 for upperclassmen.
    • Must not have been judged delinquent, nor have been convicted or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any felony in any state.
    • Must not have been convicted of any alcohol or drug-related misdemeanor in any state within 12 months prior to the period of the award.
    • Must not be in default or owe a refund or repayment on any federal or state financial aid.
    • Must be making satisfactory academic progress.
    Requirements for entering freshmen and transfer students
    • Must meet all general eligibility requirements.
    • Must enroll in 12 hours for the fall and spring semesters.
    Requirements for continuing students
    • Must meet all general eligibility requirements.
    • Must enroll in 12 hours for the fall and spring semesters.
    • If you received the S.C. Need-Based Grant in the previous year, you must have earned at least 12 hours during the semester(s) of the award.
    • Must have a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA.

    Terms of Eligibility

    The S.C. Need-Based Grant can be received for no more than eight semesters.

    Award Amount

    The maximum S.C. Need-Based Grant at Clemson is $2,000 per year based on financial need as defined by Title IV regulations.

    Disbursement

    The S.C. Need-Based Grant is credited to your student account to satisfy any charges. Excess aid is refunded to the student. The S.C. Need-Based Grant is only available during the fall and spring semesters.

    Dropping below Full-time or Withdrawing

    If you are receiving the S.C. Need-Based Grant, or any other financial aid, dropping below full-time status or withdrawing completely might affect your eligibility to receive aid. Under some circumstances, withdrawing from the university might require you to repay part or all of any financial aid received. Before taking this action, you should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid (G-01 Sikes Hall) to determine the effect on your financial obligations.

  • The Federal TEACH Grant

    Clemson participates in the Federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program.

    The TEACH Grant is available to students who plan to begin a career in teaching, are enrolled in a Clemson-approved major, are on track to meet the requirements for entering the professional level of their education curriculum and meet the minimum GPA, Praxis Core testing and application requirements. Recipients must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a low-income school, as a highly qualified teacher, and in a high-need field for at least four years within eight calendar years of leaving the program for which they received the TEACH Grant. Recipients that fail to complete the four years of qualified teaching service within eight years of completing the course of study for which the TEACH Grant was received, or otherwise fail to meet any other requirement of the grant, will have their Teach Grant converted into a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Accrued and capitalized interest is effective from the date of the original grant disbursement. Once a Teach Grant converts to a loan, it is not reversible.

    The Teach Grant provides up to $4,000.00 per academic year in grant assistance. The aggregate limit for undergraduates cannot exceed $16,000.00 and the aggregate limit for graduate students cannot exceed $8,000.00. If a student is eligible to receive the TEACH Grant, the student will be awarded an estimated amount that assumes full-time enrollment and is adjusted based on the current year sequester (required federal reductions). Example: For any TEACH Grant first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2020, the maximum award of $4,000 is reduced by 5.7 percent ($238), resulting in a maximum award of $3,772. If a student enrolls less than full-time, the amount of the annual TEACH Grant that he or she receives will be adjusted accordingly.

    Eligibility

    Students must be degree-seeking and in a major Clemson has approved as Teach Grant eligible. Clemson has approved the following majors as Teach Grant eligible based on the federal list provided by the Department of Education and the National List applicable to the state of South Carolina:

    Federal TEACH Grant - Eligible Undergraduate Majors
    Undergraduate Majors Concentration
    Middle Level Language Arts and Social Studies Combination of Language Arts and Social Studies curriculum
    Middle Level Math and Science Combination of Math and Science curriculum
    Secondary Agricultural Education Agricultural Education: Teaching Emphasis Area, BS
    Secondary Math Mathematics Teaching; Secondary Education (with an emphasis in Mathematics)
    Secondary Science Science Teaching
    Secondary English Secondary Education (with an emphasis in English)
    Secondary Social Studies Secondary Education (with an emphasis in Social Studies)
    Special Education N/A
    Elementary Education N/A

    Federal TEACH Grant - Eligible Graduate Degree Programs
    Graduate Degree Programs Emphasis Area
    Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

    Any of the following:

    • Middle Grades: Math, Science, Social Studies or English
    • Secondary: Math, Science, Social Studies or English
    • Special Education
    Master of Education (MED) Literacy, ESOL
    General requirements

    To receive a TEACH Grant, students must meet the following criteria:

    • Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year;
    • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen;
    • Be enrolled as a degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate student in an eligible Clemson major with a GPA of 3.25 or above;
    • As an undergraduate, a student must have earned 30 applicable credit hours and satisfied the first year of the teaching curriculum. Must also have passed or exempted all Praxis Core requirements and be on track for entering the professional level of the curriculum.
    • Be taking coursework necessary to complete teacher certification in a high-need field;
    • Annually, students must sign a new TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and complete a new Teach Grant Counseling;

