SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

OCTOBER 1, 2011

TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE INDEX 2035 FUND

of the TIAA-CREF Funds

Class Ticker: Institutional TLYIX Retirement TLYRX Premier TLYPX

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and other information about the Fund online at www.tiaa-cref.org/lcx_pro. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800 223-1200 or by sending an e-mail request to disclosure@tiaa-cref.org. The Fund’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), each dated October 1, 2011, as subsequently supplemented, and the sections of the Fund’s shareholder reports dated September 30, 2010 and May 31, 2011 when available, from “Portfolio of Investments” through “Notes to Financial Statements,” are incorporated into this Summary Prospectus by reference and may be obtained free of charge at the website, phone number or e-mail address noted above.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

FEES AND EXPENSES

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	0%	0%	0%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	0%	0%	0%
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	0%	0%	0%
Redemption or Exchange Fee	0%	0%	0%
Maximum Account Fee	0%	0%	0%

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund ■Summary Prospectus     1

ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees1		0.05%	0.15%	—
Other Expenses		0.40%	0.13%	0.13%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses2		0.08%	0.08%	0.08%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.63%	0.46%	0.31%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements3		0.20%	0.13%	0.13%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%
1	The Retirement Class of the Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan that compensates the Fund’s distributor, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. (“TPIS”), for its expenses in providing distribution, promotional and/or shareholder services to Retirement Class shares at the annual rate of 0.05% of average daily net assets attributable to Retirement Class shares. In addition, TPIS has contractually agreed not to seek payment of this fee under the Plan for Retirement Class shares through September 30, 2012, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.
2	“Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” are the Fund’s proportionate amount of the expenses of any investment companies or pools in which it invests. These expenses are not paid directly by Fund shareholders. Instead, Fund shareholders bear these expenses indirectly because they reduce Fund performance. Because “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” are included in the chart above, the Fund’s operating expenses here will not correlate with the expenses included in the Financial Highlights in this Prospectus and the Fund’s May 31, 2011 annual report.
3	Under the Fund’s expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, Inc. (“Advisors”), has contractually agreed to reimburse the Fund for any Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.10% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2012, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 2012 but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

2     Summary Prospectus■TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

	Retirement Class		Premier Class		Institutional Class
1 Year	$	44	$	34	$	18
3 Years	$	182	$	134	$	87
5 Years	$	331	$	245	$	161
10 Years	$	767	$	567	$	381

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 10% of the average value of its portfolio. During the eight-month fiscal period ended May 31, 2011, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 10% (not annualized) of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the TIAA-CREF Funds and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). In general, the Fund is designed for investors who have an approximate target retirement year in mind, and the Fund’s investments are adjusted from more aggressive to more conservative over time as the target retirement year approaches and for approximately seven to ten years afterwards. The Fund invests in Underlying Funds according to an asset allocation strategy designed for investors retiring or planning to retire within a few years of 2035. The Fund has a policy of investing at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in Underlying Funds that are managed to seek investment returns that track particular market indices.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 88.40% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 11.60% of its assets to fixed-income Underlying Funds. These allocations represent targets for equity and fixed-income asset classes. Target allocations will change over time and actual allocations may vary up to 10% from the targets. The target allocations along the investment glidepath, illustrated in the chart below, will gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in The Fund’s target retirement year of 2035 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2042 to 2045. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund ■Summary Prospectus     3

the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2012, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 65.10%; International Equity: 21.70%; Fixed-Income: 13.20%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Index Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund (International Equity); Bond Index Fund (Fixed-Income); and Inflation-Linked Bond Fund (Inflation-Protected Assets).

Additional or replacement Underlying Funds for each market sector, as well as additional or replacement market sectors, may be included when making future allocations if Advisors believes that such Underlying Funds and/or market sectors are appropriate in light of the Fund’s desired levels of risk and potential return at the particular time. The Fund’s portfolio management team may also add a new market sector if it believes that will help to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The relative allocations among Underlying Funds within a market sector may be changed at any time without notice to shareholders. If 10% or more of a Fund’s assets are expected to be invested in any Underlying Fund or market sectors not listed above, shareholders will receive prior notice of such change.

