485BPOS

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 16, 2012
File Nos. 333-76651, 811-09301

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933	x
Pre-Effective Amendment No.	o
Post-Effective Amendment No. 63	x
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT	x
OF 1940
Amendment No. 66	x
(Check appropriate box or boxes)

TIAA-CREF Funds
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

730 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10017-3206
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (800) 842-2733

Stewart P. Greene, Esq.
TIAA-CREF Funds
730 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10017-3206
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copy to:
Jeffrey S. Puretz, Esq.
Dechert LLP
1775 I Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006-2401

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering:
As soon as practicable after effectiveness of the Registration Statement.

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

o Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

x On October 16, 2012 pursuant to paragraph (b)

o 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

o 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

o On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

o On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485

If appropriate, check the following box:

o This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

Explanatory Note

This post-effective amendment on Form 485BPOS is being submitted for the sole purpose of furnishing, in Exhibit 101, XBRL Interactive Data for the related official 485BPOS filing which was submitted to the Commission on September 28, 2012.

No other changes have been made to the Form 485BPOS. This Form 485BPOS does not reflect events that may have occurred subsequent to the original filing date, and does not modify or update any related disclosures made in the related official Form 485BPOS.

Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, the Interactive Data Files on Exhibit 101 hereto are deemed not filed or part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of Sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, are deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and otherwise are not subject to liability under those sections.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, TIAA-CREF Funds certifies that it meets all the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of New York, and State of New York on the 16 day of October, 2012.

TIAA-CREF FUNDS
By:	/s/ Roger W. Ferguson, Jr.
Name:	Roger E. Ferguson, Jr.
Title:	Principal Executive Officer and President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature	Title	Date
/s/ Roger W. Ferguson, Jr.	Principal Executive Officer and President	October 16, 2012
Roger W. Ferguson, Jr.	(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ Phillip G. Goff	Principal Financial Officer,	October 16, 2012
Phillip G. Goff	Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer
	(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

SIGNATURE OF TRUSTEE	DATE	SIGNATURE OF TRUSTEE	DATE
*	October  16,  2012	*	October  16,  2012
Forrest Berkley		Thomas J. Kenny
*	October  16,  2012	*	October  16,  2012
Nancy Eckl		Bridget A. Macaskill
*	October  16,  2012	*	October  16,  2012
Michael A. Forrester		James M. Poterba
*	October  16,  2012	*	October  16,  2012
Howell E. Jackson		Maceo K. Sloan
*	October  16,  2012	*	October  16,  2012
Nancy L. Jacobs		Laura T. Starks
/s/ Stewart P. Greene	October  16,  2012
Stewart P. Greene
as attorney-in-fact

* Signed by Stewart P. Greene pursuant to powers of attorney previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

EXHIBIT LIST

101.     INS XBRL Instance Document

101.     SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema

101.     DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase

101.     LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase

101.     PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2030 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.36%	0.11%	0.11%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.09%	0.09%	0.09%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.60%	0.45%	0.30%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.17%)	(0.12%)	(0.12%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	175	132	84
5 Years	318	240	157
10 Years	734	555	369

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 10% 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 Trust 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 2030. 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 77.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 22.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2030 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2037 to 2040. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 57.90%; International Equity: 19.30%; Fixed-Income: 22.80%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	79.55%	U.S. Equity	59.34%	lEquity Index Fund	59.34%
		International Equity	20.21%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	14.95%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.26%
FIXED-INCOME	20.45%	Fixed-Income	20.45%	lBond Index Fund	20.45%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.76%.

Best quarter: 11.08%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -12.86%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(0.53%)	7.13%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(0.84%)	6.81%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(0.07%)	6.04%
Institutional Class		(0.32%)	7.37%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class		(0.42%)	7.20%		Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	10.45%	[1]
Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	(0.28%)	7.55%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 59.7% Russell 3000 Index; 20.4% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; and 19.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets 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.

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TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Income Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Income Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks current income with some capital appreciation.

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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Income Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none	none
Account Maintenance Fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	15.00	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Income Fund		Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees		0.25%		0.15%
Other Expenses	[1]	0.83%	0.95%	0.71%	0.71%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.36%	0.36%	0.36%	0.36%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.54%	1.41%	1.32%	1.17%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3]	(0.69%)	(0.70%)	(0.71%)	(0.71%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.85%	0.71%	0.61%	0.46%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Income Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	87	73	62	47
3 Years	419	377	348	301

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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 3% (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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking current income with some capital appreciation through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting an income-oriented and conservative risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 20% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 80% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	20.65%	U.S. Equity	14.38%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	3.58%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	3.51%
				·Growth & Income Fund	3.00%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	1.34%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	1.31%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	1.10%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.28%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.26%
		International Equity	6.27%	·International Equity Fund	2.84%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	1.92%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	1.51%
FIXED-INCOME	79.35%	Fixed-Income	39.66%	·Bond Plus Fund	19.84%
				·Bond Fund	19.82%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	39.69%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	39.69%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund. Because the Fund targets its investments in a higher percentage of fixed-income Underlying Funds, Fixed-Income Underlying Fund Risks are expected to predominate.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Aggressive Growth Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks long-term growth 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

2013-09-30

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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 2% (not annualized) of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

2.00%

Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text]

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking long-term growth of capital through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting an aggressive growth risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 100% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 0% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	100.00%	U.S. Equity	69.62%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	17.34%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	16.97%
				·Growth & Income Fund	14.54%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	6.49%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	6.37%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	5.33%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	1.35%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	1.23%
		International Equity	30.38%	·International Equity Fund	13.82%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	9.29%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	7.27%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund. Because the Fund targets its investments in a significantly higher percentage of equity Underlying Funds, Equity Underlying Fund Risks are expected to predominate.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

Performance One Year or Less [Text]

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.85%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.71%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.71%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.00%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

102

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

469

Retirement 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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.97%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.58%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.72%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.86%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

88

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

428

Premier 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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.73%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.49%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.73%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.76%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

78

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

399

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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.73%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.34%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.73%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.61%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

62

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

352

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Moderate Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks long-term total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income.

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

2013-09-30

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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 11% (not annualized) of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

11.00%

Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text]

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking long-term total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income, through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting a moderate risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 60% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 40% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	60.74%	U.S. Equity	42.29%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	10.52%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	10.32%
				·Growth & Income Fund	8.83%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	3.94%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	3.87%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	3.23%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.82%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.76%
		International Equity	18.45%	·International Equity Fund	8.42%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	5.62%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	4.41%
FIXED-INCOME	39.26%	Fixed-Income	39.26%	·Bond Plus Fund	39.26%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

Performance One Year or Less [Text]

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.57%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.45%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.37%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.43%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.94%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

96

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

391

Retirement 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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.68%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.45%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.23%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.43%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.80%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

82

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

348

Premier 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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.45%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.14%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.44%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.70%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

72

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

319

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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.45%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.99%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.44%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.55%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

56

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

271

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 14% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

14.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2020. 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 61.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 38.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2020 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2027 to 2030. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 45.90%; International Equity: 15.30%; Fixed-Income: 35.60%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 3.20%.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	63.78%	U.S. Equity	47.60%	lEquity Index Fund	47.60%
		International Equity	16.18%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	11.97%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	4.21%
FIXED-INCOME	36.22%	Fixed-Income	33.55%	lBond Index Fund	33.55%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	2.67%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	2.67%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

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. 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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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 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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 47.7% Russell 3000 Index; 33.8% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 15.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 2.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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 RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund

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 5.96%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 9.39%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -9.69%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

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

5.96%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

9.39%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(9.69%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

10.45%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.58%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.61%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.62%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.19%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

179

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

327

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

756

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

11.69%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

1.32%

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.32%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.14%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.91%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.76%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.08%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.98%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.47%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.14%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

137

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

249

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

578

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.34%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.18%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.32%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.14%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

89

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

166

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

392

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.53%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.39%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 47.7% Russell 3000 Index; 33.8% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 15.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 2.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.03%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

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TIAA-CREF Managed Allocation Fund

TIAA-CREF Managed Allocation Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks favorable returns that reflect the broad investment performance of the financial markets through capital appreciation and investment income. The Fund will pursue this goal through a “fund of funds” approach, whereby the Fund will make investments primarily in other mutual funds.

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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Managed Allocation Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Account Maintenance Fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	15.00	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Managed Allocation Fund		Retail Class	Retirement Class	Institutional Class
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.25%
Other Expenses		0.12%	0.29%	0.04%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.44%	0.44%	0.44%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.81%	0.73%	0.48%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3]	(0.12%)	(0.04%)	(0.04%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.69%	0.69%	0.44%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Managed Allocation Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	70	70	45
3 Years	247	229	150
5 Years	438	402	265
10 Years	991	903	600

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 15% 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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund invests in Underlying Funds according to a relatively stable asset allocation strategy and will generally seek to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 60% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds including up to 5% of its assets in real estate Underlying Funds; and (2) approximately 40% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds (“target allocations”).

The Fund currently intends to invest in the following equity Underlying Funds: Growth & Income Fund, International Equity Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Real Estate Securities Fund.

The Fund currently intends to invest in the following fixed-income Underlying Funds: Bond Plus Fund, Short-Term Bond Fund, High-Yield Fund and Inflation-Linked Bond Fund.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Managed Allocation Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic stocks of companies of all sizes, foreign equities, real estate securities and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. If the portfolio managers believe that the relative attractiveness of the markets in which the equity and fixed-income funds are invested changes, they can adjust the percentage of investments in these Underlying Funds up or down by up to 10%. At any given time the Fund may hold between 0% to 5% of its assets in real estate funds. The Fund’s composite benchmark is a composite of three benchmark indices representing three types of market sectors within the equity and fixed-income Underlying Fund asset classes, i.e., domestic equity, international equity and fixed-income. The composite index is created by applying the results of the benchmark for each of these three market sectors in proportion to the Fund’s target allocations among the three market sectors. For more information about the different indices that comprise the Fund’s composite benchmark index, please see “Additional Information About the Fund’s Composite Index” below.

The composition of the Fund’s fixed-income portion will vary depending on the shape of the yield curve. This means that when there is not much difference between the yield on short-term and long-term bonds, the Fund would normally increase its investments in the Short-Term Bond Fund. The Fund will have less than 5% of its assets in the High-Yield Fund.

The Fund might sometimes be even more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income, if Advisors believes market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income funds in periods when Advisors believes equity markets will decline.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Board has authorized the Fund to invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”). The Fund may use investments in ETFs and ETNs to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

For flexibility in meeting redemptions, expenses and the timing of new investments, and as a short-term defense during periods of unusual volatility, the Fund may invest in government securities (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)), short-term paper or shares of the Money Market Fund. For temporary defensive purposes, the Managed Allocation Fund may invest without limitation in such securities. The Fund cannot guarantee that this strategy will be successful.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	60.97%	U.S. Equity	45.47%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	8.48%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	8.44%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	8.32%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	8.32%
				·Growth & Income Fund	7.11%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	3.54%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.63%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.63%
		International Equity	15.50%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	5.75%
				·International Equity Fund	5.69%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	4.06%
FIXED-INCOME	39.03%	Fixed-Income	39.03%	·Bond Plus Fund	39.03%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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 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, Retail Class and Retirement 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 a broad-based securities market index and a composite index based on the Fund’s target allocations. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the other Classes 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%)†

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.89%.

