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Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading TIAA-CREF Tax-Exempt Bond Fund
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a high level of current income that is exempt from regular federal income tax, consistent with preservation of capital.

Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading FEES AND EXPENSES
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination 2013-07-31
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

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 March 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 59% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 59.00%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through July 31, 2013 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:

Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in tax-exempt bonds, a type of municipal security, the interest on which, in the opinion of the issuer’s bond counsel at the time of issuance, is exempt from federal income tax, including federal alternative minimum tax (“AMT”). The Fund may also invest in other municipal securities including bonds, notes, commercial paper and other instruments (including participation interests in such securities) issued by or on behalf of the states, territories and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia) and their political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities, the interest on which, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuers at the time of issuance, is exempt from regular federal income tax (i.e., excludable from gross income for individuals for federal income tax purposes but not necessarily exempt from AMT). Some of these securities may also be exempt from certain state and local income taxes. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.


Municipal securities are often issued to raise funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities such as bridges, highways, housing, hospitals, mass transportation facilities, schools, streets and public utilities such as water and sewer works.


The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in private activity bonds. Private activity bonds are tax-exempt bonds whose proceeds are used to finance private, for-profit organizations. The interest on these securities (including the Fund’s distribution of that interest) may be a preference item for purposes of the AMT. The AMT is a special tax system that ensures that individuals and certain corporations pay at least some federal taxes. Income from securities that are a preference item is included in the computation of the AMT.


The Fund can also invest in other municipal securities, including certificates of participation, municipal leases, municipal obligation components and municipal custody receipts. In addition, the Fund can invest in municipal bonds secured by mortgages on single-family homes and multi-family projects. The Fund’s investments in these securities are subject to prepayment and extension risk. All of the Fund’s assets are dollar-denominated securities.


The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in securities rated below investment-grade, or unrated securities of comparable quality which are usually called “junk” bonds.


The Fund pursues superior returns using historical yield spread and credit analysis to identify and invest in undervalued market sectors and individual securities. The Fund usually sells investments that Teachers Advisors, Inc. (“Advisors”) believes to be overvalued on a relative basis. Although the Fund may invest in fixed-income securities of any maturity, the duration of the Fund’s portfolio typically ranges within 15% of the duration of its benchmark index, the Barclays 10-Year Municipal Bond Index. As of May 1, 2012, the duration of the index was 5.98 years.

Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund. An investment in the Fund, due to the nature of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:


· 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.


· 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.


· State and Municipal Investment Risk—Because the Fund invests significantly in tax-exempt bonds and other municipal securities, events affecting states and municipalities may adversely affect the Fund’s investments and its performance. These events may include severe financial difficulties and continued budget deficits, economic or political policy changes, tax base erosion, state constitutional limits on tax increases, and changes in the credit ratings assigned to state and municipal issuers of debt instruments.


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


· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for their fair market value.


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


· Active Management Risk—The risk that Advisors’ strategy, investment selection or trading execution may cause the Fund to underperform relative to the benchmark index or mutual funds with similar investment objectives.


· 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 the Fund’s income.


· Non-Investment-Grade Securities Risk—Issuers of non-investment-grade securities, which are usually called “high-yield” or “junk bonds,” are typically in weaker financial health and such securities can be harder to value and sell and their prices can be more volatile than more highly rated securities. While these securities generally have higher rates of interest, they also involve greater risk of default than do securities of a higher-quality rating.


There can be no assurances that the 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.

Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading PAST PERFORMANCE
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

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 Institutional 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 Institutional 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 Institutional Class. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional Class and Retail Class over the one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods (where applicable) ended December 31, 2011, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the Retail Class of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Institutional Class shares.


The returns shown below reflect previous agreements by Advisors to waive or reimburse the Fund 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 benchmark index listed below is unmanaged, and you cannot invest directly in the benchmark index. The returns for the benchmark index 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.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns 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.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 800 842-2252
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.tiaa-cref.org
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) †
Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block] rr_BarChartFootnotesTextBlock

† The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 2.38%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 6.48%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -4.78%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2010.

Year to Date Return, Label rr_YearToDateReturnLabel The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Jun. 30, 2012
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn 2.38%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 6.48%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2010
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (4.78%)
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011
Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate 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.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(a), 401(k) or 403(b) plans or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the Retail Class of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Institutional Class shares.
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
                       

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

 

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), 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.

 

For the Fund’s most current 30-day yield, please call the Fund at 800 842-2252.

   
Barclays 10-Year Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.32%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.33%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.35% [1]
Retail Class
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption or Exchange Fee rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Account Maintenance Fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000) rr_ShareholderFeeOther 15.00
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.30%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25% [2]
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.66%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets    [3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.66%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 67
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 211
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 368
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 822
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 11.89%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.32%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.43%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Mar. 31, 2006
Institutional Class
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption or Exchange Fee rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Account Maintenance Fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000) rr_ShareholderFeeOther none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.30%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets    [2]
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.08%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.38%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.03%) [3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.35%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 36
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 119
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 210
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 477
Annual Return 2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 3.64%
Annual Return 2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (1.90%)
Annual Return 2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 11.76%
Annual Return 2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 2.30%
Annual Return 2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 12.02%
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.02%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.42%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.54%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Mar. 31, 2006
Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.01%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.37%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.49%
Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 9.07%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.15%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.26%
[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Institutional Class.
[2] The Retail Class of the Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan that reimburses the Fund's distributor, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. ("TPIS"), for its expenses in providing distribution, promotional and shareholder services with respect to the Retail Class shares at the annual rate of up to 0.25% of average daily net assets attributable to Retail Class shares. The fees shown in the chart for the Retail Plan are estimated reimbursements for the current year.
[3] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, Inc., has contractually agreed to reimburse the Fund for any Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage and other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; and (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least July 31, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.