485BPOS

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2017
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. 103	x
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940	x
Amendment No. 106	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

Jeremy D. Franklin, Esq.

John M. McCann, Esq.
TIAA-CREF Funds
8500 Andrew Carnegie Blvd.
Charlotte, North Carolina 28262

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copy to:
Jeffrey S. Puretz, Esq.
Dechert LLP
1900 K Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006

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):

x Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

o On (date) 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 February 27, 2017.

No other changes have been made to this 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.

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 17^th day of March, 2017.

TIAA-CREF FUNDS
By:	/s/Robert G. Leary
Name:	Robert G. Leary
Title:	President and Principal Executive Officer

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/Robert G. Leary	President and Principal Executive Officer	March 17, 2017
Robert G. Leary	(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/Glenn E. Brightman	Principal Financial Officer,	March 17, 2017
Glenn E. Brightman	Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer
	(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

SIGNATURE OF TRUSTEE	DATE	SIGNATURE OF TRUSTEE	DATE
*	March 17, 2017	*	March 17, 2017
Forrest Berkley		Thomas J. Kenny
*	March 17, 2017	*	March 17, 2017
Nancy A. Eckl		Bridget A. Macaskill
*	March 17, 2017	*	March 17, 2017
Michael A. Forrester		James M. Poterba
*	March 17, 2017	*	March 17, 2017
Howell E. Jackson		Maceo K. Sloan
		*	March 17, 2017
		Laura T. Starks
/s/Rachael M. Zufall
Rachael M. Zufall
as attorney-in-fact	March 17, 2017

* Signed by Rachael M. Zufall 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

XML

Document and Entity Information	Total
Prospectus:
Document Type	485BPOS
Document Period End Date	Oct. 31, 2016
Registrant Name	TIAA-CREF FUNDS
Central Index Key	0001084380
Amendment Flag	false
Document Creation Date	Feb. 27, 2017
Document Effective Date	Mar. 01, 2017
Prospectus Date	Mar. 01, 2017

XML

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of emerging markets equity investments.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.85%	0.85%		0.85%	0.85%	0.85%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.09%	0.17%	[1]	0.09%	0.34%	0.26%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.94%	1.02%		1.09%	1.19%	1.36%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]						(0.02%)
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.94%	1.02%		1.09%	1.19%	1.34%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Emerging Markets Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 96	$ 104	$ 111	$ 121	$ 136
3 years	300	325	347	378	429
5 years	520	563	601	654	743
10 years	$ 1,155	$ 1,248	$ 1,329	$ 1,443	$ 1,633

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 195% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of emerging market issuers or in instruments with economic characteristics similar to emerging market equity securities. The Fund considers an “emerging market security” to be a security that is principally traded on a securities exchange of an emerging market or that is issued by an issuer that has primary operations in an emerging market. The Fund generally defines an “emerging market” as any of the countries or markets represented in the Fund’s benchmark index, the MSCI Emerging Markets^®Index (“MSCI EM Index”), or any other country or market with similar emerging characteristics. The stock selection decisions of the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), drive Advisors’ country and regional asset allocations for the Fund. However, Advisors regularly compares the Fund’s sector and country exposure against the MSCI EM Index to assess its comparative investment exposures. Advisors looks for companies of any size that it believes have sustainable earnings growth, focused management with successful track records, unique and easy-to-understand franchises (brands), stock prices that do not fully reflect the stock’s potential value (based on current earnings, assets, and long-term growth prospects), and consistent generation of free cash flow. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Emerging Markets Equity Fund

Best quarter: 13.99%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. Worst quarter: -23.77%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund	1 Year	5 Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	5.96%	0.45%		(0.67%)		Aug. 31, 2010
Advisor Class	5.82%	0.42%	[1]	(0.69%)	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	5.71%	0.30%		(0.82%)		Aug. 31, 2010
Retirement Class	5.71%	0.19%		(0.92%)		Aug. 31, 2010
Retail Class	5.41%	0.03%		(1.07%)		Aug. 31, 2010
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	5.92%	0.34%		(0.76%)
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	3.76%	0.49%		(0.37%)
MSCI Emerging Markets® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	11.19%	1.28%		0.57%	[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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.95% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 1.10% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 1.10% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 1.20% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.34% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of emerging markets equity investments.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 195% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

195.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of emerging market issuers or in instruments with economic characteristics similar to emerging market equity securities. The Fund considers an “emerging market security” to be a security that is principally traded on a securities exchange of an emerging market or that is issued by an issuer that has primary operations in an emerging market. The Fund generally defines an “emerging market” as any of the countries or markets represented in the Fund’s benchmark index, the MSCI Emerging Markets^®Index (“MSCI EM Index”), or any other country or market with similar emerging characteristics. The stock selection decisions of the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), drive Advisors’ country and regional asset allocations for the Fund. However, Advisors regularly compares the Fund’s sector and country exposure against the MSCI EM Index to assess its comparative investment exposures. Advisors looks for companies of any size that it believes have sustainable earnings growth, focused management with successful track records, unique and easy-to-understand franchises (brands), stock prices that do not fully reflect the stock’s potential value (based on current earnings, assets, and long-term growth prospects), and consistent generation of free cash flow. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Emerging Markets Equity Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 13.99%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. Worst quarter: -23.77%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Mar. 31, 2012

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

13.99%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(23.77%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund | MSCI Emerging Markets® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.19%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.28%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.57%

^[1]

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund | 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

0.85%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.94%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

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

300

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

520

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,155

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(20.57%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

20.48%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

(0.37%)

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

(7.75%)

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(12.85%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

5.96%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.96%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.45%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.67%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 31, 2010

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.92%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.34%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.76%)

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.76%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.49%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.37%)

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund | Advisor 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

0.85%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.17%

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.02%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.02%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 104

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

325

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

563

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,248

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.82%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.42%

^[4]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.69%)

^[4]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund | 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

0.85%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.09%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.09%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 111

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

347

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

601

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,329

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.71%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.30%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.82%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 31, 2010

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund | 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

0.85%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.19%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.19%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 121

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

378

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

654

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,443

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.71%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.19%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.92%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 31, 2010

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Fund | 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

0.85%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.26%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.36%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.02%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.34%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 136

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

429

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

743

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,633

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.41%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.03%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(1.07%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 31, 2010

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

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.95% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 1.10% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 1.10% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 1.20% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.34% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[3] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[4] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund

TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of foreign issuers.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	Institutional Class	Advisor Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none
Maximum account fee	none	none

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class
Management fees		0.39%	0.39%
Other expenses		0.02%	0.12%	[1]
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.41%	0.51%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.41%	0.51%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Enhanced International Equity Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class
1 year	$ 42	$ 52
3 years	132	164
5 years	230	285
10 years	$ 518	$ 640

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 100% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of foreign issuers included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE^®(Europe, Australasia, Far East) Index (the “MSCI EAFE^®Index”), at the time of purchase, but not necessarily at index weightings. The Fund has a policy of maintaining investments of equity securities of foreign issuers in at least three countries other than the United States. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund follows an enhanced index management strategy. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), actively uses quantitative analysis to attempt to enhance the Fund’s performance relative to the MSCI EAFE^®Index while retaining a similar risk profile, instead of passively holding a representative basket of securities designed to match the index. The MSCI EAFE^®Index measures stock performance in certain countries outside North America.

Enhanced index strategies employ quantitative modeling techniques for stock selection, country allocation and portfolio construction. With enhanced indexing, the Fund may use several different investment techniques to seek to build a portfolio of stocks that is structured to resemble and share the risk characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index, while also seeking to outperform the benchmark index. Enhanced indexing is designed so that the Fund diverges from its benchmark index more than a pure indexing strategy, with the goal of outperforming its benchmark index while effectively managing benchmark relative risks.

Under these quantitative modeling techniques, a number of variables related to individual stocks are evaluated to select a broadly diversified group of stocks that may have the potential to provide a higher total return than that of the benchmark index, the MSCI EAFE^®Index. The Fund uses a proprietary, quantitative stock scoring model to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests.

Advisors will generally attempt to overweight securities (relative to the benchmark) that score high in the stock selection screening process and to either not hold or underweight securities that score low in the screening process. The Fund may also purchase and sell swaps and other equity derivatives to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure successful investment. The markets or the process of selecting individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

· Enhanced Index Risk—As an enhanced index fund, the Fund may also underperform its benchmark index due to differences between the investments of the Fund and its benchmark index.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class.

Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the Advisor Class. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional and Advisor classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the Advisor Class 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Enhanced International Equity Index Fund

Best quarter: 25.11%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -20.99%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	0.26%	7.07%		(0.52%)		Nov. 30, 2007
Advisor Class	0.08%	7.06%	[1]	(0.52%)	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	(0.38%)	5.78%		(1.27%)
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	0.69%	5.45%		(0.35%)
MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	1.00%	6.53%		(0.59%)	[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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.50% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; and (ii) 0.65% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of foreign issuers.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 100% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

100.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of foreign issuers included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE^®(Europe, Australasia, Far East) Index (the “MSCI EAFE^®Index”), at the time of purchase, but not necessarily at index weightings. The Fund has a policy of maintaining investments of equity securities of foreign issuers in at least three countries other than the United States. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund follows an enhanced index management strategy. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), actively uses quantitative analysis to attempt to enhance the Fund’s performance relative to the MSCI EAFE^®Index while retaining a similar risk profile, instead of passively holding a representative basket of securities designed to match the index. The MSCI EAFE^®Index measures stock performance in certain countries outside North America.

Enhanced index strategies employ quantitative modeling techniques for stock selection, country allocation and portfolio construction. With enhanced indexing, the Fund may use several different investment techniques to seek to build a portfolio of stocks that is structured to resemble and share the risk characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index, while also seeking to outperform the benchmark index. Enhanced indexing is designed so that the Fund diverges from its benchmark index more than a pure indexing strategy, with the goal of outperforming its benchmark index while effectively managing benchmark relative risks.

Under these quantitative modeling techniques, a number of variables related to individual stocks are evaluated to select a broadly diversified group of stocks that may have the potential to provide a higher total return than that of the benchmark index, the MSCI EAFE^®Index. The Fund uses a proprietary, quantitative stock scoring model to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests.

Advisors will generally attempt to overweight securities (relative to the benchmark) that score high in the stock selection screening process and to either not hold or underweight securities that score low in the screening process. The Fund may also purchase and sell swaps and other equity derivatives to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure successful investment. The markets or the process of selecting individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

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

· Enhanced Index Risk—As an enhanced index fund, the Fund may also underperform its benchmark index due to differences between the investments of the Fund and its benchmark index.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class.

Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the Advisor Class. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional and Advisor classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the Advisor Class 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Enhanced International Equity Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 25.11%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -20.99%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

25.11%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(20.99%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund | MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.00%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.53%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.59%)

^[1]

TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund | 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

0.39%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.41%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

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

132

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

230

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 518

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(43.45%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

26.95%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

9.78%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(11.39%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

18.81%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

23.95%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

(4.08%)

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(0.65%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

0.26%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.26%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

7.07%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.52%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.38%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.78%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(1.27%)

TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.69%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.45%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.35%)

TIAA-CREF Enhanced International Equity Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.39%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 52

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

164

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

285

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 640

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.08%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

7.06%

^[4]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.52%)

^[4]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

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

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.50% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; and (ii) 0.65% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[3] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[4] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, from investments related to the natural resources sector.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.65%	0.65%		0.65%	0.65%	0.65%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.13%	0.23%	[1]	0.14%	0.39%	0.29%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.78%	0.88%		0.94%	1.04%	1.19%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]	(0.03%)	(0.03%)		(0.04%)	(0.04%)	(0.05%)
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.75%	0.85%		0.90%	1.00%	1.14%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Global Natural Resources Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 77	$ 87	$ 92	$ 102	$ 116
3 years	246	278	296	327	373
5 years	430	485	516	570	650
10 years	$ 963	$ 1,082	$ 1,151	$ 1,267	$ 1,439

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 365% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of issuers that are primarily engaged in the ownership, development, exploration, production, distribution or processing of natural resources, as well as in securities of companies that are suppliers to firms producing natural resources, in instruments with economic characteristics similar to natural resources securities or in direct holdings of natural resources. The Fund will primarily invest in equity securities, but, from time to time, the Fund may also invest in debt securities of issuers engaged in or related to the natural resources sector. The Fund generally defines “natural resources” as energy, metals, agriculture and other commodities, as well as related products and services. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means it may invest in fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. Due to the Fund’s substantial investment in issuers within the natural resources sector, the Fund’s investments are considered to be “concentrated” in this sector.

Typically, the Fund will invest in issuers listed in at least three countries outside the United States, and will invest at least 40% of its assets in foreign issuers. However, when market conditions warrant, the Fund may invest a higher percentage in U.S. issuers. In such cases, the Fund will invest at least 30% in foreign issuers. The investment selection decisions of the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), drives country and regional asset allocations for the Fund. However, Advisors regularly compares the Fund’s issuer, natural resource sub-sector and country exposure against its benchmark index, the MSCI All Country World Commodity Producers Sector Capped Index (the “Index”), to assess the Fund’s relative investment exposures. Advisors looks to invest the Fund’s assets globally in financial instruments of well-positioned companies in the natural resources sector, both in developed and emerging markets. In selecting the Fund’s investments, Advisors generally favors companies that it believes are resource-rich, have growth potential and trade at relatively attractive valuations, regardless of their geographical location. The Fund may also invest in companies that Advisors believes are well-positioned as suppliers to the natural resources sector, or benefit in some way from the natural resources value chain. The Fund may also hold certain natural resources directly, such as precious metals or timberland, subject to regulatory illiquidity limits and other restrictions. The Fund may invest in issuers with various levels of market capitalization.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

· Industry/Sector Concentration Risk—The risk that focusing on investment in specific industries or sectors makes a fund more vulnerable to developments particularly affecting those industries or sectors than a more broadly diversified fund would be.

· Special Risks of Investing in Natural Resources Investments—The value of the Fund’s investments in financial instruments of natural resources issuers and directly in natural resources may be affected by various factors, including increased market volatility, natural events, inflationary pressure and national and international politics, causing the Fund to perform poorly. In addition, direct investments in natural resources, such as holding precious metals, are generally more illiquid than securities holdings, which could result in difficulty in their disposal in a timely and favorable manner.

· Non-Diversification Risk—The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a “diversified” fund. Investing in a non-diversified fund involves greater risk than investing in a diversified fund because a loss in value of a particular security may have a greater effect on the Fund’s return since it may represent a larger portion of the Fund’s total portfolio assets.

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Global Natural Resources Fund

Best quarter: 10.87%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2016. Worst quarter: -16.81%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund	1 Year	5 Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	33.18%	(0.28%)		(0.96%)		Nov. 01, 2011
Advisor Class	33.10%	(0.26%)	[1]	(0.94%)	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	33.03%	(0.42%)		(1.09%)		Nov. 01, 2011
Retirement Class	32.80%	(0.52%)		(1.19%)		Nov. 01, 2011
Retail Class	32.64%	(0.67%)		(1.34%)		Nov. 01, 2011
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	32.16%	(0.75%)		(1.42%)
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	19.52%	(0.17%)		(0.68%)
MSCI All Country World Commodity Producers Sector Capped Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	31.32%	(1.78%)		(2.34%)	[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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.75% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 1.00% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.14% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, from investments related to the natural resources sector.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 365% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

365.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of issuers that are primarily engaged in the ownership, development, exploration, production, distribution or processing of natural resources, as well as in securities of companies that are suppliers to firms producing natural resources, in instruments with economic characteristics similar to natural resources securities or in direct holdings of natural resources. The Fund will primarily invest in equity securities, but, from time to time, the Fund may also invest in debt securities of issuers engaged in or related to the natural resources sector. The Fund generally defines “natural resources” as energy, metals, agriculture and other commodities, as well as related products and services. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means it may invest in fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. Due to the Fund’s substantial investment in issuers within the natural resources sector, the Fund’s investments are considered to be “concentrated” in this sector.

Typically, the Fund will invest in issuers listed in at least three countries outside the United States, and will invest at least 40% of its assets in foreign issuers. However, when market conditions warrant, the Fund may invest a higher percentage in U.S. issuers. In such cases, the Fund will invest at least 30% in foreign issuers. The investment selection decisions of the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), drives country and regional asset allocations for the Fund. However, Advisors regularly compares the Fund’s issuer, natural resource sub-sector and country exposure against its benchmark index, the MSCI All Country World Commodity Producers Sector Capped Index (the “Index”), to assess the Fund’s relative investment exposures. Advisors looks to invest the Fund’s assets globally in financial instruments of well-positioned companies in the natural resources sector, both in developed and emerging markets. In selecting the Fund’s investments, Advisors generally favors companies that it believes are resource-rich, have growth potential and trade at relatively attractive valuations, regardless of their geographical location. The Fund may also invest in companies that Advisors believes are well-positioned as suppliers to the natural resources sector, or benefit in some way from the natural resources value chain. The Fund may also hold certain natural resources directly, such as precious metals or timberland, subject to regulatory illiquidity limits and other restrictions. The Fund may invest in issuers with various levels of market capitalization.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

· Industry/Sector Concentration Risk—The risk that focusing on investment in specific industries or sectors makes a fund more vulnerable to developments particularly affecting those industries or sectors than a more broadly diversified fund would be.

· Special Risks of Investing in Natural Resources Investments—The value of the Fund’s investments in financial instruments of natural resources issuers and directly in natural resources may be affected by various factors, including increased market volatility, natural events, inflationary pressure and national and international politics, causing the Fund to perform poorly. In addition, direct investments in natural resources, such as holding precious metals, are generally more illiquid than securities holdings, which could result in difficulty in their disposal in a timely and favorable manner.

· Non-Diversification Risk—The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a “diversified” fund. Investing in a non-diversified fund involves greater risk than investing in a diversified fund because a loss in value of a particular security may have a greater effect on the Fund’s return since it may represent a larger portion of the Fund’s total portfolio assets.

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Risk Nondiversified Status [Text]

rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus

The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a “diversified” fund. Investing in a non-diversified fund involves greater risk than investing in a diversified fund because a loss in value of a particular security may have a greater effect on the Fund’s return since it may represent a larger portion of the Fund’s total portfolio assets.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Global Natural Resources Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 10.87%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2016. Worst quarter: -16.81%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2016

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

10.87%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2015

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(16.81%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund | MSCI All Country World Commodity Producers Sector Capped Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

31.32%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(1.78%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(2.34%)

^[1]

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund | 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

0.65%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.78%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.03%)

^[2]

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

246

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

430

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 963

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

9.89%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

(2.54%)

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

(11.64%)

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(21.75%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

33.18%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

33.18%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.28%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.96%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 01, 2011

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

32.16%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.75%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(1.42%)

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

19.52%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.17%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.68%)

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund | Advisor 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

0.65%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.23%

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.88%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.03%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.85%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 87

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

278

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

485

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,082

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

33.10%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.26%)

^[4]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.94%)

^[4]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund | 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

0.65%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.14%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.94%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 92

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

296

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

516

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,151

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

33.03%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.42%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(1.09%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 01, 2011

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund | 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

0.65%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.39%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.04%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[2]

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

327

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

570

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,267

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

32.80%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.52%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(1.19%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 01, 2011

TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund | 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

0.65%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.29%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.19%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.14%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 116

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

373

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

650

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,439

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

32.64%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

(0.67%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(1.34%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 01, 2011

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

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.75% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 1.00% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.14% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[3] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[4] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of foreign issuers.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.46%	0.46%		0.46%	0.46%	0.46%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.03%	0.10%	[1]	0.03%	0.28%	0.07%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.49%	0.56%		0.64%	0.74%	0.78%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.49%	0.56%		0.64%	0.74%	0.78%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 International Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 50	$ 57	$ 65	$ 76	$ 80
3 years	157	179	205	237	249
5 years	274	313	357	411	433
10 years	$ 616	$ 701	$ 798	$ 918	$ 966

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 95% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of foreign issuers. The Fund has a policy of maintaining investments of equity securities of foreign issuers in at least three countries other than the United States. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), selects individual stocks, and lets the Fund’s country and regional asset allocations evolve from their stock selection. The Fund may invest in emerging markets to varying degrees, depending on the prevalence of stock specific opportunities. The Fund typically invests in companies of all sizes, including smaller, lesser-known companies where Advisors believes it has some unique insights into the company. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Advisors typically invests in companies that can demonstrate an ability to generate free cash flow and strong market share. In addition, Advisors looks for companies with performance oriented management that focuses on growth through innovation, sustainable earnings growth and shareholder returns. Advisors will typically invest in these types of companies when Advisors believes that their stock prices do not fully reflect the stock’s potential value, based on current earnings, assets and long-term growth prospects.