Best quarter: 12.65%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -14.15%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Managed Allocation Fund		One Year	Five Years	Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class		0.31%	1.59%	2.70%		Mar. 31, 2006
Institutional Class After Taxes on Distributions		(0.49%)	0.62%	1.66%
Institutional Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		0.40%	0.85%	1.76%
Retail Class		0.07%	1.47%	2.60%		Mar. 31, 2006
Retirement Class		(0.05%)	1.32%	2.42%		Mar. 31, 2006
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	(0.01%)	1.64%	[1]
Managed Allocation Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	1.89%	2.30%	3.47%	[1]

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.

[1] The Retail Class of the Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan that pays the Fund's distributor, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. ("TPIS"), for its expenses in providing distribution, promotional and/or shareholder services to 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 have been restated to reflect current fees.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Institutional Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Managed Allocation Fund Composite Index consisted of: 45.0% Russell 3000 Index; 40.0% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; and 15.0% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets 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.

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Value

Risk/Return:

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Risk/Return [Heading]

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

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SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

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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

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2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

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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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 10% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

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10.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

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"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2030. 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 77.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 22.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2030 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2037 to 2040. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 57.90%; International Equity: 19.30%; Fixed-Income: 22.80%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	79.55%	U.S. Equity	59.34%	lEquity Index Fund	59.34%
		International Equity	20.21%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	14.95%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.26%
FIXED-INCOME	20.45%	Fixed-Income	20.45%	lBond Index Fund	20.45%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 59.7% Russell 3000 Index; 20.4% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; and 19.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.76%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 11.08%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -12.86%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

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

6.76%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

11.08%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(12.86%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

10.45%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.28%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.55%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.17%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

175

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

318

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

734

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

12.91%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(0.53%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.53%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.13%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.84%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.81%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.07%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.04%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.45%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.12%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

132

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

240

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

555

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.42%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.20%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.30%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.12%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

84

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

157

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

369

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.32%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.37%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2030 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 59.7% Russell 3000 Index; 20.4% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; and 19.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2045 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.49%	0.24%	0.24%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.09%	0.09%	0.09%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.73%	0.58%	0.43%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.30%)	(0.25%)	(0.25%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	203	161	113
5 Years	376	299	216
10 Years	878	702	518

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 25% 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 Trust 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 2045. 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 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2045 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2052 to 2055. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.38%	U.S. Equity	67.36%	lEquity Index Fund	67.36%
		International Equity	23.02%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	17.03%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.99%
FIXED-INCOME	9.62%	Fixed-Income	9.62%	lBond Index Fund	9.62%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.35%.

Best quarter: 11.95%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -14.77%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(1.61%)	6.98%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(1.88%)	6.65%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(0.74%)	5.93%
Institutional Class		(1.41%)	7.22%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class		(1.50%)	7.10%		Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	10.45%	[1]
Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	(1.39%)	7.44%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2040 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle 2040 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 5% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

5.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2040.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2040 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2047 to 2050. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.25%	U.S. Equity	65.10%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	12.07%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	12.02%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	12.02%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.99%
				·Growth & Income Fund	10.15%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	5.03%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.93%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.89%
		International Equity	25.15%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.47%
				·International Equity Fund	8.42%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.97%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.29%
FIXED-INCOME	9.75%	Fixed-Income	9.75%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.84%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

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. 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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]

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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 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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2040 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2040 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.75%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 17.54%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -20.27%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

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

7.75%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

17.54%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(20.27%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.01%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.34%

^[1]

Lifecycle 2040 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.39%)

^[2]

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.30%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.88%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.92%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.18%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.74%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

76

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

275

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

492

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,115

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

5.30%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

13.12%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

10.28%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(38.14%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

28.39%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

15.21%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(3.87%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.87%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.61%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.41%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 15, 2004

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(4.44%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(1.11%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.69%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.07%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.69%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.64%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.77%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.64%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

65

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

233

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

415

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

942

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.68%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.55%)

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.45%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.62%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

50

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

185

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

333

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

762

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.58%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.35%)

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.60%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jan. 17, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2040 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE 2055 FUND

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle 2055 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 44% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

44.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2055.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2055 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2062 to 2065. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.25%	U.S. Equity	65.21%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	12.17%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	12.16%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	11.94%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.93%
				·Growth & Income Fund	10.22%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.98%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.95%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.86%
		International Equity	25.04%	·International Equity Fund	8.45%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.40%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.92%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.27%
FIXED-INCOME	9.75%	Fixed-Income	9.75%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.84%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

Performance One Year or Less [Text]

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Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa-cref.org

RETIREMENT CLASS

Risk/Return:

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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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[1]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.92%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.56%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.82%)

^[3],[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.74%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

76

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

412

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

772

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,787

PREMIER CLASS

Risk/Return:

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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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[1]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.67%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.41%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.77%)

^[3],[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.64%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

65

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

370

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

698

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,624

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[1]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.02%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.61%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(1.12%)

^[3],[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

50

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

398

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

770

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,816

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund seeks high total return over time primarily through income,

with a secondary emphasis on capital appreciation.

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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		1.01%	0.73%	0.72%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.13%	0.13%	0.13%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.29%	1.11%	0.95%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.86%)	(0.78%)	(0.77%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	324	275	226
5 Years	625	536	450
10 Years	1,481	1,282	1,096

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 25% 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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund invests in Underlying Funds according to a relatively stable asset allocation strategy that will not gradually adjust over time and is designed for investors who are already in or entering retirement (i.e., have already passed their retirement year). The Fund has a policy of investing at least 80% of its assets in Underlying Funds that are managed to seek investment returns that track particular market indices. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 40.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 60.00% of its assets to fixed-income Underlying Funds. These allocations represent targets for equity and fixed-income asset classes. Target allocations may be changed and actual allocations may vary up to 10% from the targets. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which may change, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 30.00%; International Equity: 10.00%; Fixed-Income: 50.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 10.00%.

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. Investors should note that the Fund has a significant level of equity exposure and this exposure could cause fluctuation in the value of the Fund depending on the performance of the equity markets generally.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	41.04%	U.S. Equity	30.60%	lEquity Index Fund	30.60%
		International Equity	10.44%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	7.72%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	2.72%
FIXED-INCOME	58.96%	Fixed-Income	49.27%	lBond Index Fund	49.27%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	9.69%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	9.69%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 4.81%.

Best quarter: 6.74%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -4.69%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		4.21%	7.09%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		3.53%	6.35%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		2.88%	5.70%
Institutional Class		4.45%	7.34%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class		4.30%	7.19%		Sep. 30, 2009
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		7.84%	6.46%	[1]
Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	4.50%	7.58%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.05%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund Composite Index consisted of: 50.0% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 30.0% Russell 3000 Index; 10.0% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

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Risk/Return [Heading]

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2050 Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Lifecycle 2050 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

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SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

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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

2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

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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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 6% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

6.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2050.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2050 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2057 to 2060. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.24%	U.S. Equity	65.14%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	12.14%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	12.13%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	11.94%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.92%
				·Growth & Income Fund	10.19%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.99%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.95%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.88%
		International Equity	25.10%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.44%
				·International Equity Fund	8.43%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.94%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.29%
FIXED-INCOME	9.76%	Fixed-Income	9.76%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.85%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2050 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2050 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.71%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 17.30%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -21.79%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

7.71%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

17.30%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(21.79%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(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

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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]

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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.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(1.38%)

^[1]

Lifecycle 2050 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.39%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(2.09%)

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.37%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.01%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.27%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.74%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

76

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

295

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

532

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,212

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(38.94%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

28.05%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

15.03%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(3.80%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.80%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.53%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(4.23%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(4.11%)

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.21%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.20%)

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.85%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.21%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.64%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

65

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

250

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

451

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,030

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.65%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.48%)

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.70%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.21%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

50

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

203

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

369

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

851

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.56%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.28%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2050 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Premier Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Premier Class.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2035 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

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

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 4% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

4.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 expects to allocate approximately 85.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 14.80% 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, gradually becomes 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, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 63.90%; International Equity: 21.30%; Fixed-Income: 14.80%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	87.13%	U.S. Equity	62.83%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	11.67%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.59%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	11.58%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	11.58%
				·Growth & Income Fund	9.79%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.87%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.89%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.86%
		International Equity	24.30%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.18%
				·International Equity Fund	8.13%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.77%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.22%
FIXED-INCOME	12.87%	Fixed-Income	12.87%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.84%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%
				·Bond Fund	3.12%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2035 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 65.7% Russell 3000 Index; 21.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 12.4% Barclays 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2035 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.57%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 17.55%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -20.30%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

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Jun. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

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7.57%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

17.55%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(20.30%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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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

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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]

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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.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.01%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.34%

^[1]

Lifecycle 2035 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.17%)

^[2]

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.32%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.67%

^[1],[2]

Retirement Class

Risk/Return:

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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

Maximum Account Fee

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none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.91%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.18%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.73%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

75

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

272

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

486

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,103

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

5.16%

Annual Return 2006

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12.47%

Annual Return 2007

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9.71%

Annual Return 2008

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(38.18%)

Annual Return 2009

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28.30%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

15.02%

Annual Return 2011

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(3.55%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.55%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.70%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.15%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 15, 2004

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

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One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(4.12%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(1.22%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.43%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.89%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.77%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.41%

Premier Class

Risk/Return:

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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

Maximum Account Fee

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none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

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0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.76%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.63%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

64

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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230

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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410

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

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930

Inception Date

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Sep. 30, 2009

Premier Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.58%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.66%)

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.18%

^[7]

Institutional Class

Risk/Return:

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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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.61%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

49

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

182

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

327

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

750

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.37%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.47%)

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.32%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jan. 17, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2035 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 65.7% Russell 3000 Index; 21.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 12.4% Barclays 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

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Risk/Return [Heading]

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TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Income Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Fund seeks current income with some capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

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SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

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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

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2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

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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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 3% (not annualized) of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

3.00%

Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text]

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Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

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"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking current income with some capital appreciation through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting an income-oriented and conservative risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 20% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 80% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	20.65%	U.S. Equity	14.38%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	3.58%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	3.51%
				·Growth & Income Fund	3.00%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	1.34%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	1.31%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	1.10%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.28%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.26%
		International Equity	6.27%	·International Equity Fund	2.84%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	1.92%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	1.51%
FIXED-INCOME	79.35%	Fixed-Income	39.66%	·Bond Plus Fund	19.84%
				·Bond Fund	19.82%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	39.69%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	39.69%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund. Because the Fund targets its investments in a higher percentage of fixed-income Underlying Funds, Fixed-Income Underlying Fund Risks are expected to predominate.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

Performance One Year or Less [Text]

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.83%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.54%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.69%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.85%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

87

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

419

Retirement 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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.95%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.41%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.70%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.71%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

73

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

377

Premier 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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.71%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.32%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.71%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.61%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

62

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

348

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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.71%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.17%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.71%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.46%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

47

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

301

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 21% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

21.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2015. 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 53.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 46.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2015 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2022 to 2025. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 39.90%; International Equity: 13.30%; Fixed-Income: 41.60%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 5.20%.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	55.84%	U.S. Equity	41.68%	lEquity Index Fund	41.68%
		International Equity	14.16%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	10.47%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	3.69%
FIXED-INCOME	44.16%	Fixed-Income	39.55%	lBond Index Fund	39.55%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	4.61%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	4.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

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. 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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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 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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 41.7% Russell 3000 Index; 39.8% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 13.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 4.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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 RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund

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 5.60%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 8.63%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -8.09%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

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

5.60%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

8.63%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(8.09%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

10.45%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.54%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.63%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.62%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.19%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

179

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

327

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

756

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

11.03%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

2.28%

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.28%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.15%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.81%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.74%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.68%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.96%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.15%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

139

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

254

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

589

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.38%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.27%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.15%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

91

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

170

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

403

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.56%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.43%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 41.7% Russell 3000 Index; 39.8% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 13.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 4.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.03%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2030 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2030 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 2030 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2030 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2030 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.28%	0.03%	0.03%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.47%	0.47%	0.47%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.90%	0.75%	0.60%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.18%)	(0.13%)	(0.13%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.72%	0.62%	0.47%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2030 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	74	63	48
3 Years	269	227	179
5 Years	481	404	322
10 Years	1,091	918	738

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 5% 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 Trust 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 2030.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 77.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 22.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2030 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2037 to 2040. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 57.90%; International Equity: 19.30%; Fixed-Income: 22.80%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	79.34%	U.S. Equity	57.19%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	10.63%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	10.56%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	10.53%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	10.52%
				·Growth & Income Fund	8.91%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.44%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.81%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.79%
		International Equity	22.15%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	7.46%
				·International Equity Fund	7.41%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.26%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.02%
FIXED-INCOME	20.66%	Fixed-Income	20.66%	·Bond Fund	10.90%
				·Bond Plus Fund	5.85%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2030 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.36%.

