Teach For America began its partnership with AmeriCorps in 1994, as an inaugural AmeriCorps program. We are proud to participate in this network of national service programs committed to addressing critical community needs across the country, such as increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting poverty, sustaining national parks, preparing for disasters, and more.
Eligibility for AmeriCorps
You may be eligible to enroll as an AmeriCorps member during your first and second year as a corps member. To qualify for enrollment, you must meet specific citizenship and service term requirements. Those who have already served in an AmeriCorps program and earned previous education awards may be ineligible for additional education awards.
AmeriCorps awards rely on federal funding. Given the competitive grant process and dependence on Congressional funding, these benefits are not guaranteed every year.
Education Awards
After each successful year as an AmeriCorps member, you may receive an education award. The specific award amount varies each year, but is typically between $5,300-$6,100. The full-time award amount for the 2021-2022 school year is $6,495.
An AmeriCorps education award can only be used toward:
Repayment of qualified student loans (a loan in your name provided by a federal or state agency)
Payment of current or future educational expenses at a Title IV institution of higher education (includes most colleges and universities)
AmeriCorps education awards can not be paid out directly to corps members, even to reimburse previous educational expenses.
Education Awards and ASU
Many TFA Phoenix corps members choose to use their first education award to pay off the loans they took out to finance their first year at ASU, and then similarly use their second education award to pay off the loans they used to finance their second year at ASU. This approach results in an essentially free master's degree from ASU.
Loan Forbearance
The AmeriCorps loan forbearance benefit allows corps members to postpone regular monthly loan payments while serving as an AmeriCorps member. You can use loan forbearance to save for a major expense (car, graduate school, etc.), pay off loans more efficiently, or put money toward other responsibilities.
AmeriCorps only guarantees forbearance for qualified loans—those provided through state or federal agencies. However, several private lenders have determined that AmeriCorps membership is a valid reason for loan forbearance. Ultimately, for private loans, it’s at the lender’s discretion whether or not to grant forbearance.
Learn more about the "forbearance gap" between year one and year two in Teach For America here.
Interest Payments
Loans that are in forbearance still continue to accrue interest. AmeriCorps will pay up to 100 percent of the interest that accrues on your qualified student loans (those provided through a federal or state agency) after each successful year as an AmeriCorps member. Interest payments will not be deducted from your AmeriCorps education award.
Both loan forbearance and interest payment are subject to eligibility. Learn more about the AmeriCorps loan forbearance and interest accrual payment benefits.
The AmeriCorps education award and interest accrual payments are considered taxable income for the year they are used.
Corporation for National and Community Service (the government organization that runs AmeriCorps)
Interest payments (open link and scroll down to the "Interest Payments" section)