The Fund’s asset class allocations, market sector allocations within each asset class, and Underlying Fund allocations within each market sector, as of June 30, 2011, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	88.54%	U.S. Equity	66.30%	·Equity Index Fund	66.30%
		International Equity	22.24%	·International Equity Index Fund	16.51%
				·Emerging Marketss Equity Index Fund	5.73%
FIXED-INCOME	11.46%	Fixed-Income	11.46%	·Bond Index Fund	11.46%
Total	100.00%		100.00%		100.00%

The following chart shows how the investment glidepath for the Fund is expected to gradually move the Fund’s target allocations over time between the different target market sector allocations. The actual market sector allocations of the Fund may differ from this chart. The Fund seeks to achieve its final target market sector allocations approximately seven to ten years following the target date.

4     Summary Prospectus■TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

The Fund is designed to accommodate investors who invest in a fund up to their target retirement date, and plan to make gradual systematic withdrawals in retirement. In addition, investors should note that the Fund will continue to have a significant level of equity exposure up to, through and after its target retirement date, and this exposure could cause significant fluctuations in the value of the Fund depending on the performance of the equity markets generally.

Approximately seven to ten years after the Fund enters its target retirement year, the Board of Trustees may authorize the merger of the Fund into the Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund is designed to maintain a relatively stable allocation among the Underlying Funds reflecting the resting point on the glidepath described in the chart above. More detailed information about the Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund, or the Underlying Funds, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

·Asset Allocation Risk—The risk that the Fund may not achieve its target allocations. In addition, there is the risk that the asset allocations may not achieve the desired risk-return characteristic or that the selection of Underlying Funds and the allocations among them will result in the Fund underperforming other similar funds or cause an investor to lose money.

·Index Risk—The risk that an Underlying Fund’s performance will not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall stock market. Additionally, to the extent that an Underlying Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, an Underlying Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if an Underlying Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund ■Summary Prospectus     5

·Equity Investments Risk—A significant portion of the assets of the Fund is allocated to Underlying Funds investing primarily in equity investments. Therefore, the value of the Fund may increase or decrease as a result of its indirect interest in equity investments. Equity investments generally have greater price volatility than fixed income instruments.

·Market Risk—The risk that market prices of investments held by an Underlying Fund may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of factors, including changing economic, political or market conditions. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry or sector of the economy, or it may affect the market as a whole.

·Issuer Risk (often called Financial Risk)—The risk that the issuer’s earnings prospects and overall financial position will deteriorate, causing a decline in the value of its financial instruments over short or extended periods of time.

·Large-Cap Risk—The risk that large-capitalization companies are more mature and may grow more slowly than the economy as a whole and tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions.

·Mid-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of mid-capitalization companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than the stocks of larger, more established companies.

·Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities.

·Foreign Investment Risk—Foreign markets can be more volatile than the U.S. market due to increased risks of adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments and can result in greater price volatility and perform differently from financial instruments of U.S. issuers. This risk may be heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers.

·Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these

6     Summary Prospectus■TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many such countries.

·Fixed-Income Investments Risk—A significant portion of the assets of the Fund is allocated to Underlying Funds investing primarily in fixed-income investments. Therefore, the value of the Fund may increase or decrease as a result of its indirect interest in fixed-income investments.

·Income Volatility Risk—The risk that the level of current income from a portfolio of fixed-income investments declines in certain interest rate environments.

·Credit Risk (a type of Issuer Risk)—The risk that the issuer of bonds may not be able or willing to meet interest or principal payments when the bonds become due.

·Market Volatility, Liquidity and Valuation Risk (types of Market Risk)—The risk that volatile or dramatic reductions in trading activity make it difficult for an Underlying Fund to properly value its investments and that an Underlying Fund may not be able to purchase or sell an investment at an attractive price, if at all.

·Call Risk—The risk that, during periods of falling interest rates, an issuer may call (or repay) a fixed-income security prior to maturity, resulting in a decline in an Underlying Fund’s income.

·Interest Rate Risk (a type of Market Risk)—The risk that increases in interest rates can cause the prices of fixed-income investments to decline. This risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in longer duration fixed-income investments.

·Prepayment Risk—The risk that during periods of falling interest rates, borrowers may pay off their mortgage loans sooner than expected, forcing an Underlying Fund to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates and resulting in a decline in income.

·Extension Risk—The risk that during periods of rising interest rates, borrowers may pay off their mortgage loans later than expected, preventing an Underlying Fund from reinvesting principal proceeds at higher interest rates and resulting in less income than potentially available.

·Special Risks for Inflation-Indexed Bonds—The risk that interest payments on, or market values of, inflation-indexed investments decline because of a decline in inflation (or deflation) or changes in investors’ and/or the market’s inflation expectations. In addition, inflation indices may not reflect the true rate of inflation.