Best quarter: 16.62%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -19.05%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2030 Fund		One Year	Five Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(2.61%)	(0.40%)		3.17%		Oct. 15, 2004
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(3.27%)	(0.96%)		2.44%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(1.29%)	(0.55%)		2.41%
Institutional Class		(2.32%)	(0.14%)	[1]	3.36%	[1]	Jan. 17, 2007
Premier Class		(2.43%)	(0.36%)	[1]	3.21%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	(0.01%)		4.34%	[2]
Lifecycle 2030 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	(0.28%)	none		3.70%	[2]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2030 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 59.7% Russell 3000 Index; 19.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 20.4% Barclays 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.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 12% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

12.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2025. 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 69.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 30.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2025 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2032 to 2035. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 51.90%; International Equity: 17.30%; Fixed-Income: 29.60%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 1.20%.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	71.68%	U.S. Equity	53.49%	lEquity Index Fund	53.49%
		International Equity	18.19%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	13.46%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	4.73%
FIXED-INCOME	28.32%	Fixed-Income	27.57%	lBond Index Fund	27.57%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	0.75%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	0.75%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 53.7% Russell 3000 Index; 27.8% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 17.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 0.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.41%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 10.18%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -11.34%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

6.41%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

10.18%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(11.34%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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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

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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]

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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.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

10.45%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.62%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.57%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.10%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.61%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.18%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

177

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

322

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

745

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

12.31%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

0.38%

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.38%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.12%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.02%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.77%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.50%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.00%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.10%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.46%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

134

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

245

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

567

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.47%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.24%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.10%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.31%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

87

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

161

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

381

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.56%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.36%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 53.7% Russell 3000 Index; 27.8% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 17.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 0.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.02%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

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TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE INDEX 2055 FUND

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Lifecycle Index 2055 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

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SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

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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

2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

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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 May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 7% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

7.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

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"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2055. 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 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2055 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2062 to 2065. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.33%	U.S. Equity	67.32%	lEquity Index Fund	67.32%
		International Equity	23.01%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	17.02%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.99%
FIXED-INCOME	9.67%	Fixed-Income	9.67%	lBond Index Fund	9.67%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

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. 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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

Performance One Year or Less [Text]

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

RETIREMENT 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[1]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.31%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.55%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(1.12%)

^[3],[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

379

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

738

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,750

PREMIER 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[1]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.06%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.40%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(1.07%)

^[3],[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

338

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

663

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,587

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[1]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.05%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.24%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(1.06%)

^[3],[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

288

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

579

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,406

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2010 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2010 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 2010 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2010 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2010 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.29%	0.04%	0.04%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.41%	0.41%	0.41%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.85%	0.70%	0.55%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.19%)	(0.14%)	(0.14%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.66%	0.56%	0.41%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2010 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	67	57	42
3 Years	252	210	162
5 Years	453	376	293
10 Years	1,031	857	676

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 13% 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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). In general, the Fund is designed for investors who have recently retired or have an approximate target retirement year within a few years, 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 who retired in 2010 or plan to retire within a few years of 2010.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 47.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 53.00% 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, gradually become more conservative. The Fund had target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2010 and will reach the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2017 to 2020. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 35.25%; International Equity: 11.75%; Fixed-Income: 38.60%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 7.20%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 7.20%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	49.08%	U.S. Equity	35.38%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	6.59%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	6.55%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	6.49%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	6.49%
				·Growth & Income Fund	5.52%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	2.75%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.50%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.49%
		International Equity	13.70%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	4.62%
				·International Equity Fund	4.59%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	3.24%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.25%
FIXED-INCOME	50.92%	Fixed-Income	37.70%	·Bond Fund	35.92%
				·High-Yield Fund	0.89%
				·Bond Plus Fund	0.89%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	6.67%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	6.67%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	6.55%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	6.55%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2010 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 5.69%.

Best quarter: 10.87%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -11.04%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2010 Fund		One Year	Five Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		1.48%	2.43%		4.33%		Oct. 15, 2004
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		0.69%	1.65%		3.44%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		1.10%	1.68%		3.27%
Institutional Class		1.69%	2.68%	[1]	4.50%	[1]	Jan. 17, 2007
Premier Class		1.58%	2.47%	[1]	4.35%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		7.84%	6.50%		5.49%	[2]
Lifecycle 2010 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	3.10%	2.78%		4.78%	[2]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2010 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 38.3% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 36.4% Russell 3000 Index; 12.1% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 6.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 6.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

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SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

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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

2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

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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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 25% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

25.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

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"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2045. 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 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2045 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2052 to 2055. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.38%	U.S. Equity	67.36%	lEquity Index Fund	67.36%
		International Equity	23.02%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	17.03%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.99%
FIXED-INCOME	9.62%	Fixed-Income	9.62%	lBond Index Fund	9.62%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.35%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 11.95%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -14.77%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

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Jun. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

7.35%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

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Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

11.95%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(14.77%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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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

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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]

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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.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

10.45%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.39%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.44%

^[1],[2]

Retirement Class

Risk/Return:

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Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)

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none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge

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none

Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption or Exchange Fee

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Maximum Account Fee

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none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.73%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.30%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

203

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

376

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

878

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.50%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(1.61%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.61%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.98%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.88%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.65%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.74%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.93%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.24%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.58%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.25%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

161

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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299

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

702

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.50%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.10%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.24%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.25%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

113

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

216

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

518

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.41%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.22%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2045 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Managed Allocation Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Fund seeks favorable returns that reflect the broad investment performance of the financial markets through capital appreciation and investment income. The Fund will pursue this goal through a “fund of funds” approach, whereby the Fund will make investments primarily in other mutual funds.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

15.00%

Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text]

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The fees shown in the chart have been restated to reflect current fees.

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund invests in Underlying Funds according to a relatively stable asset allocation strategy and will generally seek to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 60% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds including up to 5% of its assets in real estate Underlying Funds; and (2) approximately 40% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds (“target allocations”).

The Fund currently intends to invest in the following equity Underlying Funds: Growth & Income Fund, International Equity Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Real Estate Securities Fund.

The Fund currently intends to invest in the following fixed-income Underlying Funds: Bond Plus Fund, Short-Term Bond Fund, High-Yield Fund and Inflation-Linked Bond Fund.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Managed Allocation Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic stocks of companies of all sizes, foreign equities, real estate securities and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. If the portfolio managers believe that the relative attractiveness of the markets in which the equity and fixed-income funds are invested changes, they can adjust the percentage of investments in these Underlying Funds up or down by up to 10%. At any given time the Fund may hold between 0% to 5% of its assets in real estate funds. The Fund’s composite benchmark is a composite of three benchmark indices representing three types of market sectors within the equity and fixed-income Underlying Fund asset classes, i.e., domestic equity, international equity and fixed-income. The composite index is created by applying the results of the benchmark for each of these three market sectors in proportion to the Fund’s target allocations among the three market sectors. For more information about the different indices that comprise the Fund’s composite benchmark index, please see “Additional Information About the Fund’s Composite Index” below.

The composition of the Fund’s fixed-income portion will vary depending on the shape of the yield curve. This means that when there is not much difference between the yield on short-term and long-term bonds, the Fund would normally increase its investments in the Short-Term Bond Fund. The Fund will have less than 5% of its assets in the High-Yield Fund.

The Fund might sometimes be even more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income, if Advisors believes market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income funds in periods when Advisors believes equity markets will decline.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Board has authorized the Fund to invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”). The Fund may use investments in ETFs and ETNs to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

For flexibility in meeting redemptions, expenses and the timing of new investments, and as a short-term defense during periods of unusual volatility, the Fund may invest in government securities (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)), short-term paper or shares of the Money Market Fund. For temporary defensive purposes, the Managed Allocation Fund may invest without limitation in such securities. The Fund cannot guarantee that this strategy will be successful.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	60.97%	U.S. Equity	45.47%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	8.48%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	8.44%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	8.32%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	8.32%
				·Growth & Income Fund	7.11%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	3.54%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.63%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.63%
		International Equity	15.50%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	5.75%
				·International Equity Fund	5.69%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	4.06%
FIXED-INCOME	39.03%	Fixed-Income	39.03%	·Bond Plus Fund	39.03%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, Retail Class and Retirement 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 a broad-based securities market index and a composite index based on the Fund’s target allocations. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the other Classes 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]

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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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Managed Allocation Fund Composite Index consisted of: 45.0% Russell 3000 Index; 40.0% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; and 15.0% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%)†

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.89%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 12.65%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -14.15%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

6.89%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

12.65%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(14.15%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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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

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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]

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After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the other Classes of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Institutional Class shares.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.01%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.64%

^[1]

Managed Allocation Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.89%

^[2]

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.30%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.47%

^[1],[2]

Retail Class

Risk/Return:

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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

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

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0.25%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.81%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.12%)

^[5]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.69%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

70

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

247

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

438

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

991

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.07%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.47%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.60%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

Retirement Class

Risk/Return:

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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

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.29%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.73%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[5]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.69%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

70

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

229

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

402

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

903

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.05%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.32%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.42%

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

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[5]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

45

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

150

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

265

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

600

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

8.83%

Annual Return 2008

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(28.64%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

22.46%

Annual Return 2010

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13.44%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

0.31%

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.31%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.59%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.70%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.49%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.62%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.66%

Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.40%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.85%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.76%

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Institutional Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Managed Allocation Fund Composite Index consisted of: 45.0% Russell 3000 Index; 40.0% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; and 15.0% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets 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.

