Identification

• The only exception to the undergraduate in an undergraduate degree program rule for the Pell Grant is for post-baccalaureate teacher certification or license programs, according to the Department of Education. To qualify, a teacher certification program must require a bachelor's degree to enter and not allow any undergraduates.
  
  

Requirements

• The teacher certification program can only contain courses required by the state to receive a certificate and it cannot lead to a graduate degree. Also, the certifying school cannot have a bachelor's program in teaching. The student cannot have a previous teacher's degree in the state and must enroll at last half time.
  
  

How Schools Need to Handle This Situation

• For federal student aid purposes, the school must consider a student in a post-baccalaureate teacher certification program an undergraduate in an undergraduate program, according to the Department of Education. A post-baccalaureate student who receives the Pell Grant becomes ineligible for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).
  
  

Tip

• If you do not qualify for a Pell Grant in a post-baccalaureate program, you may be able to take the Lifetime credit. You can receive a tax credit worth 20 percent of your post-baccalaureate costs--up to $2,000--off of your tax obligation for tuition and related graduate school expenses. You can only claim this credit twice in your life.