Grants

The Federal Pell Grant is a grant for undergraduate students with financial need as determined by the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) that does not have to be repaid unless a student withdraws from courses or owes a refund.

View additional information regarding Federal Pell Grant from the U. S. Department of Education

FSEOG is a grant for undergraduate students with exceptional financial need, students who receive Federal Pell Grant and have the most financial need may receive FSEOG.  FSEOG does not need to be repaid unless a student withdraws from courses or owes a refund.  Funds are limited and awarded each year on a first-come, first-serve basis, as a result early completion of the FAFSA is recommended.

View additional information regarding FSEOG from the U. S. Department of Education.

SVOG is a grant for undergraduate students with financial need. SVOG does not need to be repaid unless a student withdraws from courses or owes a refund.

Eligibility

Graduating high school seniors and transfer students (enrolled Fall of 2026 or later). President’s, Saginaw Award for Excellence, and Founder’s recipients are not eligible.

Terms

Awards range from $500-$7000, based on financial need and when combined with incoming academic scholarships (Deans, University, Cardinal and Valley Housing Scholarships).

• A student living on campus can receive up to $6,000 plus an additional $1500 for housing (limited to 2 years)
• A student living off-campus or with parent can receive up to $6,000
• This award is based on financial need and may be reduced if need changes.
• A student must be eligible to receive this grant in their first year to receive funds for additional years.

Renewal

• First time students the grant is renewable up to three additional consecutive years.
• Transfer students the grant is renewable until the completion of their first degree.
• Must complete and submit the FAFSA each year.
• Maintain a 2.0 SVSU cumulative GPA.
• Have financial need.
• Maintain full-time enrollment (24 credits) by the end of the academic year.
• Meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requirements for Financial Aid.

How to Apply

• Must complete and submit the current year FAFSA

Next Steps

Once a student has completed their FAFSA and it is processed through SVSU’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, they will receive an Award Offer listing the type and amount of financial aid offered.  If eligible, their award offer will listed SVOG and SVOGH for those students receiving the additional housing award.

When a student completes their FAFSA, they may receive a variety of grants and scholarships including the Federal Pell Grant and the State of Michigan’s Michigan Achievement Scholarship as well as other grants and scholarships from SVSU and outside entities. If an eligible student’s grants and scholarships do not fully cover their tuition, then the Cardinal Commitment will make up the difference.

Eligibility

Students entering college for the first time and have graduated high school after 2021. Recipients of the President’s Scholarship and Saginaw Award for Excellence are not eligible. Students are eligible to receive the award for up to five years.

Terms

• Must be enrolled as a first time in college student.
• Completed the current year FAFSA.
• Must be eligible to receive the Federal Pell Grant.
• Student’s household Adjusted Gross Income must be below $100,000 on the 2026 FAFSA, an increase from $70,000 years prior. 
• Student’s household assets as reported on the FAFSA must be below $80,000 on the 2026 FAFSA, and increase from $50,000 years prior. Assets exclude primary residence, retirement plans, and other assets identified on the FAFSA.
• Student is a degree-seeking student pursuing their first bachelor's degree.
• Students must be enrolled full-time (12 or more credits), if enrolled for the Fall and Winter semesters to receive the award. Full-time enrollment is not required for Spring and Summer semesters to receive it.
• Must be a resident of Michigan.

Renewal

• Students must have completed a total of 24 credits in the previous academic year, unless the student only attended in the Spring and Summer semesters of the previous academic year.
• Complete the current year FAFSA
• Must be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant
• Student’s household Adjusted Gross Income must be $100,000 or less.
• Student’s household assets as reported on the FAFSA must be $80,000 or less. Assets exclude primary residence, retirement plans, and other assets identified on the FAFSA.
• Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Must be a resident of Michigan
• Students must be enrolled full-time (12 or more credits), if enrolled for the Fall and Winter semesters to receive the award. Full-time enrollment is not required for Spring and Summer semesters to receive it.

How to Apply

No separate application is required. Students who have completed the FAFSA and meet all eligibility requirements will be awarded.

Amount of the Award

The Cardinal Commitment award does not have a specified amount. This award is a tuition-specific award. The amount a student receives is determined by the amount of tuition charges minus all other grants and scholarships awarded. Students may be eligible for the award but not receive it if other grants and scholarships awarded cover the cost of tuition. The amount of the award for each semester will not be finalized until after the start of each semester (Financial Aid’s Census Day), meaning that the initial amount awarded may be increased or decreased depending on enrollment, tuition charges, and other grant and scholarship aid. Credit hours that are added or dropped after the Census Day will not change the amount of Cardinal Commitment that has been awarded.