[3] The Retail Class of the Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan that pays the Fund's distributor, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. ("TPIS"), for its expenses in providing distribution, promotional and/or shareholder services to 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 have been restated to reflect current fees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

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TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Aggressive Growth Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Aggressive Growth Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Aggressive Growth Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none	none
Account Maintenance Fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	15.00	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Aggressive Growth Fund		Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees		0.25%		0.15%
Other Expenses	[1]	0.85%	0.97%	0.73%	0.73%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.51%	0.51%	0.51%	0.51%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.71%	1.58%	1.49%	1.34%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3]	(0.71%)	(0.72%)	(0.73%)	(0.73%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		1.00%	0.86%	0.76%	0.61%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Aggressive Growth Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	102	88	78	62
3 Years	469	428	399	352

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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 2% (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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking long-term growth of capital through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting an aggressive growth risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 100% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 0% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	100.00%	U.S. Equity	69.62%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	17.34%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	16.97%
				·Growth & Income Fund	14.54%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	6.49%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	6.37%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	5.33%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	1.35%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	1.23%
		International Equity	30.38%	·International Equity Fund	13.82%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	9.29%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	7.27%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund. Because the Fund targets its investments in a significantly higher percentage of equity Underlying Funds, Equity Underlying Fund Risks are expected to predominate.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2030 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle 2030 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 5% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

5.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2030.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 77.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 22.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2030 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2037 to 2040. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 57.90%; International Equity: 19.30%; Fixed-Income: 22.80%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	79.34%	U.S. Equity	57.19%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	10.63%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	10.56%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	10.53%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	10.52%
				·Growth & Income Fund	8.91%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.44%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.81%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.79%
		International Equity	22.15%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	7.46%
				·International Equity Fund	7.41%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.26%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.02%
FIXED-INCOME	20.66%	Fixed-Income	20.66%	·Bond Fund	10.90%
				·Bond Plus Fund	5.85%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

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. 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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 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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2030 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 59.7% Russell 3000 Index; 19.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 20.4% Barclays 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.

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 RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2030 Fund

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 7.36%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 16.62%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -19.05%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

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

7.36%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

16.62%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(19.05%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.01%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.34%

^[1]

Lifecycle 2030 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.28%)

^[2]

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

none

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.70%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.47%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.18%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.72%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

74

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

269

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

481

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,091

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

4.90%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

11.72%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

9.39%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(36.54%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

26.70%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

14.39%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(2.61%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.61%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.40%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.17%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 15, 2004

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.27%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.96%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.44%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.29%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.55%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.41%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.47%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.75%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.62%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

63

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

227

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

404

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

918

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.43%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.36%)

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.21%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.47%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.47%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

48

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

179

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

322

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

738

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.32%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.14%)

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.36%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jan. 17, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2030 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 59.7% Russell 3000 Index; 19.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 20.4% Barclays 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2020 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle 2020 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

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SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

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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

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2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

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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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

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8.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

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"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2020.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 61.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 38.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2020 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2027 to 2030. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 45.90%; International Equity: 15.30%; Fixed-Income: 32.40%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 3.20%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 3.20%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund, and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	63.72%	U.S. Equity	45.92%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	8.55%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	8.49%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	8.44%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	8.44%
				·Growth & Income Fund	7.16%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	3.56%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.65%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.63%
		International Equity	17.80%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	6.00%
				·International Equity Fund	5.95%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	4.23%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.62%
FIXED-INCOME	36.28%	Fixed-Income	30.87%	·Bond Fund	25.17%
				·Bond Plus Fund	3.14%
				·High-Yield Fund	2.56%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	2.73%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	2.73%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	2.68%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	2.68%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2020 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 47.7% Russell 3000 Index; 31.2% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 15.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 2.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 2.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2020 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.50%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 13.85%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -14.95%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

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Jun. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

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6.50%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

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Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

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13.85%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

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Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

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(14.95%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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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

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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]

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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.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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One Year

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1.03%

Five Years

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(0.01%)

Since Inception

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4.34%

^[1]

Lifecycle 2020 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.47%

^[2]

Five Years

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1.43%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.32%

^[1],[2]

Retirement Class

Risk/Return:

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Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)

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none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge

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none

Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption or Exchange Fee

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none

Maximum Account Fee

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none

Management Fees

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0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

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0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

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0.28%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

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0.44%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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0.87%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

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(0.18%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

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0.69%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

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70

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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260

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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465

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,056

Annual Return 2005

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4.77%

Annual Return 2006

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10.26%

Annual Return 2007

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9.22%

Annual Return 2008

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(30.33%)

Annual Return 2009

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23.15%

Annual Return 2010

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13.15%

Annual Return 2011

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(0.52%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.52%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.07%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.87%

Inception Date

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Oct. 15, 2004

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

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One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.40%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.38%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.04%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

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One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.14%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.62%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.95%

Premier Class

Risk/Return:

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Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)

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none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge

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none

Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption or Exchange Fee

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none

Maximum Account Fee

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none

Management Fees

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0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

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0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

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0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

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0.44%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.72%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

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(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.59%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

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60

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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217

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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388

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

882

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.49%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.12%

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.90%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.57%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

45

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

170

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

305

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

701

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.29%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.31%

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.04%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jan. 17, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2020 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 47.7% Russell 3000 Index; 31.2% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 15.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 2.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 2.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2035 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2035 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2035 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2035 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.28%	0.03%	0.03%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.48%	0.48%	0.48%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.91%	0.76%	0.61%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.18%)	(0.13%)	(0.13%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.73%	0.63%	0.48%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2035 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	75	64	49
3 Years	272	230	182
5 Years	486	410	327
10 Years	1,103	930	750

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 4% 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 Trust 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 expects to allocate approximately 85.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 14.80% 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, gradually becomes 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, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 63.90%; International Equity: 21.30%; Fixed-Income: 14.80%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	87.13%	U.S. Equity	62.83%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	11.67%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.59%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	11.58%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	11.58%
				·Growth & Income Fund	9.79%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.87%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.89%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.86%
		International Equity	24.30%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.18%
				·International Equity Fund	8.13%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.77%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.22%
FIXED-INCOME	12.87%	Fixed-Income	12.87%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.84%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%
				·Bond Fund	3.12%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2035 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.57%.

Best quarter: 17.55%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -20.30%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2035 Fund		One Year	Five Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(3.55%)	(0.70%)		3.15%		Oct. 15, 2004
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(4.12%)	(1.22%)		2.43%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(1.89%)	(0.77%)		2.41%
Institutional Class		(3.37%)	(0.47%)	[1]	3.32%	[1]	Jan. 17, 2007
Premier Class							Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(3.58%)	(0.66%)	[1]	3.18%	[1]
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	(0.01%)		4.34%	[2]
Lifecycle 2035 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	(1.17%)	(0.32%)		3.67%	[2]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2035 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 65.7% Russell 3000 Index; 21.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 12.4% Barclays 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.

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2025 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2025 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 2025 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2025 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2025 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.28%	0.03%	0.03%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.46%	0.46%	0.46%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.89%	0.74%	0.59%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.18%)	(0.13%)	(0.13%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.71%	0.61%	0.46%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2025 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	73	62	47
3 Years	266	223	176
5 Years	475	399	316
10 Years	1,080	906	725

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 7% 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 Trust 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 2025.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 69.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 30.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2025 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2032 to 2035. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 51.90%; International Equity: 17.30%; Fixed-Income: 28.40%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 1.20%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 1.20%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	71.52%	U.S. Equity	51.55%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	9.59%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	9.52%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	9.49%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	9.48%
				·Growth & Income Fund	8.03%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.00%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.73%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.71%
		International Equity	19.97%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	6.73%
				·International Equity Fund	6.68%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	4.74%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.82%
FIXED-INCOME	28.48%	Fixed-Income	26.94%	·Bond Fund	18.32%
				·Bond Plus Fund	5.08%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.54%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	0.78%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	0.78%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	0.76%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	0.76%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2025 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.92%.

Best quarter: 15.33%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -16.97%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2025 Fund		One Year	Five Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(1.56%)	0.37%		3.57%		Oct. 15, 2004
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(2.34%)	(0.24%)		2.78%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(0.55%)	0.07%		2.71%
Institutional Class		(1.29%)	0.62%	[1]	3.74%	[1]	Jan. 17, 2007
Premier Class		(1.51%)	0.38%	[1]	3.57%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	(0.01%)		4.34%	[2]
Lifecycle 2025 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	0.60%	0.72%		4.01%	[2]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2025 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 53.7% Russell 3000 Index; 27.2% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 17.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 0.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 0.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund seeks high total return over time primarily through income,

Objective, Secondary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectiveSecondaryTextBlock

with a secondary emphasis on capital appreciation.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 13% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

13.00%

Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text]

rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent

The fees shown in the chart have been restated to reflect current fees.

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund invests in Underlying Funds according to a relatively stable asset allocation strategy that will not gradually adjust over time and is designed for investors who are already in or entering retirement (i.e., have already passed their retirement year).

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 40.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 60.00% of its assets to fixed-income Underlying Funds. These allocations represent targets for equity and fixed-income asset classes. Target allocations may be changed and actual allocations may vary up to 10% from the targets. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which may change, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 30.00%; International Equity: 10.00%; Fixed-Income: 40.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 10.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 10.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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. Investors should note that the Fund has a significant level of equity exposure and this exposure could cause fluctuation in the value of the Fund depending on the performance of the equity markets generally.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	40.81%	U.S. Equity	29.47%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	5.50%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	5.49%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	5.39%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	5.39%
				·Growth & Income Fund	4.62%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	2.26%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.43%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.39%
		International Equity	11.34%	·International Equity Fund	3.81%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	3.81%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	2.68%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.04%
FIXED-INCOME	59.19%	Fixed-Income	39.55%	·Bond Fund	38.56%
				·High-Yield Fund	0.50%
				·Bond Plus Fund	0.49%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	9.91%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	9.91%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	9.73%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	9.73%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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. 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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 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, Retail and Premier Classes 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 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund Composite Index consisted of: 40.0% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 30.0% Russell 3000 Index; 10.0% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 10.0% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 10.0% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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 RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund

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 5.30%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 8.88%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -7.81%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

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

5.30%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

8.88%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(7.81%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.84%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.32%

^[1]

Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.03%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.95%

^[1],[2]

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

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.16%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.39%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.26%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.64%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

65

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

261

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

473

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,084

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.47%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.13%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

Retirement 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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.37%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.39%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.91%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.27%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.64%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

65

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

263

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

477

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,095

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(17.49%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

16.08%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

10.44%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

2.41%

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.41%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.98%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.51%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.03%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.69%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.16%

Premier 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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.39%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.76%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.22%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.54%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

55

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

221

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

401

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

922

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.64%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.07%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.39%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.61%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.22%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.39%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

40

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

173

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

318

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

741

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.78%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.26%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund Composite Index consisted of: 40.0% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 30.0% Russell 3000 Index; 10.0% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 10.0% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 10.0% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] The Retail Class of the Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan that pays the Fund's distributor, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. ("TPIS"), for its expenses in providing distribution, promotional and/or shareholder services to 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 have been restated to reflect current fees. The Retirement Class of the Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan that pays the Fund's distributor, TPIS, for providing distribution, promotional and/or shareholder services to the Retirement Class shares at the annual rate up to 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Premier Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Premier Class.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Moderate Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Moderate Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks long-term total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Moderate Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none	none
Account Maintenance Fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	15.00	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Moderate Fund		Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees		0.25%		0.15%
Other Expenses	[1]	0.57%	0.68%	0.44%	0.44%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.45%	0.45%	0.45%	0.45%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.37%	1.23%	1.14%	0.99%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3]	(0.43%)	(0.43%)	(0.44%)	(0.44%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.94%	0.80%	0.70%	0.55%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Moderate Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	96	82	72	56
3 Years	391	348	319	271

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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 11% (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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking long-term total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income, through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting a moderate risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 60% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 40% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	60.74%	U.S. Equity	42.29%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	10.52%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	10.32%
				·Growth & Income Fund	8.83%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	3.94%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	3.87%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	3.23%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.82%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.76%
		International Equity	18.45%	·International Equity Fund	8.42%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	5.62%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	4.41%
FIXED-INCOME	39.26%	Fixed-Income	39.26%	·Bond Plus Fund	39.26%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund seeks high total return over time primarily through income,

Objective, Secondary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectiveSecondaryTextBlock

with a secondary emphasis on capital appreciation.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 25% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

25.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund invests in Underlying Funds according to a relatively stable asset allocation strategy that will not gradually adjust over time and is designed for investors who are already in or entering retirement (i.e., have already passed their retirement year). The Fund has a policy of investing at least 80% of its assets in Underlying Funds that are managed to seek investment returns that track particular market indices. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 40.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 60.00% of its assets to fixed-income Underlying Funds. These allocations represent targets for equity and fixed-income asset classes. Target allocations may be changed and actual allocations may vary up to 10% from the targets. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which may change, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 30.00%; International Equity: 10.00%; Fixed-Income: 50.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 10.00%.