The Fund is actively managed; however, Advisors regularly reviews the Fund’s sector and country exposure against the Fund’s benchmark index, the Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE^®(Europe, Australasia, Far East) Index (the “MSCI EAFE^®Index”), to seek to control risk.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) International Equity Fund

Best quarter: 25.32%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -26.49%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	0.41%	8.25%		0.78%		Jul. 01, 1999
Advisor Class	0.39%	8.27%	[1]	0.79%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	0.35%	8.11%		0.68%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	0.13%	7.99%		0.54%		Oct. 01, 2002
Retail Class	0.10%	7.91%		0.51%		Mar. 31, 2006
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	0.13%	7.92%		0.36%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	0.60%	6.57%		0.81%
MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	1.00%	6.53%		0.75%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.60% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.75% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.75% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.85% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.99% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of foreign issuers.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 95% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

95.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of foreign issuers. The Fund has a policy of maintaining investments of equity securities of foreign issuers in at least three countries other than the United States. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), selects individual stocks, and lets the Fund’s country and regional asset allocations evolve from their stock selection. The Fund may invest in emerging markets to varying degrees, depending on the prevalence of stock specific opportunities. The Fund typically invests in companies of all sizes, including smaller, lesser-known companies where Advisors believes it has some unique insights into the company. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Advisors typically invests in companies that can demonstrate an ability to generate free cash flow and strong market share. In addition, Advisors looks for companies with performance oriented management that focuses on growth through innovation, sustainable earnings growth and shareholder returns. Advisors will typically invest in these types of companies when Advisors believes that their stock prices do not fully reflect the stock’s potential value, based on current earnings, assets and long-term growth prospects.

The Fund is actively managed; however, Advisors regularly reviews the Fund’s sector and country exposure against the Fund’s benchmark index, the Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE^®(Europe, Australasia, Far East) Index (the “MSCI EAFE^®Index”), to seek to control risk.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) International Equity Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 25.32%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -26.49%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

25.32%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(26.49%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund | MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.00%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.53%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.75%

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund | 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

0.46%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

157

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

274

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 616

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

19.08%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(49.57%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

32.00%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

19.98%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(23.54%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

31.29%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

24.04%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

(7.99%)

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(1.18%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

0.41%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.41%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.25%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.78%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jul. 01, 1999

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.13%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

7.92%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.36%

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.60%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.57%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.81%

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund | Advisor 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

0.46%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.10%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.56%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.56%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 57

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

179

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

313

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 701

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.39%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.27%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.79%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund | 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

0.46%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.64%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

205

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

357

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 798

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.35%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.11%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.68%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund | 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

0.46%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.74%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

237

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

411

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 918

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.13%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

7.99%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.54%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF International Equity Fund | 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

0.46%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.78%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.78%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 80

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

249

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

433

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 966

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.10%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

7.91%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.51%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.60% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.75% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.75% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.85% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.99% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of foreign issuers.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.59%	0.59%		0.59%	0.59%	0.59%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.04%	0.13%	[1]	0.05%	0.29%	0.26%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.63%	0.72%		0.79%	0.88%	1.10%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]						(0.01%)
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.63%	0.72%		0.79%	0.88%	1.09%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 International Opportunities Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 64	$ 74	$ 81	$ 90	$ 111
3 years	202	230	252	281	349
5 years	351	401	439	488	605
10 years	$ 786	$ 894	$ 978	$ 1,084	$ 1,339

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 31% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

The Fund primarily invests in equity securities of issuers in developed and emerging markets located around the world but outside the United States. The Fund anticipates investing in a number of foreign markets, but at a minimum it will invest in at least three countries outside the United States. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), selects individual stocks, and lets the Fund’s country and regional asset allocations evolve from this stock selection. The Fund may invest in companies of all sizes.

Advisors typically invests in companies that it believes can demonstrate positive and sustainable structural change. In addition, Advisors looks for companies in the early stages of a structural growth opportunity driven by differentiated products and/or services that maintain strong barriers to entry, continue to outgrow peers and demonstrate accelerating top-line growth with margin expansion. Advisors will typically invest in these types of companies when Advisors believes that their stock prices do not fully reflect the stock’s potential value, based on current earnings, assets and long-term growth prospects.

The Fund is actively managed; however, Advisors regularly reviews the Fund’s sector and country exposure against the Fund’s benchmark index, the Morgan Stanley Capital International ACWI (All Country World Index) ex USA^®Index (the “MSCI ACWI ex USA^®Index”), to seek to control risk.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) International Opportunities Fund

Best quarter: 7.94%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2016. Worst quarter: -9.95%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund	1 Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	(0.69%)	1.10%		Apr. 12, 2013
Advisor Class	(0.80%)	1.06%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	(0.89%)	0.92%		Apr. 12, 2013
Retirement Class	(0.94%)	0.83%		Apr. 12, 2013
Retail Class	(1.27%)	0.69%		Apr. 12, 2013
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	(0.92%)	0.89%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	(0.07%)	0.88%
MSCI All Country World Index ex USA (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	4.50%	1.22%	[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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.85% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.85% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.95% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.09% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of foreign issuers.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 31% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

31.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 primarily invests in equity securities of issuers in developed and emerging markets located around the world but outside the United States. The Fund anticipates investing in a number of foreign markets, but at a minimum it will invest in at least three countries outside the United States. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), selects individual stocks, and lets the Fund’s country and regional asset allocations evolve from this stock selection. The Fund may invest in companies of all sizes.

Advisors typically invests in companies that it believes can demonstrate positive and sustainable structural change. In addition, Advisors looks for companies in the early stages of a structural growth opportunity driven by differentiated products and/or services that maintain strong barriers to entry, continue to outgrow peers and demonstrate accelerating top-line growth with margin expansion. Advisors will typically invest in these types of companies when Advisors believes that their stock prices do not fully reflect the stock’s potential value, based on current earnings, assets and long-term growth prospects.

The Fund is actively managed; however, Advisors regularly reviews the Fund’s sector and country exposure against the Fund’s benchmark index, the Morgan Stanley Capital International ACWI (All Country World Index) ex USA^®Index (the “MSCI ACWI ex USA^®Index”), to seek to control risk.

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. An investment in the Fund, due to the nature of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

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

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

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

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 Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa.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 (%) International Opportunities Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 7.94%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2016. Worst quarter: -9.95%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2016

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

7.94%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2015

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(9.95%)

Performance Table Heading

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

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The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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]

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After-tax returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund | MSCI All Country World Index ex USA (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.50%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.22%

^[1]

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund | 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

Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

none

Management fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.59%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.63%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

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

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

202

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

351

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 786

Annual Return 2014

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(8.09%)

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

1.67%

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

(0.69%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.69%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.10%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Apr. 12, 2013

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.92%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.89%

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.07%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.88%

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund | Advisor 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

0.59%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.72%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.72%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 74

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

230

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

401

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 894

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.80%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.06%

^[4]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund | 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

0.59%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.79%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.79%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 81

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

252

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

439

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 978

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.89%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.92%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Apr. 12, 2013

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund | 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

0.59%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.29%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.88%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.88%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 90

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

281

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

488

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,084

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.94%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.83%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Apr. 12, 2013

TIAA-CREF International Opportunities Fund | 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

0.59%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.26%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.10%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.01%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.09%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 111

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

349

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

605

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,339

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.27%)

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.69%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Apr. 12, 2013

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

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.85% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.85% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.95% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.09% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[3] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[4] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund

TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through 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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.65%	0.65%	0.65%	0.65%	0.65%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees				0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses	[1]	0.07%	0.16%	0.07%	0.32%	0.21%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.72%	0.81%	0.87%	0.97%	1.11%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.72%	0.81%	0.87%	0.97%	1.11%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 International Small-Cap Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 74	$ 83	$ 89	$ 99	$ 113
3 years	230	259	278	309	353
5 years	401	450	482	536	612
10 years	$ 894	$ 1,002	$ 1,073	$ 1,190	$ 1,352

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. The Fund has no annual portfolio turnover rate because the Fund is recently operational.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in small-cap equity securities of foreign issuers. In seeking a favorable long-term total return, the Fund will invest in securities that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes have favorable prospects for long-term capital appreciation. A small-cap equity security is a security within the capitalization range of the companies included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap Index (the “Index”), at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest in equity securities of small companies across a wide range of sectors, growth rates and valuations. From time to time, Advisors reviews the Fund’s sector and country exposure against the Index to seek to control risk in relation to the Index. The Fund may invest in emerging markets to varying degrees, depending on stock-specific opportunities. The Fund considers investments of foreign issuers to generally include any one or more of the following: (1) companies whose securities are principally traded outside of the United States, (2) companies having their principal business operations outside of the United States, (3) companies organized outside of the United States, and (4) foreign governments and agencies or instrumentalities of foreign governments. The Fund has a policy of maintaining investments of equity securities of foreign issuers in at least three countries other than the United States. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Advisors uses proprietary quantitative models, or models utilizing econometric and mathematical techniques based on financial and investment theories, to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests. These models typically weigh many different variables, including the valuation of the individual stock versus the market or its peers, future earnings and sustainable growth prospects, and the price and volume trends of the stock. The score is used to form the portfolio, and the following additional inputs may also be considered: weightings of the stock and its corresponding sector in the benchmark, correlations of the stocks in the universe and trading costs. The Fund may purchase foreign equity securities denominated in U.S. dollars or in non-U.S. dollar currencies, and equity securities issued in connection with reorganizations and other special situations. Although Advisors does not anticipate that the Fund will have significant exposure to equity securities issued in connection with reorganizations and other special situations, the Fund is not subject to any preset limit.

The overall goal is to build a portfolio of stocks that generate a favorable long-term total return, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus the Index. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure the Fund will perform as intended. The markets or the prices of individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame. Fund investments in securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than Fund investments in securities of larger companies.

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Currency Risk—The risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign currencies, securities denominated in foreign currencies or derivative instruments that provide exposure to foreign currencies.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

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.org.

[1] Estimates for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.75% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 1.00% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.14% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through 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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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. The Fund has no annual portfolio turnover rate because the Fund is recently operational.

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

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Estimates for the current fiscal year.