    Each academic year, for consideration of TEACH Grant, submit the required application materials to Student Financial Aid. Submit the completed forms at least 30 days before the end of the term of enrollment for which the TEACH Grant funding is being requested;

    Requirements for maintaining grant status after graduation

    To avoid repaying the TEACH Grant after graduation, you must serve as a full-time teacher in a low-income school, as a highly-qualified teacher, and in a high-need field for at least four years within eight calendar years of leaving the program for which you received the TEACH Grant. For a listing of schools and teaching fields that qualify, visit the Nationwide List for the state in which you intend to teach.

     

    Initial 120-Day Certification Requirement

    As explained in your TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve, you are expected to confirm for the TEACH Grant servicer, FedLoan Servicing, in writing within 120 days of the date when you ceased to be enrolled (graduated or withdrew) from the school where you received a TEACH Grant that you are:

    • employed as a full-time teacher in accordance with the terms and conditions described in the Agreement to Serve; or
    • not yet employed as a full-time teacher but intend to meet the TEACH Grant service obligation.

    FedLoan Servicing will notify you when your initial 120-day certification is due.

    Note: If you withdraw from school before completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant, and you do not submit this initial certification to FedLoan Servicing within 120 days from the date of your withdrawal, all TEACH Grants you received will be converted to Direct Unsubsidized Loans. You must then repay these loans to ED, with interest charged from the date the TEACH Grants were disbursed. FedLoan Servicing will notify you if your TEACH Grants are converted to Direct Unsubsidized Loans.

    Annual Certification Requirement

    As explained in your Agreement to Serve, each year you must provide ED’s TEACH Grant servicer, FedLoan Servicing, with (1) documentation showing that you have completed a full school year of qualifying teaching service, or (2) a certification that you intend to satisfy the terms and conditions of your TEACH Grant service obligation. The documentation of teaching or certification of intent must be submitted to FedLoan Servicing by the annual certification date.

    Before November 1, 2018, your annual certification date was based on the date when you ceased to be enrolled (graduated or withdrew) from the school where you received a TEACH Grant. Therefore, annual certification dates varied among TEACH Grant recipients. To make it easier for TEACH Grant recipients to remember the annual certification date, ED has adopted a standardized annual certification date for all current and future TEACH Grant recipients.

    Starting in 2019, the new annual certification date that will apply to you and all TEACH Grant recipients is October 31. Each year at the beginning of October, the TEACH Grant servicer, FedLoan Servicing, will notify you and tell you how to submit your documentation of progress towards completing your TEACH Grant service obligation, or your certification of intent to satisfy the service obligation.

    If you do not submit your documentation of progress or certification of intent by Oct. 31 and do not respond to reminder notices from FedLoan Servicing, all TEACH Grants you received will be converted to Direct Unsubsidized Loans. You must then repay these loans to ED, with interest charged from the date the TEACH Grants were disbursed (paid to you). FedLoan Servicing will notify you if your TEACH Grants are converted to Direct Unsubsidized Loans.

    Teaching Obligation

    To avoid repaying the TEACH Grant with interest, 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 TEACH Grant funds; however, you may work off multiple four-year obligations simultaneously under certain circumstances.

    Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.

    Highly-Qualified, Full-Time Teacher

    You must perform your teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher, which is defined in federal law in section 9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, or, for special education teachers, in section 602(10) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. To find out if you meet the requirements to be considered "highly qualified," check with the Chief Administrative Officer at the school or educational service agency where you are teaching. You must meet the state’s definition of a full-time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching one of the high-need subject areas. Elementary teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement.

    High-Need Subject Areas

    The Department of ED lists the following as high-need fields:

      • Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
      • Foreign Language
      • Mathematics
      • Reading Specialist
      • Science
      • Special Education
      • Any other field listed in the U.S. Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.html.

    A field listed in the Nationwide List will satisfy a recipient's service obligation if:

      • The field is designated by a state as high-need at the time the recipient begins qualifying teaching in that field in that state (even if that field subsequently loses its high-need designation for that state); or
      • The recipient is teaching in the field during or after the 2010-2011 school year, and the field was considered high-need by the state in which the grant recipient is teaching during any award year the student received a TEACH Grant. (Even if the high-need field is no longer designated as high-need for that state when the grant recipient begins qualifying teaching service).

    You can also learn more information about the Federal TEACH Grant online at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/teach#what-is-teach.