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. Investors should note that the Fund has a significant level of equity exposure and this exposure could cause fluctuation in the value of the Fund depending on the performance of the equity markets generally.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	41.04%	U.S. Equity	30.60%	lEquity Index Fund	30.60%
		International Equity	10.44%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	7.72%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	2.72%
FIXED-INCOME	58.96%	Fixed-Income	49.27%	lBond Index Fund	49.27%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	9.69%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	9.69%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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. 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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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 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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund Composite Index consisted of: 50.0% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 30.0% Russell 3000 Index; 10.0% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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 RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund

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 4.81%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 6.74%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -4.69%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

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

4.81%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

6.74%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(4.69%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.84%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.46%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.50%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.58%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.01%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.29%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.86%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

324

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

625

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,481

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

9.70%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

4.21%

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.21%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.09%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.53%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.35%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.88%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.70%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.73%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.11%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.78%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

275

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

536

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,282

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.30%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.19%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.72%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.95%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.77%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

226

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

450

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,096

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.45%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.34%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index Retirement Income Fund Composite Index consisted of: 50.0% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 30.0% Russell 3000 Index; 10.0% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.05%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE 2055 FUND

TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE 2055 FUND

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 2055 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE 2055 FUND	RETIREMENT CLASS	PREMIER CLASS	INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE 2055 FUND		RETIREMENT CLASS	PREMIER CLASS	INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.92%	0.67%	1.02%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.49%	0.49%	0.49%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.56%	1.41%	1.61%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.82%)	(0.77%)	(1.12%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.74%	0.64%	0.49%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE 2055 FUND (USD $)	RETIREMENT CLASS	PREMIER CLASS	INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
1 Year	76	65	50
3 Years	412	370	398
5 Years	772	698	770
10 Years	1,787	1,624	1,816

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 May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 44% 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 Trust 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 2055.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2055 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2062 to 2065. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.25%	U.S. Equity	65.21%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	12.17%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	12.16%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	11.94%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.93%
				·Growth & Income Fund	10.22%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.98%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.95%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.86%
		International Equity	25.04%	·International Equity Fund	8.45%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.40%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.92%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.27%
FIXED-INCOME	9.75%	Fixed-Income	9.75%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.84%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund seeks high total return over time primarily through income,

with a secondary emphasis on capital appreciation.

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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none	none
Account Maintenance Fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	15	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund		Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.25%	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.16%	0.37%	0.12%	0.12%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.39%	0.39%	0.39%	0.39%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.90%	0.91%	0.76%	0.61%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.26%)	(0.27%)	(0.22%)	(0.22%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.64%	0.64%	0.54%	0.39%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	65	65	55	40
3 Years	261	263	221	173
5 Years	473	477	401	318
10 Years	1,084	1,095	922	741

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 13% 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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund invests in Underlying Funds according to a relatively stable asset allocation strategy that will not gradually adjust over time and is designed for investors who are already in or entering retirement (i.e., have already passed their retirement year).

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 40.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 60.00% of its assets to fixed-income Underlying Funds. These allocations represent targets for equity and fixed-income asset classes. Target allocations may be changed and actual allocations may vary up to 10% from the targets. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which may change, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 30.00%; International Equity: 10.00%; Fixed-Income: 40.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 10.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 10.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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. Investors should note that the Fund has a significant level of equity exposure and this exposure could cause fluctuation in the value of the Fund depending on the performance of the equity markets generally.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	40.81%	U.S. Equity	29.47%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	5.50%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	5.49%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	5.39%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	5.39%
				·Growth & Income Fund	4.62%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	2.26%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.43%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.39%
		International Equity	11.34%	·International Equity Fund	3.81%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	3.81%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	2.68%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.04%
FIXED-INCOME	59.19%	Fixed-Income	39.55%	·Bond Fund	38.56%
				·High-Yield Fund	0.50%
				·Bond Plus Fund	0.49%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	9.91%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	9.91%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	9.73%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	9.73%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, Retail and Premier Classes 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 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 5.30%.

Best quarter: 8.88%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -7.81%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		2.41%	1.98%		Nov. 30, 2007
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		1.51%	1.03%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		1.69%	1.16%
Institutional Class		2.78%	2.26%		Nov. 30, 2007
Retail Class		2.47%	2.13%		Nov. 30, 2007
Premier Class		2.64%	2.07%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		7.84%	6.32%	[2]
Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	4.03%	2.95%	[2]

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.

[1] The Retail Class of the Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan that pays the Fund's distributor, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. ("TPIS"), for its expenses in providing distribution, promotional and/or shareholder services to 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 have been restated to reflect current fees. The Retirement Class of the Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan that pays the Fund's distributor, TPIS, for providing distribution, promotional and/or shareholder services to the Retirement Class shares at the annual rate up to 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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Premier Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Retirement Income Fund Composite Index consisted of: 40.0% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 30.0% Russell 3000 Index; 10.0% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 10.0% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 10.0% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2050 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.60%	0.34%	0.34%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.09%	0.09%	0.09%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.84%	0.68%	0.53%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.41%)	(0.35%)	(0.35%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	227	182	135
5 Years	426	344	261
10 Years	999	813	631

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 30% 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 Trust 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 2050. 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 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2050 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2057 to 2060. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.39%	U.S. Equity	67.36%	lEquity Index Fund	67.36%
		International Equity	23.03%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	17.03%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	6.00%
FIXED-INCOME	9.61%	Fixed-Income	9.61%	lBond Index Fund	9.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.36%.

Best quarter: 11.85%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -14.85%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(1.70%)	6.98%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(1.97%)	6.64%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(0.80%)	5.93%
Institutional Class		(1.41%)	7.27%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class		(1.50%)	7.11%		Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	10.45%	[1]
Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	(1.39%)	7.44%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

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TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE INDEX 2055 FUND

TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE INDEX 2055 FUND

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2055 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE INDEX 2055 FUND	RETIREMENT CLASS	PREMIER CLASS	INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE INDEX 2055 FUND		RETIREMENT CLASS	PREMIER CLASS	INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		1.31%	1.06%	1.05%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.09%	0.09%	0.09%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.55%	1.40%	1.24%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(1.12%)	(1.07%)	(1.06%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF LIFECYCLE INDEX 2055 FUND (USD $)	RETIREMENT CLASS	PREMIER CLASS	INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	379	338	288
5 Years	738	663	579
10 Years	1,750	1,587	1,406

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 May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 7% 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 Trust 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 2055. 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 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2055 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2062 to 2065. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.33%	U.S. Equity	67.32%	lEquity Index Fund	67.32%
		International Equity	23.01%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	17.02%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.99%
FIXED-INCOME	9.67%	Fixed-Income	9.67%	lBond Index Fund	9.67%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2050 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2050 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 2050 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2050 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2050 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.37%	0.11%	0.11%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.49%	0.49%	0.49%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.01%	0.85%	0.70%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.27%)	(0.21%)	(0.21%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.74%	0.64%	0.49%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2050 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	76	65	50
3 Years	295	250	203
5 Years	532	451	369
10 Years	1,212	1,030	851

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 6% 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 Trust 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 2050.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2050 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2057 to 2060. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.24%	U.S. Equity	65.14%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	12.14%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	12.13%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	11.94%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.92%
				·Growth & Income Fund	10.19%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.99%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.95%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.88%
		International Equity	25.10%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.44%
				·International Equity Fund	8.43%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.94%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.29%
FIXED-INCOME	9.76%	Fixed-Income	9.76%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.85%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2050 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.71%.

Best quarter: 17.30%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -21.79%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2050 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(3.80%)	(3.53%)		Nov. 30, 2007
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(4.23%)	(4.11%)
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(2.21%)	(3.20%)
Institutional Class		(3.56%)	(3.28%)		Nov. 30, 2007
Premier Class		(3.65%)	(3.48%)	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	(1.38%)	[2]
Lifecycle 2050 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	(1.39%)	(2.09%)	[2]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Premier Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2050 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

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Risk/Return [Heading]

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2015 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Lifecycle 2015 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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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]

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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

2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 11% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

11.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2015.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 53.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 46.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2015 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2022 to 2025. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 39.90%; International Equity: 13.30%; Fixed-Income: 36.40%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 5.20%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 5.20%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	55.85%	U.S. Equity	40.24%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	7.47%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	7.43%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	7.41%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	7.41%
				·Growth & Income Fund	6.28%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	3.12%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.57%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.55%
		International Equity	15.61%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	5.26%
				·International Equity Fund	5.22%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	3.70%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.43%
FIXED-INCOME	44.15%	Fixed-Income	34.85%	·Bond Fund	31.69%
				·High-Yield Fund	1.59%
				·Bond Plus Fund	1.57%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	4.69%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	4.69%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	4.61%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	4.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2015 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 41.7% Russell 3000 Index; 35.2% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 13.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 4.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 4.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2015 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.13%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 12.39%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -12.97%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

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

6.13%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

12.39%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(12.97%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(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 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.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.01%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.34%

^[1]

Lifecycle 2015 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.33%

^[2]

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.15%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.62%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.42%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.85%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.18%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.67%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

68

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

253

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

454

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,032

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

4.23%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

9.40%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

9.46%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(26.94%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

21.32%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

12.36%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

0.46%

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.46%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.83%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.18%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 15, 2004

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.54%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.06%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.30%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.83%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.22%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.18%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.42%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.70%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.57%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

58

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

211

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

377

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

858

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.65%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.89%

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.22%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.42%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.55%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.42%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

43

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

163

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

294

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

677

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.74%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.10%

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.37%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jan. 17, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2015 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 41.7% Russell 3000 Index; 35.2% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 13.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 4.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 4.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2025 Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Lifecycle 2025 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 7% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

7.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2025.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 69.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 30.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2025 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2032 to 2035. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 51.90%; International Equity: 17.30%; Fixed-Income: 28.40%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 1.20%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 1.20%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	71.52%	U.S. Equity	51.55%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	9.59%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	9.52%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	9.49%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	9.48%
				·Growth & Income Fund	8.03%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.00%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.73%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.71%
		International Equity	19.97%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	6.73%
				·International Equity Fund	6.68%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	4.74%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.82%
FIXED-INCOME	28.48%	Fixed-Income	26.94%	·Bond Fund	18.32%
				·Bond Plus Fund	5.08%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.54%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	0.78%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	0.78%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	0.76%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	0.76%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

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. 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2025 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 53.7% Russell 3000 Index; 27.2% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 17.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 0.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 0.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2025 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.92%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 15.33%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -16.97%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

6.92%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

15.33%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(16.97%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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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

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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]

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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.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.01%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.34%

^[1]

Lifecycle 2025 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.60%

^[2]

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.72%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.01%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

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none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.46%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.89%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.18%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.71%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

73

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

266

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

475

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,080

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

5.07%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

10.78%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

9.33%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(33.48%)

Annual Return 2009

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24.96%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.88%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(1.56%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.56%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.37%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.57%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 15, 2004

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.34%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.24%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.78%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.55%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.07%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

2.71%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.46%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.74%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.61%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

62

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

223

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

399

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

906

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.51%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.38%

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.57%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.46%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.59%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.13%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.46%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

47

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

176

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

316

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

725

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.29%)

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.62%

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.74%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jan. 17, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2025 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 53.7% Russell 3000 Index; 27.2% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 17.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 0.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 0.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2020 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.36%	0.11%	0.11%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.11%	0.11%	0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.62%	0.47%	0.32%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.19%)	(0.14%)	(0.14%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	179	137	89
5 Years	327	249	166
10 Years	756	578	392

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 14% 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 Trust 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 2020. 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 61.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 38.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2020 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2027 to 2030. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 45.90%; International Equity: 15.30%; Fixed-Income: 35.60%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 3.20%.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	63.78%	U.S. Equity	47.60%	lEquity Index Fund	47.60%
		International Equity	16.18%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	11.97%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	4.21%
FIXED-INCOME	36.22%	Fixed-Income	33.55%	lBond Index Fund	33.55%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	2.67%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	2.67%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 5.96%.