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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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Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in small-cap equity securities of foreign issuers. In seeking a favorable long-term total return, the Fund will invest in securities that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes have favorable prospects for long-term capital appreciation. A small-cap equity security is a security within the capitalization range of the companies included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap Index (the “Index”), at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest in equity securities of small companies across a wide range of sectors, growth rates and valuations. From time to time, Advisors reviews the Fund’s sector and country exposure against the Index to seek to control risk in relation to the Index. The Fund may invest in emerging markets to varying degrees, depending on stock-specific opportunities. The Fund considers investments of foreign issuers to generally include any one or more of the following: (1) companies whose securities are principally traded outside of the United States, (2) companies having their principal business operations outside of the United States, (3) companies organized outside of the United States, and (4) foreign governments and agencies or instrumentalities of foreign governments. The Fund has a policy of maintaining investments of equity securities of foreign issuers in at least three countries other than the United States. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Advisors uses proprietary quantitative models, or models utilizing econometric and mathematical techniques based on financial and investment theories, to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests. These models typically weigh many different variables, including the valuation of the individual stock versus the market or its peers, future earnings and sustainable growth prospects, and the price and volume trends of the stock. The score is used to form the portfolio, and the following additional inputs may also be considered: weightings of the stock and its corresponding sector in the benchmark, correlations of the stocks in the universe and trading costs. The Fund may purchase foreign equity securities denominated in U.S. dollars or in non-U.S. dollar currencies, and equity securities issued in connection with reorganizations and other special situations. Although Advisors does not anticipate that the Fund will have significant exposure to equity securities issued in connection with reorganizations and other special situations, the Fund is not subject to any preset limit.

The overall goal is to build a portfolio of stocks that generate a favorable long-term total return, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus the Index. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure the Fund will perform as intended. The markets or the prices of individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

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. An investment in the Fund, due to the nature of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame. Fund investments in securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than Fund investments in securities of larger companies.

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Currency Risk—The risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign currencies, securities denominated in foreign currencies or derivative instruments that provide exposure to foreign currencies.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

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.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.org

TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund | Institutional 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

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none

Redemption or exchange fee

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none

Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

none

Management fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.65%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.72%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

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^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.72%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

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$ 74

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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230

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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401

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

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$ 894

TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund | Advisor 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

Management fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.65%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.16%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.81%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

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^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.81%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 83

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

259

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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450

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

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$ 1,002

TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.65%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.87%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.87%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 89

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

278

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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482

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,073

TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.65%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.32%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.97%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

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

309

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

536

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,190

TIAA-CREF International Small-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.65%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.21%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.11%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.11%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 113

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

353

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

612

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,352

[1] Estimates for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.75% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 1.00% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.14% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

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TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return that reflects the investment performance of the overall foreign equity markets while giving special consideration to certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) criteria.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.30%	0.30%		0.30%	0.30%	0.30%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		1.05%	1.13%	[1]	1.07%	1.31%	1.11%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		1.35%	1.43%		1.52%	1.61%	1.66%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]	(0.95%)	(0.95%)		(0.97%)	(0.96%)	(0.94%)
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.40%	0.48%		0.55%	0.65%	0.72%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Social Choice International Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 41	$ 49	$ 56	$ 66	$ 74
3 years	334	359	385	414	431
5 years	648	691	737	785	814
10 years	$ 1,541	$ 1,631	$ 1,730	$ 1,830	$ 1,886

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 13% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of foreign issuers. The Fund attempts to achieve the return of the foreign equity markets, as represented by its benchmark index, the Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE^®(Europe, Australasia, Far East) Index (the “MSCI EAFE^®Index”), while investing in companies whose activities are consistent with the Fund’s ESG criteria. See “Additional information about the Fund’s benchmark index” below for more information about the Fund’s benchmark. Fund holdings may be denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. dollar currencies.

The Fund’s investments are subject to certain ESG criteria. The ESG criteria are implemented based on data provided by independent research vendor(s). All companies must meet or exceed minimum ESG performance standards to be eligible for inclusion in the Fund. The evaluation process favors companies with leadership in ESG performance relative to their peers. Typically, environmental assessment categories include climate change, natural resource use, waste management and environmental opportunities. Social evaluation categories include human capital, product safety and social opportunities. Governance assessment categories include corporate governance, business ethics and government and public policy. How well companies adhere to international norms and principles and involvement in major ESG controversies (examples of which may relate to the environment, customers, human rights and community, labor rights and supply chain, and governance) are other considerations.

The ESG evaluation process is conducted on an industry-specific basis and involves the identification of key performance indicators, which are given more or less relative weight compared to the broader range of potential assessment categories. Concerns in one area do not automatically eliminate an issuer from being an eligible Fund investment. When ESG concerns exist, the evaluation process gives careful consideration to how companies address the risks and opportunities they face in the context of their sector or industry and relative to their peers. The Fund will not generally invest in companies significantly involved in certain business activities, including but not limited to the production of alcohol, tobacco, military weapons, firearms, nuclear power and gambling products and services.

Once a universe of ESG-eligible companies is established, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”) then uses quantitative investment techniques to attempt to closely match, to the extent practicable, the overall risk characteristics of the benchmark index. Under these quantitative investment techniques, the Fund uses a risk model to evaluate the universe of stocks in which the Fund may invest and to help construct a broadly diversified group of stocks. The Fund holdings will generally consist of a subset of the eligible investment universe. The Fund is not required to invest in all of the companies that meet the ESG criteria.

The Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee (the “CGSR Committee”) of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (“Board of Trustees”) reviews the ESG criteria used to determine eligibility of the securities held by the Fund and approves the vendor of that service. Advisors seeks to ensure that the Fund’s investments are consistent with its ESG criteria, but Advisors cannot guarantee that this will always be the case for every Fund investment. Consistent with its responsibilities, the CGSR Committee evaluates options for implementing the Fund’s ESG investment criteria and monitors the ESG vendor(s) selected to supply the ESG-eligible universe. Advisors has the right to change the ESG vendor(s) at any time and to add to the number of vendors providing the universe of eligible companies. Investing on the basis of ESG criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by the Fund’s vendor(s) or any judgment exercised by the CGSR Committee or Advisors will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor.

The ESG criteria the Fund takes into consideration are non-fundamental investment policies. Such criteria and the universe of investments that the Fund utilizes may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Principal investment risks

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

· ESG Criteria Risk—The risk that because the Fund’s ESG criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

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

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

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

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

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

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

· Benchmark Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Social Choice International Equity Fund

Best quarter: 6.70%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2016. Worst quarter: -2.47%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2016.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund	1 Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	1.12%	(3.83%)		Aug. 07, 2015
Advisor Class	1.00%	(3.85%)	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	0.98%	(3.97%)		Aug. 07, 2015
Retirement Class	0.83%	(4.08%)		Aug. 07, 2015
Retail Class	0.77%	(4.18%)		Aug. 07, 2015
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	0.62%	(4.27%)
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	1.23%	(2.83%)
MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	1.00%	(4.68%)	[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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.65% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.79% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return that reflects the investment performance of the overall foreign equity markets while giving special consideration to certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) criteria.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 13% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

13.00%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of foreign issuers. The Fund attempts to achieve the return of the foreign equity markets, as represented by its benchmark index, the Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE^®(Europe, Australasia, Far East) Index (the “MSCI EAFE^®Index”), while investing in companies whose activities are consistent with the Fund’s ESG criteria. See “Additional information about the Fund’s benchmark index” below for more information about the Fund’s benchmark. Fund holdings may be denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. dollar currencies.

The Fund’s investments are subject to certain ESG criteria. The ESG criteria are implemented based on data provided by independent research vendor(s). All companies must meet or exceed minimum ESG performance standards to be eligible for inclusion in the Fund. The evaluation process favors companies with leadership in ESG performance relative to their peers. Typically, environmental assessment categories include climate change, natural resource use, waste management and environmental opportunities. Social evaluation categories include human capital, product safety and social opportunities. Governance assessment categories include corporate governance, business ethics and government and public policy. How well companies adhere to international norms and principles and involvement in major ESG controversies (examples of which may relate to the environment, customers, human rights and community, labor rights and supply chain, and governance) are other considerations.

The ESG evaluation process is conducted on an industry-specific basis and involves the identification of key performance indicators, which are given more or less relative weight compared to the broader range of potential assessment categories. Concerns in one area do not automatically eliminate an issuer from being an eligible Fund investment. When ESG concerns exist, the evaluation process gives careful consideration to how companies address the risks and opportunities they face in the context of their sector or industry and relative to their peers. The Fund will not generally invest in companies significantly involved in certain business activities, including but not limited to the production of alcohol, tobacco, military weapons, firearms, nuclear power and gambling products and services.

Once a universe of ESG-eligible companies is established, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”) then uses quantitative investment techniques to attempt to closely match, to the extent practicable, the overall risk characteristics of the benchmark index. Under these quantitative investment techniques, the Fund uses a risk model to evaluate the universe of stocks in which the Fund may invest and to help construct a broadly diversified group of stocks. The Fund holdings will generally consist of a subset of the eligible investment universe. The Fund is not required to invest in all of the companies that meet the ESG criteria.

The Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee (the “CGSR Committee”) of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (“Board of Trustees”) reviews the ESG criteria used to determine eligibility of the securities held by the Fund and approves the vendor of that service. Advisors seeks to ensure that the Fund’s investments are consistent with its ESG criteria, but Advisors cannot guarantee that this will always be the case for every Fund investment. Consistent with its responsibilities, the CGSR Committee evaluates options for implementing the Fund’s ESG investment criteria and monitors the ESG vendor(s) selected to supply the ESG-eligible universe. Advisors has the right to change the ESG vendor(s) at any time and to add to the number of vendors providing the universe of eligible companies. Investing on the basis of ESG criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by the Fund’s vendor(s) or any judgment exercised by the CGSR Committee or Advisors will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor.