·Active Management Risk—The risk that the strategy, investment selection or trading execution of Advisors could cause the Fund or an Underlying Fund to underperform its benchmark index or mutual funds with similar investment objectives.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund ■Summary Prospectus     7

·Underlying Fund Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the Underlying Funds to achieve their investment objectives. There can be no guarantee that any Underlying Fund will achieve its investment objective.

There can be no assurances that the Fund or an Underlying Fund will achieve its investment objective. You should not consider the Fund to be a complete investment program. Please see the non-summary portion of the prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

PAST PERFORMANCE

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Retirement Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Retirement Class will vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns for a calendar quarter since inception of the Retirement Class. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Retirement, Institutional and Premier Classes over the one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods (where applicable) ended December 31, 2010, and how those returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index and a composite index based on the Fund’s target allocations. After-tax performance is shown only for the Retirement Class shares, and after-tax returns for the other Classes of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Retirement Class shares.

The returns shown below reflect previous agreements by the Fund’s investment adviser to waive or reimburse the Fund and certain Underlying Funds for certain fees and expenses. Without these waivers and reimbursements, the returns of the Fund would have been lower. Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. The indices listed below are unmanaged, and you cannot invest directly in an index. The returns for the indices reflect no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes.

For current performance information of each share class, including performance to the most recent month-end, please visit www.tiaa-cref.org.

8     Summary Prospectus■TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)^†

Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2011, was 5.69%.

Best quarter: 11.89%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -10.71%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

For the Periods Ended December 31, 2010

	Inception Date	One Year			Since Inception
Retirement Class	9/30/09			$
Return Before Taxes		13.41	%		14.37	%
Return After Taxes on Distributions		13.10	%		14.07	%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of
Fund Shares		9.05	%		12.21	%
Institutional Class	9/30/09
Return Before Taxes		13.67	%		14.64	%
Premier Class	9/30/09
Return Before Taxes		13.44	%		14.42	%
Russell 3000® Index
(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		16.93	%		18.61	%†
Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund Composite Index‡
(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		13.98	%		14.99	%†

Current performance of the Fund’s shares may be higher or lower than that shown above.

^†The performance above is calculated from the Retirement Class inception date.

^‡As of the close of business on December 31, 2010, the Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 66.9% Russell 3000 Index; 22.3% MSCI EAFE Index; and 10.8% Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The Fund’s composite benchmark, the components that make up a composite benchmark and the method of calculating a composite benchmark’s performance may vary over time.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates in effect during the periods shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(a),

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund ■Summary Prospectus     9

401(k) or 403(b) plans or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). After-tax returns are shown for only one class and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

Investment Adviser. The Fund’s investment adviser is Teachers Advisors, Inc.

Portfolio Managers. The following persons manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis:

Name:	Hans Erickson, CFA	John Cunniff, CFA	Pablo Mitchell
Title:	Managing Director	Managing Director	Director
Experience on Fund:	since 2009	since 2009	since 2009

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

Retirement Class and Premier Class shares are generally available for purchase through employee benefit plans or other types of savings plans or accounts. Institutional Class shares are available for purchase directly from the Fund by certain eligible investors or through financial intermediaries.

·There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment for Retirement Class shares. Retirement Class shares are primarily offered through employer-sponsored employee benefit plans.

·There is a $100 million aggregate plan size and $5 million initial minimum plan-level investment requirement for Premier Class shares. Premier Class shares are primarily offered through certain financial intermediaries and employer-sponsored employee benefit plans.

·The minimum initial investment is $2 million and the minimum subsequent investment is $1,000 for Institutional Class shares, unless an investor purchases shares by or through financial intermediaries that have entered into an appropriate agreement with the Fund or its affiliates.

Redeeming Shares. You can redeem (sell) your shares of the Fund at any time. If your shares are held through a third party, please contact that person for applicable redemption requirements. If your shares are held directly with the Fund, contact the Fund directly in writing or by telephone.

Exchanging Shares. You can exchange shares of the Fund for the same class of shares of any other funds offered by the TIAA-CREF Funds at any time, subject to the limitations described in the Market Timing/Excessive Trading Policy section in the statutory prospectus or any limitations imposed by a third party when shares are held through a third party.

TAX INFORMATION

The Fund intends to make distributions to shareholders that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. Distributions made to tax-exempt shareholders or shareholders who hold Fund shares in a tax-deferred account

10     Summary Prospectus■TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

are generally not subject to income tax in the current year, but redemptions made from tax-deferred accounts may be subject to income tax.

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER
FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY COMPENSATION

If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund ■Summary Prospectus     11

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