Best quarter: 9.39%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -9.69%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		1.32%	7.14%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		0.91%	6.76%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		1.08%	5.98%
Institutional Class		1.53%	7.39%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class		1.34%	7.18%		Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	10.45%	[1]
Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	1.58%	7.61%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.03%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2020 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 47.7% Russell 3000 Index; 33.8% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 15.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 2.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2015 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.36%	0.12%	0.12%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.11%	0.11%	0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.62%	0.48%	0.33%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.19%)	(0.15%)	(0.15%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	179	139	91
5 Years	327	254	170
10 Years	756	589	403

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 21% 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 Trust 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 2015. 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 53.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 46.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2015 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2022 to 2025. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 39.90%; International Equity: 13.30%; Fixed-Income: 41.60%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 5.20%.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	55.84%	U.S. Equity	41.68%	lEquity Index Fund	41.68%
		International Equity	14.16%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	10.47%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	3.69%
FIXED-INCOME	44.16%	Fixed-Income	39.55%	lBond Index Fund	39.55%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	4.61%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	4.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 5.60%.

Best quarter: 8.63%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -8.09%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		2.28%	7.15%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		1.81%	6.74%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		1.68%	5.96%
Institutional Class		2.56%	7.43%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class		2.38%	7.27%		Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	10.45%	[1]
Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	2.54%	7.63%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.03%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2015 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 41.7% Russell 3000 Index; 39.8% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 13.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 4.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

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Risk/Return [Heading]

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

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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]

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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

2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 17% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

17.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2040. 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 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2040 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2047 to 2050. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.39%	U.S. Equity	67.37%	lEquity Index Fund	67.37%
		International Equity	23.02%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	17.04%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.98%
FIXED-INCOME	9.61%	Fixed-Income	9.61%	lBond Index Fund	9.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

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. 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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.40%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 11.87%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -14.82%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

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Jun. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

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7.40%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

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Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

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11.87%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

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Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

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(14.82%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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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

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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]

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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.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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One Year

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1.03%

Since Inception

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10.45%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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One Year

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(1.39%)

^[2]

Since Inception

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7.44%

^[1],[2]

Retirement Class

Risk/Return:

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Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)

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none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge

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none

Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption or Exchange Fee

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Maximum Account Fee

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none

Management Fees

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0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

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0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

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0.34%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

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0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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0.58%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

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(0.15%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

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0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

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44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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171

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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309

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

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711

Annual Return 2010

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13.50%

Annual Return 2011

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(1.70%)

One Year

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(1.70%)

Since Inception

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6.96%

Inception Date

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Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

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One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.98%)

Since Inception

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6.68%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

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One Year

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(0.79%)

Since Inception

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5.92%

Premier Class

Risk/Return:

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Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)

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none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge

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none

Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption or Exchange Fee

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Maximum Account Fee

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none

Management Fees

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0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

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0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

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(0.10%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

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0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

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34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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128

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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231

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

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532

One Year

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(1.60%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.04%

Inception Date

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Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

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^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.10%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

80

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

147

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

346

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.42%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.24%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

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Risk/Return [Heading]

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

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SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

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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

2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

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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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 30% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

30.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

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"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2050. 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 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2050 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2057 to 2060. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.39%	U.S. Equity	67.36%	lEquity Index Fund	67.36%
		International Equity	23.03%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	17.03%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	6.00%
FIXED-INCOME	9.61%	Fixed-Income	9.61%	lBond Index Fund	9.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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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 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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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.

Bar Chart [Heading]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.36%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 11.85%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -14.85%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

7.36%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

11.85%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(14.85%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

10.45%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.39%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.44%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.84%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.41%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

227

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

426

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

999

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.51%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(1.70%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.70%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.98%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.97%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.64%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.80%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.93%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.68%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.35%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

182

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

344

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

813

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.50%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.11%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.53%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.35%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

135

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

261

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

631

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.41%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.27%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2050 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.36%	0.11%	0.11%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.09%	0.09%	0.09%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.60%	0.45%	0.30%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.17%)	(0.12%)	(0.12%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	175	132	84
5 Years	318	240	157
10 Years	734	555	369

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 19% 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 Trust 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 85.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 14.80% 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, 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 63.90%; International Equity: 21.30%; Fixed-Income: 14.80%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	87.39%	U.S. Equity	65.15%	lEquity Index Fund	65.15%
		International Equity	22.24%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	16.45%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.79%
FIXED-INCOME	12.61%	Fixed-Income	12.61%	lBond Index Fund	12.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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, 2012, was 7.22%.

Best quarter: 11.89%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -14.45%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(1.49%)	7.04%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(1.77%)	6.74%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(0.67%)	5.98%
Institutional Class		(1.21%)	7.31%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class		(1.31%)	7.15%		Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	10.45%	[1]
Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	(1.17%)	7.51%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 65.7% Russell 3000 Index; 21.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 12.4% Barclays 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.

XML

Document and Entity Information	0 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012
Risk/Return:
Document Type	485BPOS
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2012
Registrant Name	TIAA-CREF FUNDS
Central Index Key	0001084380
Amendment Flag	false
Document Creation Date	Sep. 28, 2012
Document Effective Date	Oct. 01, 2012
Prospectus Date	Oct. 01, 2012

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

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

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 19% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

19.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 85.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 14.80% 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, 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 63.90%; International Equity: 21.30%; Fixed-Income: 14.80%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	87.39%	U.S. Equity	65.15%	lEquity Index Fund	65.15%
		International Equity	22.24%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	16.45%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.79%
FIXED-INCOME	12.61%	Fixed-Income	12.61%	lBond Index Fund	12.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 65.7% Russell 3000 Index; 21.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 12.4% Barclays 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.22%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 11.89%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -14.45%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

7.22%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

11.89%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(14.45%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(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

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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]

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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.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

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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.

Caption

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

10.45%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.17%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.51%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.17%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

175

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

318

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

734

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.41%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(1.49%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.49%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.04%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.77%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.74%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.67%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.98%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.45%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.12%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

132

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

240

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

555

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.31%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.15%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.30%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.12%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

84

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

157

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

369

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.21%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.31%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2035 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 65.7% Russell 3000 Index; 21.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 12.4% Barclays 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Oct. 01, 2012

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

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SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

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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

2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

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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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 25% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

25.00%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, Based on Estimates [Text]

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesBasedOnEstimates

"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). In general, the Fund is designed for investors who have recently retired or have an approximate target retirement year within a few years, 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 who retired in 2010 or plan to retire within a few years of 2010. 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 47.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 53.00% 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, gradually become more conservative. The Fund had target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2010 and will reach the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2017 to 2020. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 35.25%; International Equity: 11.75%; Fixed-Income: 45.80%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 7.20%.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	49.06%	U.S. Equity	36.61%	lEquity Index Fund	36.61%
		International Equity	12.45%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	9.21%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	3.24%
FIXED-INCOME	50.94%	Fixed-Income	44.39%	lBond Index Fund	44.39%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	6.55%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	6.55%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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.

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. 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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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 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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 44.9% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 36.4% Russell 3000 Index; 12.1% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 6.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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 RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund

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 5.26%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 7.77%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -6.63%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

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

5.26%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2010

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

7.77%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(6.63%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.84%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.46%

^[1]

Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.40%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.61%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.41%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.68%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.25%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

192

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

354

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

823

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

10.48%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

3.07%

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.07%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.12%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.49%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.64%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.17%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.88%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.16%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.53%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.20%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

150

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

276

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

646

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Premier Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.14%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.23%

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.16%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.38%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.20%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.18%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

18

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

102

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

193

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

461

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.33%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.40%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 44.9% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 36.4% Russell 3000 Index; 12.1% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 6.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.04%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2020 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2020 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 2020 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2020 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2020 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.28%	0.03%	0.03%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.44%	0.44%	0.44%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.87%	0.72%	0.57%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.18%)	(0.13%)	(0.13%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.69%	0.59%	0.44%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2020 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	70	60	45
3 Years	260	217	170
5 Years	465	388	305
10 Years	1,056	882	701

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 8% 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 Trust 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 2020.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 61.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 38.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2020 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2027 to 2030. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 45.90%; International Equity: 15.30%; Fixed-Income: 32.40%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 3.20%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 3.20%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund, and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	63.72%	U.S. Equity	45.92%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	8.55%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	8.49%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	8.44%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	8.44%
				·Growth & Income Fund	7.16%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	3.56%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.65%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.63%
		International Equity	17.80%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	6.00%
				·International Equity Fund	5.95%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	4.23%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.62%
FIXED-INCOME	36.28%	Fixed-Income	30.87%	·Bond Fund	25.17%
				·Bond Plus Fund	3.14%
				·High-Yield Fund	2.56%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	2.73%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	2.73%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	2.68%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	2.68%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2020 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.50%.

Best quarter: 13.85%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -14.95%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2020 Fund		One Year	Five Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(0.52%)	1.07%		3.87%		Oct. 15, 2004
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(1.40%)	0.38%		3.04%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		0.14%	0.62%		2.95%
Institutional Class		(0.29%)	1.31%	[1]	4.04%	[1]	Jan. 17, 2007
Premier Class		(0.49%)	1.12%	[1]	3.90%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	(0.01%)		4.34%	[2]
Lifecycle 2020 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	1.47%	1.43%		4.32%	[2]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2020 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 47.7% Russell 3000 Index; 31.2% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 15.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 2.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 2.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2010 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.41%	0.16%	0.16%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.12%	0.12%	0.12%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.68%	0.53%	0.38%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.25%)	(0.20%)	(0.20%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	192	150	102
5 Years	354	276	193
10 Years	823	646	461

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 25% 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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). In general, the Fund is designed for investors who have recently retired or have an approximate target retirement year within a few years, 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 who retired in 2010 or plan to retire within a few years of 2010. 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 47.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 53.00% 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, gradually become more conservative. The Fund had target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2010 and will reach the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2017 to 2020. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 35.25%; International Equity: 11.75%; Fixed-Income: 45.80%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 7.20%.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	49.06%	U.S. Equity	36.61%	lEquity Index Fund	36.61%
		International Equity	12.45%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	9.21%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	3.24%
FIXED-INCOME	50.94%	Fixed-Income	44.39%	lBond Index Fund	44.39%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	6.55%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	6.55%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 5.26%.