The ESG criteria the Fund takes into consideration are non-fundamental investment policies. Such criteria and the universe of investments that the Fund utilizes may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

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. An investment in the Fund, due to the nature of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

· ESG Criteria Risk—The risk that because the Fund’s ESG criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

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

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

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

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

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

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

· Benchmark Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

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 Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa.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 INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Social Choice International Equity Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 6.70%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2016. Worst quarter: -2.47%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2016.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2016

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

6.70%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Mar. 31, 2016

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(2.47%)

Performance Table Heading

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund | MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.00%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(4.68%)

^[1]

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund | Institutional Class

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Maximum deferred sales charge

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice

none

Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption or exchange fee

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

none

Management fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.30%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.05%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.35%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.95%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.40%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 41

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

334

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

648

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,541

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

1.12%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.12%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.83%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 07, 2015

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.62%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(4.27%)

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.23%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(2.83%)

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund | Advisor Class

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Maximum deferred sales charge

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice

none

Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption or exchange fee

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

none

Management fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.30%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.13%

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.43%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.95%)

^[2]

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

359

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

691

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,631

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.00%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.85%)

^[4]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund | 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

0.30%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.07%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.52%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.97%)

^[2]

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

385

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

737

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,730

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.98%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(3.97%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 07, 2015

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund | 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

0.30%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.31%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.61%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.96%)

^[2]

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

414

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

785

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,830

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.83%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(4.08%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 07, 2015

TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity Fund | Retail Class

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Maximum deferred sales charge

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice

none

Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions

rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther

none

Redemption or exchange fee

rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption

none

Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

$ 15.00

Management fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.30%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

1.11%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.66%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.94%)

^[2]

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

431

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

814

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,886

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.77%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(4.18%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 07, 2015

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

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.65% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.79% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[3] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[4] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, through income and capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of emerging markets fixed-income investments.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.55%	0.55%		0.55%	0.55%	0.55%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.13%	0.23%	[1]	0.14%	0.38%	0.21%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.68%	0.78%		0.84%	0.93%	1.01%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]	(0.03%)	(0.03%)		(0.04%)	(0.03%)	(0.02%)
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.65%	0.75%		0.80%	0.90%	0.99%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Emerging Markets Debt Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 66	$ 77	$ 82	$ 92	$ 101
3 years	215	246	264	293	320
5 years	376	430	462	512	556
10 years	$ 844	$ 963	$ 1,033	$ 1,140	$ 1,234

Portfolio turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 125% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in fixed-income securities of emerging market issuers or in instruments with economic characteristics similar to emerging market fixed-income securities. The Fund primarily invests in a broad range of sovereign, quasi-sovereign and corporate fixed-income securities rated B- or better but may also invest in fixed-income securities having a lower credit rating. The Fund does not rely exclusively on rating agencies when making investment decisions. Instead, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), performs its own credit analysis, paying particular attention to economic trends and other market events. Country and individual issuer allocations are then overweighted or underweighted relative to the Fund’s benchmark index, the JP Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global Diversified (“EMBI-GD Index”), when Advisors believes that the Fund can take advantage of what appear to be undervalued, overlooked or misunderstood issuers that offer the potential to boost returns above that of the index. Fund holdings may be denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. dollar currencies, including emerging market currencies. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund considers an “emerging market security” to be a security that is principally traded on a securities exchange of an emerging market or that is issued by an issuer that is located or has primary operations in an emerging market. The Fund generally defines an “emerging market” as any of the countries or markets represented in the Fund’s benchmark index, the EMBI-GD Index, or any other country or market with similar emerging characteristics. The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means it may invest in fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund.

The Fund may also engage in relative value trading, a strategy in which the Fund reallocates assets across different countries, currencies, sectors and maturities. Relative value trading is designed to enhance the Fund’s returns but increases the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.

The Fund may purchase and sell futures, options, swaps and other fixed-income derivative instruments to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies.

Principal investment risks

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets.

· Interest Rate Risk (a type of Market Risk)—The risk that increases in interest rates can cause the prices of fixed-income investments to decline. This risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in longer duration fixed-income investments and during periods when prevailing interest rates are low or negative. As of the date of this Prospectus, interest rates in the United States and in certain foreign markets are at or near historic lows, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising interest rates. In general, changing interest rates could have unpredictable effects on the markets and may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility.

· Sovereign Debt Risk—The risk that the issuer of non-U.S. sovereign debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of such debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country, levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates, among other possible reasons. To the extent the issuer or controlling governmental authority is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, the Fund may have limited recourse to compel payment in the event of default.

· Fixed-Income Foreign Investment Risk—Investment in fixed-income securities or financial instruments of foreign issuers involves increased risks due to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments. These developments may impact the ability of a foreign debt issuer to make timely and ultimate payments on its debt obligations to the Fund or impair the Fund’s ability to enforce its rights against the foreign debt issuer. These risks are heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers.

· Non-Diversification Risk—The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a “diversified” fund. Investing in a non-diversified fund involves greater risk than investing in a diversified fund because a loss in value of a particular security may have a greater effect on the Fund’s return since it may represent a larger portion of the Fund’s total portfolio assets.

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

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

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

· Downgrade Risk—The risk that securities are subsequently downgraded should Advisors and/or rating agencies believe the issuer’s business outlook or creditworthiness has deteriorated.

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

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

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

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Emerging Markets Debt Fund

Best quarter: 6.21%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2016. Worst quarter: -4.40%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund	1 Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	14.05%	3.35%		Sep. 26, 2014
Advisor Class	14.07%	3.36%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	13.89%	3.19%		Sep. 26, 2014
Retirement Class	13.79%	3.10%		Sep. 26, 2014
Retail Class	13.76%	3.05%		Sep. 26, 2014
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	11.37%	1.20%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	7.93%	1.55%
JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global Diversified (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	10.15%	4.36%	[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.

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

[1] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.65% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.00% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, through income and capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of emerging markets fixed-income investments.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio turnover

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs 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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 125% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

125.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in fixed-income securities of emerging market issuers or in instruments with economic characteristics similar to emerging market fixed-income securities. The Fund primarily invests in a broad range of sovereign, quasi-sovereign and corporate fixed-income securities rated B- or better but may also invest in fixed-income securities having a lower credit rating. The Fund does not rely exclusively on rating agencies when making investment decisions. Instead, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), performs its own credit analysis, paying particular attention to economic trends and other market events. Country and individual issuer allocations are then overweighted or underweighted relative to the Fund’s benchmark index, the JP Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global Diversified (“EMBI-GD Index”), when Advisors believes that the Fund can take advantage of what appear to be undervalued, overlooked or misunderstood issuers that offer the potential to boost returns above that of the index. Fund holdings may be denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. dollar currencies, including emerging market currencies. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund considers an “emerging market security” to be a security that is principally traded on a securities exchange of an emerging market or that is issued by an issuer that is located or has primary operations in an emerging market. The Fund generally defines an “emerging market” as any of the countries or markets represented in the Fund’s benchmark index, the EMBI-GD Index, or any other country or market with similar emerging characteristics. The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means it may invest in fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund.

The Fund may also engage in relative value trading, a strategy in which the Fund reallocates assets across different countries, currencies, sectors and maturities. Relative value trading is designed to enhance the Fund’s returns but increases the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.

The Fund may purchase and sell futures, options, swaps and other fixed-income derivative instruments to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets.

· Interest Rate Risk (a type of Market Risk)—The risk that increases in interest rates can cause the prices of fixed-income investments to decline. This risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in longer duration fixed-income investments and during periods when prevailing interest rates are low or negative. As of the date of this Prospectus, interest rates in the United States and in certain foreign markets are at or near historic lows, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising interest rates. In general, changing interest rates could have unpredictable effects on the markets and may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility.

· Sovereign Debt Risk—The risk that the issuer of non-U.S. sovereign debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of such debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country, levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates, among other possible reasons. To the extent the issuer or controlling governmental authority is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, the Fund may have limited recourse to compel payment in the event of default.

· Fixed-Income Foreign Investment Risk—Investment in fixed-income securities or financial instruments of foreign issuers involves increased risks due to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments. These developments may impact the ability of a foreign debt issuer to make timely and ultimate payments on its debt obligations to the Fund or impair the Fund’s ability to enforce its rights against the foreign debt issuer. These risks are heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers.

· Non-Diversification Risk—The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a “diversified” fund. Investing in a non-diversified fund involves greater risk than investing in a diversified fund because a loss in value of a particular security may have a greater effect on the Fund’s return since it may represent a larger portion of the Fund’s total portfolio assets.

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

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

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

· Downgrade Risk—The risk that securities are subsequently downgraded should Advisors and/or rating agencies believe the issuer’s business outlook or creditworthiness has deteriorated.

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

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

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

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Risk Nondiversified Status [Text]

rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus

The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified,” which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a “diversified” fund. Investing in a non-diversified fund involves greater risk than investing in a diversified fund because a loss in value of a particular security may have a greater effect on the Fund’s return since it may represent a larger portion of the Fund’s total portfolio assets.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Emerging Markets Debt Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 6.21%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2016. Worst quarter: -4.40%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2016

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

6.21%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2015

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(4.40%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock

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

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates in effect during the periods shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(a), 401(k) or 403(b) plans or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). After-tax returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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

Thirty Day Yield Phone

rr_ThirtyDayYieldPhone

800 842-2252

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund | JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global Diversified (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.15%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.36%

^[1]

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund | 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

0.55%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.68%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.03%)

^[2]

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

215

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

376

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 844

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(2.94%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

14.05%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

14.05%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.35%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 26, 2014

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.37%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.20%

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.93%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.55%

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund | Advisor 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

0.55%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.23%

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.78%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.03%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.75%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 77

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

246

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

430

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 963

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

14.07%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.36%

^[4]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund | 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

0.55%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.14%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.84%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[2]

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

264

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

462

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,033

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.89%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.19%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 26, 2014

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund | 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

0.55%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.38%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.93%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.03%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 92

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

293

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

512

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,140

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.79%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.10%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 26, 2014

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Debt Fund | 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

0.55%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.21%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.01%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.02%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.99%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 101

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

320

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

556

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,234

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.76%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.05%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 26, 2014

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

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.65% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.00% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[3] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[4] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund

TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.55%	0.55%	0.55%	0.55%	0.55%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees				0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses	[1]	0.13%	0.23%	0.13%	0.38%	0.23%
Other expenses of the Subsidiary	[1]	0.01%	0.01%	0.01%	0.01%	0.01%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.69%	0.79%	0.84%	0.94%	1.04%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]	(0.04%)	(0.04%)	(0.04%)	(0.04%)	(0.04%)
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.65%	0.75%	0.80%	0.90%	1.00%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 International Bond Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 66	$ 77	$ 82	$ 92	$ 102
3 years	217	248	264	296	327
5 years	380	435	462	516	570
10 years	$ 855	$ 974	$ 1,033	$ 1,151	$ 1,267

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 between August 5, 2016 (inception date) and October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 18% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in fixed-income investments of foreign issuers and derivative instruments, including those used to manage currency risk. The Fund primarily invests in a broad range of investment-grade sovereign, quasi-sovereign and corporate fixed-income investments. The Fund may also invest in other fixed-income securities, including those of non-investment-grade quality. The Fund does not rely exclusively on rating agencies when making investment decisions. Instead, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), performs its own credit analysis, paying particular attention to economic trends and other market events. Country and individual issuer allocations are then overweighted or underweighted relative to the Fund’s benchmark index, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Ex-USD Index (Hedged) (the “Index”), when Advisors believes that the Fund can take advantage of what appear to be undervalued, overlooked or misunderstood issuers that offer the potential to boost returns above that of the Index. Fund holdings may be denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. dollar currencies, including emerging market currencies. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will seek to hedge to the U.S. dollar approximately 80% of the Fund’s total exposure to investments denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar (on a net assets basis). Such hedging is intended to manage the currency risk associated with investment in bonds denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities of any maturity or duration. As of December 31, 2016, the duration of the Index was 7.72 years. “Duration” is a measure of volatility in the price of a bond in response to a change in prevailing interest rates, with a longer duration indicating more volatility. The Fund considers investments of foreign issuers to generally include one or more of the following: (1) companies whose securities are principally traded outside of the United States, (2) companies having their principal business operations outside of the United States, (3) companies organized outside of the United States, and (4) foreign governments and agencies or instrumentalities of foreign governments. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. Derivative instruments, including those used to manage currency risk, are included as assets of the Fund for the purposes of the Fund’s 80% policy.