If I lose eligibility one year, will I be considered next year?

Yes! SVSU will review your eligibility every year for Cardinal Commitment for up to five years. Students may demonstrate eligibility in a particular year or all years. Eligibility is determined on an academic year basis and not every semester.

Saginaw Valley State University participates in the U.S. Department of Education’s TEACH Grant Program.  The TEACH Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching.

As a condition for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve in which you agree (among other requirements) to teach

• in a high-need field
• at an elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency that serves students from low-income families
• for at least four complete academic years within eight years after completing (or ceasing enrollment in) the course of study for which you received the grant.

IMPORTANT: If you do not complete your service obligation, all TEACH Grant funds you received will be converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education, with interest charged from the date the TEACH Grant was disbursed (paid to you or on your behalf).

View additional information regarding TEACH Grant from the U. S. Department of Education.

The TEACH Grant Program will provide up to $4,000* per year ($16,000 total for four-year undergraduate programs; $8,000 total for graduate studies) in grants to students who plan to teach full-time in high-need subject areas at schools that serve students from low-income families. Three-quarter-time students can receive up to $3,000 per year; half-time students can receive up to $2,000 per year; and less-than-half time students can receive up to $1,000 per year.

*IMPORTANT:  

• A TEACH Grant where the first disbursement is on or after October 1, 2020 and before October 1, 2026 requires a reduction of 5.7 percent from the award amount for which the student would otherwise have been eligible.

PLEASE NOTE:  Financial aid provided may not exceed the cost of attendance, therefore, receiving a TEACH Grant may reduce the recipient’s eligibility for other sources of financial aid

In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must agree to serve four years as a full-time teacher in which you are teaching a majority of your courses in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students (see below for more information on high-need fields and schools serving low-income students). As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach at least four years within eight years of finishing your teacher preparation program for which you received a TEACH Grant. 

IMPORTANT: If you fail to complete this service obligation, all amounts of the TEACH Grants that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education. You will be charged interest from the date the grant(s) was disbursed. Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

Service Agreement

Each year that you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement), online at the Department of Education Web site: www.studentaid.gov.  

The TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgment by you that you understand that if you do not meet the teaching service requirements you must repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date the grant funds were disbursed. Specifically, the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve will provide that 

• For each TEACH Grant-eligible program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, you must serve as a full-time teacher for a total of at least four academic years within eight calendar years after you completed or withdrew from the academic program for which you received the TEACH Grant.
• You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher at a low-income school. The term highly-qualified teacher is defined in section 9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 or in section 602(10) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
• Your teaching service must be in a high-need field in which you are teaching a majority of your courses.
• You must comply with any other requirements that the Department of Education determines to be necessary. If you do not complete the required teaching service obligation, TEACH Grant funds you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan that you must repay, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement. 
• If the grant is converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.

High-Need Subject Areas

• Elementary Education
• Health & Physical Education
• Integrated Science
• Language Arts
• Reading Specialist
• Special Education & Special Education Administration
• Other identified teacher shortage areas as of the time you begin teaching in that field. These are teacher subject shortage areas (not geographic areas) that are listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing at https://tsa.ed.gov/#/home/.

Schools Serving Low-Income Students

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 at https://studentaid.gov/app/tcli.action

Some students may have previously qualified for a program that is no longer an eligible program.

Undergraduate Programs

Graduate Programs

Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.):

• Early Childhood Classroom Teaching 
• K-12 Literacy Specialist
• Special Education-Only available to teachers who are already endorsed in at least one area of special education. To include; Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cognitive Impairment, and/or Learning Disabilities endorsements.

 SVSU Programs NOT ELIGIBLE for the TEACH Grant

• Post baccalaureate Teacher Certification students
• Second undergraduate degree-seeking students
• Students pursuing an additional non-degree certification or endorsement to add to their current certificate

You must confirm within 120 days of completing or otherwise ceasing enrollment in your teacher preparation program that you are fulfilling (or plan to fulfill) the terms and conditions of your service agreement. You must document your teaching service, and your documentation must be certified by the chief administrative officer at the school where you teach and sent directly to the Department of Education annually by your personal due date that is set by the TEACH Grant servicer, FedLoan Servicing. If you have questions about your TEACH Grant annual certification date you can contact FedLoan Servicing at 1-800-699-2908.  You will need to notify in writing to the Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid if you cease enrollment in your teacher preparation program.