Best quarter: 7.77%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -6.63%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		3.07%	7.12%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		2.49%	6.64%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		2.17%	5.88%
Institutional Class		3.33%	7.40%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class					Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class After Taxes on Distributions		3.14%	7.23%
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		7.84%	6.46%	[1]
Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	3.40%	7.61%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.04%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2010 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 44.9% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 36.4% Russell 3000 Index; 12.1% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 6.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2010 Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Lifecycle 2010 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

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

2013-09-30

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 13% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

13.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). In general, the Fund is designed for investors who have recently retired or have an approximate target retirement year within a few years, 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 who retired in 2010 or plan to retire within a few years of 2010.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 47.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 53.00% 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, gradually become more conservative. The Fund had target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2010 and will reach the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2017 to 2020. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 35.25%; International Equity: 11.75%; Fixed-Income: 38.60%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 7.20%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 7.20%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	49.08%	U.S. Equity	35.38%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	6.59%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	6.55%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	6.49%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	6.49%
				·Growth & Income Fund	5.52%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	2.75%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.50%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.49%
		International Equity	13.70%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	4.62%
				·International Equity Fund	4.59%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	3.24%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.25%
FIXED-INCOME	50.92%	Fixed-Income	37.70%	·Bond Fund	35.92%
				·High-Yield Fund	0.89%
				·Bond Plus Fund	0.89%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	6.67%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	6.67%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	6.55%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	6.55%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

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. 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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 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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

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 Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2010 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 38.3% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 36.4% Russell 3000 Index; 12.1% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 6.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 6.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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 RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2010 Fund

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 5.69%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 10.87%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -11.04%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

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

5.69%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

10.87%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(11.04%)

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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.84%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.50%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.49%

^[1]

Lifecycle 2010 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.10%

^[2]

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.78%

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.78%

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.29%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.41%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.85%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.19%)

^[5],[6]

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

252

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

453

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,031

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

4.23%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

8.39%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

9.20%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(23.57%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

19.36%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

11.53%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

1.48%

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.48%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.43%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.33%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 15, 2004

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.69%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.65%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.44%

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.10%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.68%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.27%

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.41%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.70%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.14%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.56%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

57

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

210

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

376

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

857

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.58%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.47%

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.35%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.41%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.55%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.14%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.41%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

42

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

162

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

293

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

676

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.69%

Five Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

2.68%

^[7]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.50%

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jan. 17, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2010 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 38.3% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 36.4% Russell 3000 Index; 12.1% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 6.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 6.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2015 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2015 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 2015 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2015 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2015 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.28%	0.03%	0.03%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.42%	0.42%	0.42%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.85%	0.70%	0.55%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.18%)	(0.13%)	(0.13%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.67%	0.57%	0.42%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2015 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	68	58	43
3 Years	253	211	163
5 Years	454	377	294
10 Years	1,032	858	677

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 11% 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 Trust 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 2015.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 53.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 46.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2015 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2022 to 2025. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 39.90%; International Equity: 13.30%; Fixed-Income: 36.40%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 5.20%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 5.20%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	55.85%	U.S. Equity	40.24%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	7.47%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	7.43%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	7.41%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	7.41%
				·Growth & Income Fund	6.28%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	3.12%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.57%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.55%
		International Equity	15.61%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	5.26%
				·International Equity Fund	5.22%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	3.70%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	1.43%
FIXED-INCOME	44.15%	Fixed-Income	34.85%	·Bond Fund	31.69%
				·High-Yield Fund	1.59%
				·Bond Plus Fund	1.57%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	4.69%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	4.69%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	4.61%	·Inflation-Linked Bond Fund	4.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2015 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.13%.

Best quarter: 12.39%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -12.97%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2015 Fund		One Year	Five Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		0.46%	1.83%		4.18%		Oct. 15, 2004
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(0.54%)	1.06%		3.30%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		0.83%	1.22%		3.18%
Institutional Class		0.74%	2.10%	[1]	4.37%	[1]	Jan. 17, 2007
Premier Class		0.65%	1.89%	[1]	4.22%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	(0.01%)		4.34%	[2]
Lifecycle 2015 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	2.33%	2.15%		4.62%	[2]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2015 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 41.7% Russell 3000 Index; 35.2% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 13.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; 4.6% Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index; and 4.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

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Risk/Return:

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Risk/Return [Heading]

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2045 Fund

Objective [Heading]

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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The Lifecycle 2045 Fund seeks high total return over time through a combination of capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

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FEES AND EXPENSES

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

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SHAREHOLDER FEES (deducted directly from gross amount of transaction)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

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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

2013-09-30

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 9% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

9.00%

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 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]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust 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 2045.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2045 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2052 to 2055. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.24%	U.S. Equity	65.16%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	12.13%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	12.13%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	11.97%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.92%
				·Growth & Income Fund	10.19%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.99%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.94%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.89%
		International Equity	25.08%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.43%
				·International Equity Fund	8.43%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.94%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.28%
FIXED-INCOME	9.76%	Fixed-Income	9.76%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.85%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 Retirement Income Fund is contained in the prospectus for that fund.

Risk [Heading]

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

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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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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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 Additional Market Index [Text]

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As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2045 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa-cref.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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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]

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ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2045 Fund

Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block]

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^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.68%.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 17.33%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -21.15%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Year to Date Return, Label

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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

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Jun. 30, 2012

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

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7.68%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

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Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

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17.33%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

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Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

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(21.15%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

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(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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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 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.

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.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(1.38%)

^[1]

Lifecycle 2045 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.39%)

^[2]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(2.09%)

^[1],[2]

Retirement 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.05%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.97%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.23%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.74%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

76

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

286

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

514

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,169

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(38.92%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

28.28%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

15.10%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(3.88%)

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.88%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.48%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(4.32%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(4.05%)

Retirement Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.27%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.16%)

Premier 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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.81%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.17%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.64%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

65

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

242

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

433

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

986

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.72%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.40%)

^[7]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

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

Maximum Account Fee

rr_MaximumAccountFeeOverAssets

none

Management Fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

^[3]

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[4]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.17%)

^[5],[6]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

50

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

194

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

351

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

806

One Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.63%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.24%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2045 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

[3] 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] "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 annual report.

[5] 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[6] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[7] The performance shown for the Premier Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Premier Class.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Conservative Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks long-term total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.

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

2013-09-30

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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 17% (not annualized) of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

17.00%

Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text]

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking long-term total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation, through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting a conservative risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 40% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 60% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	40.73%	U.S. Equity	28.40%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	7.06%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	6.93%
				·Growth & Income Fund	5.93%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	2.65%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	2.60%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	2.17%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.55%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.51%
		International Equity	12.33%	·International Equity Fund	5.65%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	3.74%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	2.94%
FIXED-INCOME	59.27%	Fixed-Income	39.50%	·Bond Plus Fund	29.63%
				·Bond Fund	9.87%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	19.77%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	19.77%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

Performance One Year or Less [Text]

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.68%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.40%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.43%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.54%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.89%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

91

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

399

Retirement 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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.79%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.40%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.29%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.54%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.75%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

77

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

356

Premier 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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.55%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.40%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.20%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.55%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.65%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

66

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

326

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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.55%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.40%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.05%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.55%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.50%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

51

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

279

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2040 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2040 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 2040 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2040 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2040 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.28%	0.03%	0.03%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.49%	0.49%	0.49%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.92%	0.77%	0.62%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.18%)	(0.13%)	(0.13%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.74%	0.64%	0.49%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2040 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	76	65	50
3 Years	275	233	185
5 Years	492	415	333
10 Years	1,115	942	762

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 5% 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 Trust 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 2040.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2040 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2047 to 2050. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.25%	U.S. Equity	65.10%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	12.07%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	12.02%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	12.02%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.99%
				·Growth & Income Fund	10.15%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	5.03%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.93%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.89%
		International Equity	25.15%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.47%
				·International Equity Fund	8.42%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.97%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.29%
FIXED-INCOME	9.75%	Fixed-Income	9.75%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.84%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2040 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.75%.

Best quarter: 17.54%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -20.27%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2040 Fund		One Year	Five Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(3.87%)	(0.61%)		3.41%		Oct. 15, 2004
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(4.44%)	(1.11%)		2.69%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(2.07%)	(0.69%)		2.64%
Institutional Class		(3.58%)	(0.35%)	[1]	3.60%	[1]	Jan. 17, 2007
Premier Class		(3.68%)	(0.55%)	[1]	3.45%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	(0.01%)		4.34%	[2]
Lifecycle 2040 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	(1.39%)	(0.30%)		3.88%	[2]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Institutional Class and Premier Class that is prior to their inception dates is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Institutional Class and Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2040 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

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TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Growth Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Growth Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital with some current 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Growth Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none	none
Account Maintenance Fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	15.00	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Growth Fund		Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees		0.25%		0.15%
Other Expenses	[1]	0.65%	0.76%	0.52%	0.52%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.48%	0.48%	0.48%	0.48%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.48%	1.34%	1.25%	1.10%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3]	(0.51%)	(0.51%)	(0.52%)	(0.52%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.97%	0.83%	0.73%	0.58%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Growth Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	99	85	75	59
3 Years	418	374	345	298

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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 7% (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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking long-term growth of capital with some current income through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting a growth-oriented risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 80% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 20% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	80.59%	U.S. Equity	56.10%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	13.92%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	13.74%
				·Growth & Income Fund	11.66%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	5.19%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	5.15%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.36%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	1.05%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	1.03%
		International Equity	24.49%	·International Equity Fund	11.12%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	7.49%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.88%
FIXED-INCOME	19.41%	Fixed-Income	19.41%	·Bond Plus Fund	19.41%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund. Because the Fund targets its investments in a higher percentage of equity Underlying Funds, Equity Underlying Fund Risks are expected to predominate.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2025 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.36%	0.11%	0.11%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.61%	0.46%	0.31%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.18%)	(0.13%)	(0.13%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	177	134	87
5 Years	322	245	161
10 Years	745	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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 12% 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 Trust 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 2025. 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 69.20% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 30.80% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2025 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2032 to 2035. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 51.90%; International Equity: 17.30%; Fixed-Income: 29.60%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 1.20%.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	71.68%	U.S. Equity	53.49%	lEquity Index Fund	53.49%
		International Equity	18.19%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	13.46%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	4.73%
FIXED-INCOME	28.32%	Fixed-Income	27.57%	lBond Index Fund	27.57%
		Inflation-Protected Assets	0.75%	lInflation-Linked Bond Fund	0.75%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 6.41%.

Best quarter: 10.18%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -11.34%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		0.38%	7.12%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		0.02%	6.77%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		0.50%	6.00%
Institutional Class		0.56%	7.36%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class		0.47%	7.24%		Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	10.45%	[1]
Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	0.62%	7.57%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.02%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2025 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 53.7% Russell 3000 Index; 27.8% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index; 17.9% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 0.6% Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Index (Series-L). 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.

XML

Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Growth Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital with some current income.

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

2013-09-30

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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 7% (not annualized) of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

7.00%

Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text]

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

"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 annual report.

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 fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through September 30, 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

The Fund is a “fund of funds” that invests in Institutional Class shares of other funds of the Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking long-term growth of capital with some current income through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting a growth-oriented risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 80% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 20% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	80.59%	U.S. Equity	56.10%	·Large-Cap Growth Fund	13.92%
				·Large-Cap Value Fund	13.74%
				·Growth & Income Fund	11.66%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	5.19%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	5.15%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.36%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	1.05%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	1.03%
		International Equity	24.49%	·International Equity Fund	11.12%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	7.49%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.88%
FIXED-INCOME	19.41%	Fixed-Income	19.41%	·Bond Plus Fund	19.41%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund. Because the Fund targets its investments in a higher percentage of equity Underlying Funds, Equity Underlying Fund Risks are expected to predominate.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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.