The Fund may also engage in relative value trading, a strategy in which the Fund reallocates assets across different countries, currencies, sectors and maturities. While this strategy is designed to enhance the Fund’s returns, it may also increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. In addition, an increase in interest rates as well as other factors contributing to market volatility could lead to increased portfolio turnover.

The Fund may purchase and sell futures, options, swaps and other fixed-income derivative instruments to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. In particular, the Fund may utilize forward currency contracts and currency-related futures contracts and swap agreements to manage currency risk.

The Fund may also seek exposure to Regulation S fixed-income securities through investment in a Cayman Islands exempted company that is wholly owned and controlled by the Fund (the “Subsidiary”). Regulation S securities are securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are issued through private placement offerings without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933. The Subsidiary is advised by Advisors and has the same investment objective as the Fund. The Subsidiary may invest without limitation in Regulation S securities.

Principal investment risks

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

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

· Fixed-Income Foreign Investment Risk—Investment in fixed-income securities or financial instruments of foreign issuers involves increased risks due to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments. These developments may impact the ability of a foreign debt issuer to make timely and ultimate payments on its debt obligations to the Fund or impair the Fund’s ability to enforce its rights against the foreign debt issuer. These risks are heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers.

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets.

· Interest Rate Risk (a type of Market Risk)—The risk that increases in interest rates can cause the prices of fixed-income investments to decline. This risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in longer duration fixed-income investments and during periods when prevailing interest rates are low or negative. As of the date of this Prospectus, interest rates in the United States and in certain foreign markets are at or near historic lows, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising interest rates. In general, changing interest rates could have unpredictable effects on the markets and may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility.

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

· Currency Risk—The risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign currencies, securities denominated in foreign currencies or derivative instruments that provide exposure to foreign currencies.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

· Currency Management Strategies Risk—Currency management strategies, including the use of forward currency contracts and other derivatives, may substantially change the Fund’s exposure to currencies and currency exchange rates and could result in losses to the Fund if currencies do not perform as Advisors anticipates. The Fund’s ability to use derivative instruments to manage currency exposure may also be altered or constrained by pending SEC regulations, if such regulations are adopted as proposed.

· Counterparty and Third Party Risk—Transactions involving a counterparty to a derivative or other instrument, or to a third party responsible for servicing the instrument, are subject to the credit risk of the counterparty or third party, and to the counterparty’s or third party’s ability to perform in accordance with the terms of the transaction.

· Sovereign Debt Risk—The risk that the issuer of non-U.S. sovereign debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of such debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country, levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates, among other possible reasons. To the extent the issuer or controlling governmental authority is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, the Fund may have limited recourse to compel payment in the event of default.

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

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

· Downgrade Risk—The risk that securities are subsequently downgraded should Advisors and/or rating agencies believe the issuer’s business outlook or creditworthiness has deteriorated.

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

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

· Regulation S Securities Risk—The risk that Regulation S securities may be less liquid than publicly traded securities. Regulation S securities may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable to publicly traded securities. As a result, Regulation S securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in losses.

· Risks of Investment in the Fund’s Wholly Owned Subsidiary—The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”) and is not subject to its investor protections (except as otherwise noted in the Prospectus). As an investor in the Subsidiary, the Fund does not have all of the protections offered to investors by the 1940 Act. However, the Subsidiary is wholly owned and controlled by the Fund and managed by Advisors. Therefore, the Fund’s ownership and control of the Subsidiary make it unlikely that the Subsidiary would take actions contrary to the interests of the Fund or its shareholders.

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

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Portfolio Turnover Risk—Depending on market and other conditions, the Fund may experience high portfolio turnover, which may result in greater transactional expenses, such as brokerage commissions, bid-ask spreads, or dealer mark-ups, and capital gains (which could increase taxes and, consequently, reduce returns).

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

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.org.

[1] Estimates for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.65% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.00% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 between August 5, 2016 (inception date) and October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 18% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

18.00%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimates for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in fixed-income investments of foreign issuers and derivative instruments, including those used to manage currency risk. The Fund primarily invests in a broad range of investment-grade sovereign, quasi-sovereign and corporate fixed-income investments. The Fund may also invest in other fixed-income securities, including those of non-investment-grade quality. The Fund does not rely exclusively on rating agencies when making investment decisions. Instead, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), performs its own credit analysis, paying particular attention to economic trends and other market events. Country and individual issuer allocations are then overweighted or underweighted relative to the Fund’s benchmark index, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Ex-USD Index (Hedged) (the “Index”), when Advisors believes that the Fund can take advantage of what appear to be undervalued, overlooked or misunderstood issuers that offer the potential to boost returns above that of the Index. Fund holdings may be denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. dollar currencies, including emerging market currencies. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will seek to hedge to the U.S. dollar approximately 80% of the Fund’s total exposure to investments denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar (on a net assets basis). Such hedging is intended to manage the currency risk associated with investment in bonds denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities of any maturity or duration. As of December 31, 2016, the duration of the Index was 7.72 years. “Duration” is a measure of volatility in the price of a bond in response to a change in prevailing interest rates, with a longer duration indicating more volatility. The Fund considers investments of foreign issuers to generally include one or more of the following: (1) companies whose securities are principally traded outside of the United States, (2) companies having their principal business operations outside of the United States, (3) companies organized outside of the United States, and (4) foreign governments and agencies or instrumentalities of foreign governments. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. Derivative instruments, including those used to manage currency risk, are included as assets of the Fund for the purposes of the Fund’s 80% policy.

The Fund may also engage in relative value trading, a strategy in which the Fund reallocates assets across different countries, currencies, sectors and maturities. While this strategy is designed to enhance the Fund’s returns, it may also increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. In addition, an increase in interest rates as well as other factors contributing to market volatility could lead to increased portfolio turnover.

The Fund may purchase and sell futures, options, swaps and other fixed-income derivative instruments to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. In particular, the Fund may utilize forward currency contracts and currency-related futures contracts and swap agreements to manage currency risk.

The Fund may also seek exposure to Regulation S fixed-income securities through investment in a Cayman Islands exempted company that is wholly owned and controlled by the Fund (the “Subsidiary”). Regulation S securities are securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are issued through private placement offerings without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933. The Subsidiary is advised by Advisors and has the same investment objective as the Fund. The Subsidiary may invest without limitation in Regulation S securities.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

· Fixed-Income Foreign Investment Risk—Investment in fixed-income securities or financial instruments of foreign issuers involves increased risks due to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, currency, market or economic developments. These developments may impact the ability of a foreign debt issuer to make timely and ultimate payments on its debt obligations to the Fund or impair the Fund’s ability to enforce its rights against the foreign debt issuer. These risks are heightened in emerging or developing markets. Foreign investments may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers.

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets.

· Interest Rate Risk (a type of Market Risk)—The risk that increases in interest rates can cause the prices of fixed-income investments to decline. This risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in longer duration fixed-income investments and during periods when prevailing interest rates are low or negative. As of the date of this Prospectus, interest rates in the United States and in certain foreign markets are at or near historic lows, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising interest rates. In general, changing interest rates could have unpredictable effects on the markets and may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility.

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

· Currency Risk—The risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign currencies, securities denominated in foreign currencies or derivative instruments that provide exposure to foreign currencies.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

· Currency Management Strategies Risk—Currency management strategies, including the use of forward currency contracts and other derivatives, may substantially change the Fund’s exposure to currencies and currency exchange rates and could result in losses to the Fund if currencies do not perform as Advisors anticipates. The Fund’s ability to use derivative instruments to manage currency exposure may also be altered or constrained by pending SEC regulations, if such regulations are adopted as proposed.

· Counterparty and Third Party Risk—Transactions involving a counterparty to a derivative or other instrument, or to a third party responsible for servicing the instrument, are subject to the credit risk of the counterparty or third party, and to the counterparty’s or third party’s ability to perform in accordance with the terms of the transaction.

· Sovereign Debt Risk—The risk that the issuer of non-U.S. sovereign debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of such debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country, levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates, among other possible reasons. To the extent the issuer or controlling governmental authority is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, the Fund may have limited recourse to compel payment in the event of default.

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

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

· Downgrade Risk—The risk that securities are subsequently downgraded should Advisors and/or rating agencies believe the issuer’s business outlook or creditworthiness has deteriorated.

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

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

· Regulation S Securities Risk—The risk that Regulation S securities may be less liquid than publicly traded securities. Regulation S securities may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable to publicly traded securities. As a result, Regulation S securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in losses.

· Risks of Investment in the Fund’s Wholly Owned Subsidiary—The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”) and is not subject to its investor protections (except as otherwise noted in the Prospectus). As an investor in the Subsidiary, the Fund does not have all of the protections offered to investors by the 1940 Act. However, the Subsidiary is wholly owned and controlled by the Fund and managed by Advisors. Therefore, the Fund’s ownership and control of the Subsidiary make it unlikely that the Subsidiary would take actions contrary to the interests of the Fund or its shareholders.

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

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Portfolio Turnover Risk—Depending on market and other conditions, the Fund may experience high portfolio turnover, which may result in greater transactional expenses, such as brokerage commissions, bid-ask spreads, or dealer mark-ups, and capital gains (which could increase taxes and, consequently, reduce returns).

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

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.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.org

TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund | 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

0.55%

Other expenses of the Subsidiary

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[1]

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.69%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[2]

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

217

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

380

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 855

TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund | Advisor 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

0.55%

Other expenses of the Subsidiary

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[1]

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.23%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.79%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[2]

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

248

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

435

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 974

TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund | 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

0.55%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses of the Subsidiary

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[1]

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.84%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[2]

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

264

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

462

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,033

TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund | 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

0.55%

Other expenses of the Subsidiary

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[1]

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.38%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.94%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 92

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

296

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

516

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,151

TIAA-CREF International Bond Fund | 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

0.55%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses of the Subsidiary

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[1]

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.23%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.04%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.04%)

^[2]

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

327

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

570

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,267

[1] Estimates for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.65% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.90% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 1.00% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of large domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	Institutional Class	Advisor Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none
Maximum account fee	none	none

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class
Management fees		0.32%	0.32%
Other expenses		0.02%	0.11%	[1]
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.34%	0.43%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.34%	0.43%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class
1 year	$ 35	$ 44
3 years	109	138
5 years	191	241
10 years	$ 431	$ 542

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 121% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in large-cap equity securities of issuers included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Russell 1000^®Growth Index, at the time of purchase, but not necessarily at index weightings. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund follows an enhanced index management strategy. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), actively uses quantitative analysis to attempt to enhance the Fund’s performance relative to the Russell 1000^®Growth Index, while retaining a similar risk profile, instead of passively holding a representative basket of securities designed to match the index. The Russell 1000^®Growth Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^®Index, which represents the performance of the large-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^®Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values.

Enhanced index strategies employ quantitative modeling techniques for both stock selection and portfolio construction. With enhanced indexing, the Fund may use several different investment techniques to seek to build a portfolio of stocks that is structured to resemble and share the risk characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index, while also seeking to outperform the benchmark index. Enhanced indexing is designed so that the Fund diverges from its benchmark index more than a pure indexing strategy, with the goal of outperforming its benchmark index while effectively managing benchmark relative risks.

Under these quantitative modeling techniques, a number of variables related to individual stocks are evaluated to select a broadly diversified group of stocks that may have the potential to provide a higher total return than that of the benchmark index, the Russell 1000^®Growth Index. The Fund uses a proprietary, quantitative stock scoring model to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests.

Advisors will generally attempt to overweight securities (relative to the benchmark) that score high in the stock selection screening process and to either not hold or underweight securities that score low in the screening process. The Fund may also purchase foreign securities and securities issued in connection with reorganizations or other special situations. The Fund may also purchase and sell swaps and other equity derivatives to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure successful investment. The markets or the process of selecting individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

· Enhanced Index Risk—As an enhanced index fund, the Fund may also underperform its benchmark index due to differences between the investments of the Fund and its benchmark index.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the Advisor Class. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional and Advisor classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the Advisor Class 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Best quarter: 16.04%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. Worst quarter: -22.34%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	8.13%	13.95%		7.62%		Nov. 30, 2007
Advisor Class	8.12%	13.94%	[1]	7.61%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	7.11%	11.81%		6.02%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	5.46%	10.80%		5.74%
Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	7.08%	14.50%		7.83%	[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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; and (ii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of large domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 121% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

121.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in large-cap equity securities of issuers included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Russell 1000^®Growth Index, at the time of purchase, but not necessarily at index weightings. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund follows an enhanced index management strategy. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), actively uses quantitative analysis to attempt to enhance the Fund’s performance relative to the Russell 1000^®Growth Index, while retaining a similar risk profile, instead of passively holding a representative basket of securities designed to match the index. The Russell 1000^®Growth Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^®Index, which represents the performance of the large-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^®Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values.

Enhanced index strategies employ quantitative modeling techniques for both stock selection and portfolio construction. With enhanced indexing, the Fund may use several different investment techniques to seek to build a portfolio of stocks that is structured to resemble and share the risk characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index, while also seeking to outperform the benchmark index. Enhanced indexing is designed so that the Fund diverges from its benchmark index more than a pure indexing strategy, with the goal of outperforming its benchmark index while effectively managing benchmark relative risks.

Under these quantitative modeling techniques, a number of variables related to individual stocks are evaluated to select a broadly diversified group of stocks that may have the potential to provide a higher total return than that of the benchmark index, the Russell 1000^®Growth Index. The Fund uses a proprietary, quantitative stock scoring model to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests.

Advisors will generally attempt to overweight securities (relative to the benchmark) that score high in the stock selection screening process and to either not hold or underweight securities that score low in the screening process. The Fund may also purchase foreign securities and securities issued in connection with reorganizations or other special situations. The Fund may also purchase and sell swaps and other equity derivatives to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure successful investment. The markets or the process of selecting individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

· Enhanced Index Risk—As an enhanced index fund, the Fund may also underperform its benchmark index due to differences between the investments of the Fund and its benchmark index.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the Advisor Class. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional and Advisor classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the Advisor Class 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 16.04%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. Worst quarter: -22.34%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Mar. 31, 2012

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

16.04%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(22.34%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.08%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.50%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.83%

^[1]

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | 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

0.32%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 35

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

109

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

191

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 431

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(37.95%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

35.98%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

16.88%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

2.62%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

14.10%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

31.98%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

10.52%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

6.74%

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

8.13%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

8.13%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.95%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.62%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.11%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.81%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.02%

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.46%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

10.80%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.74%

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.32%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

138

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

241

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 542

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

8.12%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.94%

^[4]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.61%

^[4]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

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

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; and (ii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[3] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[4] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of large domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	Institutional Class	Advisor Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none
Maximum account fee	none	none

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class
Management fees		0.32%	0.32%
Other expenses		0.02%	0.11%	[1]
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.34%	0.43%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.34%	0.43%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class
1 year	$ 35	$ 44
3 years	109	138
5 years	191	241
10 years	$ 431	$ 542

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 149% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in large domestic companies included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Russell 1000^®Value Index, at the time of purchase, but not necessarily at index weightings. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund follows an enhanced index management strategy. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), actively uses quantitative analysis to attempt to enhance the Fund’s performance relative to the Russell 1000^®Value Index while retaining a similar risk profile, instead of passively holding a representative basket of securities designed to match the index. The Russell 1000^®Value Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^®Index, which represents the performance of the large-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^®Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower expected growth values.

Enhanced index strategies employ quantitative modeling techniques for both stock selection and portfolio construction. With enhanced indexing, the Fund may use several different investment techniques to seek to build a portfolio of stocks that is structured to resemble and share the risk characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index, while also seeking to outperform the benchmark index. Enhanced indexing is designed so that the Fund diverges from its benchmark index more than a pure indexing strategy, with the goal of outperforming its benchmark index while effectively managing benchmark relative risks.

Under these quantitative modeling techniques, a number of variables related to individual stocks are evaluated to select a broadly diversified group of stocks that may have the potential to provide a higher total return than that of the benchmark index, the Russell 1000^®Value Index. The Fund uses a proprietary, quantitative stock scoring model to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests.

Advisors will generally attempt to overweight securities (relative to the benchmark) that score high in the stock selection screening process and to either not hold or underweight securities that score low in the screening process. The Fund may also purchase foreign securities and securities issued in connection with reorganizations or other special situations. The Fund may also purchase and sell swaps and other equity derivatives to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure successful investment. The markets or the process of selecting individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Value Investing—Securities believed to be undervalued are subject to the risks that the issuer’s potential business prospects are not realized, its potential value is never recognized by the market or the securities were appropriately priced when acquired. As a result, value stocks can be overpriced when acquired and may not perform as anticipated.

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

· Enhanced Index Risk—As an enhanced index fund, the Fund may also underperform its benchmark index due to differences between the investments of the Fund and its benchmark index.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the Advisor Class. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional and Advisor classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the Advisor Class 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Best quarter: 17.74%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -21.54%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	15.02%	13.78%		5.60%		Nov. 30, 2007
Advisor Class	15.01%	13.78%	[1]	5.60%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	13.10%	11.54%		4.20%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	10.02%	10.65%		4.19%
Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	17.34%	14.80%		6.22%	[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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; and (ii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of large domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 149% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

149.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in large domestic companies included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Russell 1000^®Value Index, at the time of purchase, but not necessarily at index weightings. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund follows an enhanced index management strategy. The Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), actively uses quantitative analysis to attempt to enhance the Fund’s performance relative to the Russell 1000^®Value Index while retaining a similar risk profile, instead of passively holding a representative basket of securities designed to match the index. The Russell 1000^®Value Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^®Index, which represents the performance of the large-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^®Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower expected growth values.

Enhanced index strategies employ quantitative modeling techniques for both stock selection and portfolio construction. With enhanced indexing, the Fund may use several different investment techniques to seek to build a portfolio of stocks that is structured to resemble and share the risk characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index, while also seeking to outperform the benchmark index. Enhanced indexing is designed so that the Fund diverges from its benchmark index more than a pure indexing strategy, with the goal of outperforming its benchmark index while effectively managing benchmark relative risks.

Under these quantitative modeling techniques, a number of variables related to individual stocks are evaluated to select a broadly diversified group of stocks that may have the potential to provide a higher total return than that of the benchmark index, the Russell 1000^®Value Index. The Fund uses a proprietary, quantitative stock scoring model to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests.

Advisors will generally attempt to overweight securities (relative to the benchmark) that score high in the stock selection screening process and to either not hold or underweight securities that score low in the screening process. The Fund may also purchase foreign securities and securities issued in connection with reorganizations or other special situations. The Fund may also purchase and sell swaps and other equity derivatives to carry out the Fund’s investment strategies. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure successful investment. The markets or the process of selecting individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Value Investing—Securities believed to be undervalued are subject to the risks that the issuer’s potential business prospects are not realized, its potential value is never recognized by the market or the securities were appropriately priced when acquired. As a result, value stocks can be overpriced when acquired and may not perform as anticipated.

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

· Enhanced Index Risk—As an enhanced index fund, the Fund may also underperform its benchmark index due to differences between the investments of the Fund and its benchmark index.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Derivatives Risk—The risks associated with investing in derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments. The Fund may use futures, options, single name or index credit default swaps, or forwards, and the Fund may also use more complex derivatives such as swaps that might present liquidity, credit and counterparty risk. When investing in derivatives, the Fund may lose more than the principal amount invested.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the Advisor Class. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional and Advisor classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the Advisor Class 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 17.74%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -21.54%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

17.74%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(21.54%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund | Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.34%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.80%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.22%

^[1]

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund | 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

0.32%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 35

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

109

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

191

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 431

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(36.43%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

19.25%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.62%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

0.55%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

15.81%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

33.26%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

10.54%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(2.82%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

15.02%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.02%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.78%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.60%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Nov. 30, 2007

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.10%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.54%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.20%

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.02%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

10.65%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.19%

TIAA-CREF Enhanced Large-Cap Value Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.32%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 44

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

138

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

241

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 542

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

15.01%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.78%

^[4]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.60%

^[4]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

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

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; and (ii) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[3] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[4] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, through both capital appreciation and investment income, primarily from income-producing equity securities.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.40%	0.40%		0.40%	0.40%	0.40%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.02%	0.10%	[1]	0.02%	0.27%	0.07%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.42%	0.50%		0.57%	0.67%	0.72%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.42%	0.50%		0.57%	0.67%	0.72%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Growth & Income Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 43	$ 51	$ 58	$ 68	$ 74
3 years	135	160	183	214	230
5 years	235	280	318	373	401
10 years	$ 530	$ 628	$ 714	$ 835	$ 894

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 83% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities. In seeking a favorable long-term total return, the Fund will invest in securities which the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes have the potential for capital appreciation, dividend income, or both. The Fund focuses on large-cap securities that Advisors believes to be attractively valued, show the potential to appreciate faster than the rest of the market and return cash to shareholders in the form of dividends, stock buy-backs or both. Advisors seeks to construct a portfolio whose weighted average market capitalization is similar to the Fund’s benchmark index, the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (the “S&P 500^® Index”).