Risk Closing [Text Block]

rr_RiskClosingTextBlock

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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

Performance One Year or Less [Text]

rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa-cref.org

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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.65%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.48%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.51%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.97%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

99

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

418

Retirement 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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.76%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.34%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.51%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.83%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

85

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

374

Premier 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

0.10%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.52%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.25%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.52%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.73%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

75

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

345

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

0.10%

Other Expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.52%

^[1]

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

^[2]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.10%

Waivers and Expense Reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.52%)

^[3]

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.58%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

59

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

298

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2045 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2045 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle 2045 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2045 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2045 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.33%	0.07%	0.07%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.49%	0.49%	0.49%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.97%	0.81%	0.66%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.23%)	(0.17%)	(0.17%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.74%	0.64%	0.49%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2045 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	76	65	50
3 Years	286	242	194
5 Years	514	433	351
10 Years	1,169	986	806

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 9% 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 Trust 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 2045.

The Fund expects to allocate approximately 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2045 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2052 to 2055. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income, short-term fixed-income and inflation-protected assets) represented by various Underlying Funds. These market sector allocations may vary by up to 10% from the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; Short-Term Fixed-Income: 0.00%; and Inflation-Protected Assets: 0.00%.

The Fund’s target market sector allocations to Underlying Funds may include the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund, Large-Cap Growth Fund, Large-Cap Value Fund, Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Mid-Cap Value Fund, Small-Cap Equity Fund, Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund and Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund (U.S. Equity); International Equity Fund, Enhanced International Equity Index Fund, Global Natural Resources Fund and Emerging Markets Equity Fund (International Equity); Bond Fund, Bond Plus Fund and High-Yield Fund (Fixed-Income); Short-Term Bond Fund and Money Market Fund (Short-Term 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, and the portfolio management team may use tactical allocation to take advantage of short to intermediate term opportunities through a combination of positions in Underlying Funds. 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.24%	U.S. Equity	65.16%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	12.13%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	12.13%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	11.97%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	11.92%
				·Growth & Income Fund	10.19%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	4.99%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.94%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.89%
		International Equity	25.08%	·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	8.43%
				·International Equity Fund	8.43%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	5.94%
				·Global Natural Resources Fund	2.28%
FIXED-INCOME	9.76%	Fixed-Income	9.76%	·Bond Plus Fund	5.85%
				·High-Yield Fund	3.91%

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.

TIAA-CREF Active Lifecycle Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Short-term Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-	-
10	49.50	16.50	30.00	2.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	34.00	4.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	38.00	6.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	39.00	8.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	40.00	10.00	10.00

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 Retirement Income Fund or other similar fund. Fund shareholders will receive prior notice of any such merger. The Lifecycle 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 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle 2045 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.68%.

Best quarter: 17.33%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -21.15%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2045 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(3.88%)	(3.48%)		Nov. 30, 2007
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(4.32%)	(4.05%)
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(2.27%)	(3.16%)
Institutional Class		(3.63%)	(3.24%)		Nov. 30, 2007
Premier Class		(3.72%)	(3.40%)	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	(1.38%)	[2]
Lifecycle 2045 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[3]	(1.39%)	(2.09%)	[2]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (ii) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iii) 0.00% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Advisors has contractually agreed to waive the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.10%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Premier Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Retirement Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect the lower expenses of the Premier Class.

[2] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[3] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle 2045 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

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TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Lifecycle Index 2040 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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none
Maximum Account Fee	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund		Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees	[1]	0.05%	0.15%
Other Expenses		0.34%	0.09%	0.09%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.09%	0.09%	0.09%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		0.58%	0.43%	0.28%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3][4]	(0.15%)	(0.10%)	(0.10%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.43%	0.33%	0.18%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund (USD $)	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	44	34	18
3 Years	171	128	80
5 Years	309	231	147
10 Years	711	532	346

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 May 31, 2012 the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 17% 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 Trust 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 2040. 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 90.00% of its assets to equity Underlying Funds and 10.00% 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, gradually become more conservative, moving to target allocations of approximately 50% equity/50% fixed-income in the Fund’s target retirement year of 2040 and reaching the Fund’s final target allocation of approximately 40% equity/60% fixed-income at some point from 2047 to 2050. 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 the Fund’s target market sector allocations. The Fund’s current target market sector allocations for June 30, 2013, which will change over time, are approximately as follows: U.S. Equity: 67.50%; International Equity: 22.50%; Fixed-Income: 10.00%; 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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations will change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	90.39%	U.S. Equity	67.37%	lEquity Index Fund	67.37%
		International Equity	23.02%	lInternational Equity Index Fund	17.04%
				lEmerging Markets Equity Index Fund	5.98%
FIXED-INCOME	9.61%	Fixed-Income	9.61%	lBond Index Fund	9.61%

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.

TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index Funds
Years to Target Date	U.S. Equity	International Equity	Fixed-Income	Inflation-Protected Assets
45	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
40	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
35	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
30	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
25	67.50	22.50	10.00	-
20	61.50	20.50	18.00	-
15	55.50	18.50	26.00	-
10	49.50	16.50	32.00	2.00
5	43.50	14.50	38.00	4.00
0	37.50	12.50	44.00	6.00
-5	33.75	11.25	47.00	8.00
-10	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-15	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-20	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-25	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00
-30	30.00	10.00	50.00	10.00

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 the 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 the Fund’s investments vary from the composition of its benchmark index, the Fund’s performance could potentially vary from the index’s performance to a greater extent than if the Fund merely attempted to replicate the index.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· 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.

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

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, 2011, 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 Advisors 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.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE RETIREMENT CLASS SHARES (%)† Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund

^†The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on June 30, 2012, was 7.40%.

Best quarter: 11.87%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Worst quarter: -14.82%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Returns TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund		One Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Retirement Class		(1.70%)	6.96%		Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions		(1.98%)	6.68%
Retirement Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares		(0.79%)	5.92%
Institutional Class		(1.42%)	7.24%		Sep. 30, 2009
Premier Class		(1.60%)	7.04%		Sep. 30, 2009
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)		1.03%	10.45%	[1]
Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund Composite Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	[2]	(1.39%)	7.44%	[1]

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.

[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, 2013, 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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] In addition to the expense reimbursement arrangements, Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund's Management Fees equal to, on an annual basis, 0.01%. This waiver will remain in effect through September 30, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] Performance is calculated from the inception date of the Retirement Class.

[2] As of the close of business on December 31, 2011, the Lifecycle Index 2040 Fund Composite Index consisted of: 67.5% Russell 3000 Index; 22.5% MSCI EAFE + Emerging Markets Index; and 10.0% Barclays 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.

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TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Conservative Fund

TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Conservative Fund

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks long-term total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.

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)

Shareholder Fees TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Conservative Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge	none	none	none	none
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions	none	none	none	none
Redemption or Exchange Fee	none	none	none	none
Account Maintenance Fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	15.00	none	none	none

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

Operating Expenses TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Conservative Fund		Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
Management Fees		0.10%	0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees		0.25%		0.15%
Other Expenses	[1]	0.68%	0.79%	0.55%	0.55%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	[2]	0.40%	0.40%	0.40%	0.40%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.43%	1.29%	1.20%	1.05%
Waivers and Expense Reimbursements	[3]	(0.54%)	(0.54%)	(0.55%)	(0.55%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement		0.89%	0.75%	0.65%	0.50%

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, 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:

Expense Example TIAA-CREF Lifestyle Conservative Fund (USD $)	Retail Class	Retirement Class	Premier Class	Institutional Class
1 Year	91	77	66	51
3 Years	399	356	326	279

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 period ended May 31, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 17% (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 Trust and potentially in other investment pools or investment products (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund is designed for investors seeking long-term total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation, through a relatively stable asset allocation strategy targeting a conservative risk-return profile. The Fund generally seeks to meet its investment objective by investing: (1) approximately 40% of its assets in equity Underlying Funds and (2) approximately 60% of its assets in fixed-income Underlying Funds. The Fund may deviate from these target allocations by up to 10% depending upon current market conditions and outlook.

The Underlying Fund allocation targets generally represent targets for investments in equity and fixed-income asset classes. Within the equity and fixed-income asset classes, the Fund allocates its investments to particular market sectors (which may include U.S. equity, international equity, fixed-income and short-term fixed-income) represented by various Underlying Funds. To maintain an appropriate allocation among the Underlying Funds, the portfolio managers monitor the foreign and domestic equity markets, as well as overall financial and economic conditions. The Fund might sometimes be more heavily weighted toward equities or fixed-income than otherwise targeted, if the portfolio managers believe market conditions warrant. For example, the Fund might increase its holdings in fixed-income Underlying Funds in periods when the portfolio managers believe the equity markets will decline. The market sector allocations and Underlying Fund allocations may also be changed over time by the portfolio managers, including the addition and removal of market sectors and Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in light of the Fund’s desired level of risk and potential return at a particular time as evaluated by the portfolio managers based on a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. The portfolio managers may also opportunistically purchase other Funds of the Trust or other investment pools or investment products, based on the portfolio managers’ evaluation of the market sectors and/or Underlying Funds without prior notice to shareholders.

As a result of its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s returns will reflect investments in a mix of domestic and foreign equities of companies of various sizes and a variety of domestic and foreign fixed-income instruments of private and governmental issuers of varying maturities and credit qualities.

As part of the Fund’s ability to invest in unaffiliated investment products or pools noted above, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) to gain exposure to various market sectors or securities in order to effect its asset allocation strategy. Additionally, the Fund may use ETFs and ETNs for cash management, hedging or defensive purposes. ETFs and ETNs will be subject to the risks associated with the types of securities or sectors that they track, while ETNs, which are structured as fixed-income obligations, will also be subject to the general risks of fixed-income securities, including credit risk.

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, 2012, are listed in the chart below. These allocations may change over time.

Asset Class	Allocation	Market Sector	Allocation	Underlying Funds	Allocation
EQUITY	40.73%	U.S. Equity	28.40%	·Large-Cap Value Fund	7.06%
				·Large-Cap Growth Fund	6.93%
				·Growth & Income Fund	5.93%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	2.65%
				·Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	2.60%
				·Small-Cap Equity Fund	2.17%
				·Mid-Cap Value Fund	0.55%
				·Mid-Cap Growth Fund	0.51%
		International Equity	12.33%	·International Equity Fund	5.65%
				·Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	3.74%
				·Emerging Markets Equity Fund	2.94%
FIXED-INCOME	59.27%	Fixed-Income	39.50%	·Bond Plus Fund	29.63%
				·Bond Fund	9.87%
		Short-Term Fixed-Income	19.77%	·Short-Term Bond Fund	19.77%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

You could lose money over short or long periods by investing in this Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund 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.

· Underlying Funds Risk—The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Underlying Funds in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each Underlying Fund.

· Fixed-Income Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in fixed-income Underlying Funds include credit risk, interest rate risk, and market volatility, liquidity and valuation risk, among others.

· Equity Underlying Funds Risks—The risks of investing in equity Underlying Funds include risks specific to their investment strategies, such as style risk, capitalization risk, and foreign investment risk, among others, as well as risks related to the equity markets in general.

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

· Fund of Funds Risk—The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend in part 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 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, including the risks of the Underlying Funds.

PAST PERFORMANCE

Performance information is not available for the Fund because the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance.

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

[1] Other Expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year.

[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 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 interest, taxes, brokerage commissions or other transactional expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and extraordinary expenses) that exceed: (i) 0.49% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares; (ii) 0.35% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; (iii) 0.25% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 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, 2013, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.