Advisors generally looks for companies that it believes are leaders in their respective industries, with sustainable competitive advantages. Advisors also looks for companies that it believes have management teams that are dedicated to creating shareholder value. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign issuers when Advisors believes these issuers offer more attractive investment opportunities.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Growth & Income Fund

Best quarter: 16.17%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -19.97%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	8.60%	14.35%		8.39%		Jul. 01, 1999
Advisor Class	8.51%	14.33%	[1]	8.38%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	8.35%	14.15%		8.27%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	8.28%	14.06%		8.11%		Oct. 01, 2002
Retail Class	8.31%	13.99%		8.11%		Mar. 31, 2006
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	7.81%	12.15%		7.17%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	5.50%	11.08%		6.61%
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	11.96%	14.66%		6.95%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.52% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.77% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.91% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, through both capital appreciation and investment income, primarily from income-producing equity securities.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 83% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

83.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities. In seeking a favorable long-term total return, the Fund will invest in securities which the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes have the potential for capital appreciation, dividend income, or both. The Fund focuses on large-cap securities that Advisors believes to be attractively valued, show the potential to appreciate faster than the rest of the market and return cash to shareholders in the form of dividends, stock buy-backs or both. Advisors seeks to construct a portfolio whose weighted average market capitalization is similar to the Fund’s benchmark index, the Standard & Poor’s 500^® Index (the “S&P 500^® Index”).

Advisors generally looks for companies that it believes are leaders in their respective industries, with sustainable competitive advantages. Advisors also looks for companies that it believes have management teams that are dedicated to creating shareholder value. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign issuers when Advisors believes these issuers offer more attractive investment opportunities.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Growth & Income Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 16.17%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -19.97%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

16.17%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(19.97%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund | S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.96%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.66%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.95%

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund | 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.42%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

135

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

235

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 530

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

18.93%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(34.97%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

26.94%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.20%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

2.98%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

16.41%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

34.35%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

11.26%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

3.47%

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

8.60%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

8.60%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.35%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.39%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jul. 01, 1999

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.81%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

12.15%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.17%

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.50%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.08%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.61%

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund | Advisor 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.10%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.50%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.50%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 51

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

160

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

280

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 628

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

8.51%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.33%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.38%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund | 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

0.40%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.57%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

183

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

318

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 714

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

8.35%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.15%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.27%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund | 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.27%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.67%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

214

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

373

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 835

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

8.28%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.06%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.11%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund | 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

0.40%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.07%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.72%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

230

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

401

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 894

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

8.31%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.99%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.11%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.52% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.77% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.91% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class		Retail Class
Management fees		0.42%	0.42%		0.42%	0.42%		0.42%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%			0.25%
Other expenses		0.01%	0.10%	[1]	0.01%	0.26%	[1]	0.09%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.43%	0.52%		0.58%	0.68%		0.76%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.43%	0.52%		0.58%	0.68%		0.76%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Large-Cap Growth Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 44	$ 53	$ 59	$ 69	$ 78
3 years	138	167	186	218	243
5 years	241	291	324	379	422
10 years	$ 542	$ 653	$ 726	$ 847	$ 942

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 86% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in large-cap equity securities. The Fund will invest primarily in large-cap equity securities that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes present the opportunity for growth. For purposes of the Fund’s 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. Generally, these equity securities will be those of large capitalized companies in new and emerging areas of the economy and companies with distinctive products or promising markets. Advisors looks for companies that it believes have the potential for strong earnings and/or sales growth, or that appear to be mispriced based on current earnings, assets or growth prospects. The Fund may invest in large, well-known, established companies, particularly when Advisors believes that the companies offer new or innovative products, services or processes that may enhance their future earnings. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund also seeks to invest in companies expected to benefit from prospective acquisitions, reorganizations, corporate restructurings or other special situations. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign investments.

The Fund’s benchmark index is the Russell 1000^®Growth Index.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

·Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

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

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Large-Cap Growth Fund

Best quarter: 15.96%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. Worst quarter: -23.27%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	(0.85%)	14.51%		8.17%		Mar. 31, 2006
Advisor Class	(0.75%)	14.51%	[1]	8.17%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	(0.99%)	14.35%		8.05%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	(1.14%)	14.19%		7.89%		Mar. 31, 2006
Retail Class	(1.11%)	14.10%		7.86%		Mar. 31, 2006
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	(1.26%)	12.87%		7.25%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	(0.13%)	11.34%		6.49%
Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	7.08%	14.50%		8.33%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.52% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.77% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.91% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 86% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

86.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in large-cap equity securities. The Fund will invest primarily in large-cap equity securities that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes present the opportunity for growth. For purposes of the Fund’s 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. Generally, these equity securities will be those of large capitalized companies in new and emerging areas of the economy and companies with distinctive products or promising markets. Advisors looks for companies that it believes have the potential for strong earnings and/or sales growth, or that appear to be mispriced based on current earnings, assets or growth prospects. The Fund may invest in large, well-known, established companies, particularly when Advisors believes that the companies offer new or innovative products, services or processes that may enhance their future earnings. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund also seeks to invest in companies expected to benefit from prospective acquisitions, reorganizations, corporate restructurings or other special situations. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign investments.

The Fund’s benchmark index is the Russell 1000^®Growth Index.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

·Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

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

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.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 INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Large-Cap Growth Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 15.96%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. Worst quarter: -23.27%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Mar. 31, 2012

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

15.96%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(23.27%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund | Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.08%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.50%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.33%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund | 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

0.42%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.43%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

138

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

241

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 542

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

21.62%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(41.04%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

34.99%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.17%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

1.64%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

16.95%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

39.80%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

11.22%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

9.20%

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

(0.85%)

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.85%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.51%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.17%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.26%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

12.87%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.25%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.13%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.34%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.49%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund | Advisor 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

0.42%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.10%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.52%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.52%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 53

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

167

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

291

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 653

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.75%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.51%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.17%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund | 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

0.42%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.58%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

186

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

324

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 726

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(0.99%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.35%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.05%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund | 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

0.42%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.26%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.68%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.68%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 69

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

218

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

379

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 847

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.14%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.19%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.89%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Fund | 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

0.42%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.76%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

243

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

422

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 942

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.11%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.10%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.86%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.52% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.77% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.91% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of large domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.40%	0.40%		0.40%	0.40%	0.40%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.01%	0.12%	[1]	0.01%	0.26%	0.08%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.41%	0.52%		0.56%	0.66%	0.73%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.41%	0.52%		0.56%	0.66%	0.73%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Large-Cap Value Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 42	$ 53	$ 57	$ 67	$ 75
3 years	132	167	179	211	233
5 years	230	291	313	368	406
10 years	$ 518	$ 653	$ 701	$ 822	$ 906

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 62% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in large-cap equity securities. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of large domestic companies, as defined by the Fund’s benchmark index (the Russell 1000^®Value Index), that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes appear undervalued by the market based on an evaluation of their potential worth. For purposes of the Fund’s 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Advisors uses a variety of comparative valuation criteria to determine whether shares of a particular company might be undervalued, including analyses of historical valuations of the same security; valuations of comparable securities in the same sector or the overall market; various financial ratios such as stock price-to-book value, stock price-to-earnings, and dividend yield; and free cash flow generated by the company. Advisors generally focuses on companies with normalized earnings and high operating leverage, which may cause the Fund to be more volatile in down markets than other large-cap value funds that have more defensive-oriented investment strategies.

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign investments.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Value Investing—Securities believed to be undervalued are subject to the risks that the issuer’s potential business prospects are not realized, its potential value is never recognized by the market or the securities were appropriately priced when acquired. As a result, value stocks can be overpriced when acquired and may not perform as anticipated.

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

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Large-Cap Value Fund

Best quarter: 22.75%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -22.69%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	18.60%	14.70%		5.70%		Oct. 01, 2002
Advisor Class	18.59%	14.69%	[1]	5.70%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	18.46%	14.53%		5.59%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	18.31%	14.41%		5.45%		Oct. 01, 2002
Retail Class	18.23%	14.32%		5.43%		Oct. 01, 2002
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	17.45%	12.95%		4.64%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	11.49%	11.40%		4.32%
Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	17.34%	14.80%		5.72%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.52% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.77% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.91% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of large domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 62% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

62.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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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Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in large-cap equity securities. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of large domestic companies, as defined by the Fund’s benchmark index (the Russell 1000^®Value Index), that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes appear undervalued by the market based on an evaluation of their potential worth. For purposes of the Fund’s 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Advisors uses a variety of comparative valuation criteria to determine whether shares of a particular company might be undervalued, including analyses of historical valuations of the same security; valuations of comparable securities in the same sector or the overall market; various financial ratios such as stock price-to-book value, stock price-to-earnings, and dividend yield; and free cash flow generated by the company. Advisors generally focuses on companies with normalized earnings and high operating leverage, which may cause the Fund to be more volatile in down markets than other large-cap value funds that have more defensive-oriented investment strategies.

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign investments.

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. An investment in the Fund, due to the nature of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

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

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

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

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Value Investing—Securities believed to be undervalued are subject to the risks that the issuer’s potential business prospects are not realized, its potential value is never recognized by the market or the securities were appropriately priced when acquired. As a result, value stocks can be overpriced when acquired and may not perform as anticipated.

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

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

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 for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

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 Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa.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 (%) Large-Cap Value Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 22.75%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -22.69%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

22.75%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(22.69%)

Performance Table Heading

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

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The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund | Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.34%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.80%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.72%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund | 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

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none

Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

none

Management fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.41%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

132

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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230

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 518

Annual Return 2007

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(0.06%)

Annual Return 2008

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(39.85%)

Annual Return 2009

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30.88%

Annual Return 2010

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18.18%

Annual Return 2011

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(5.67%)

Annual Return 2012

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19.68%

Annual Return 2013

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34.43%

Annual Return 2014

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9.16%

Annual Return 2015

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(4.69%)

Annual Return 2016

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18.60%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

18.60%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.70%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.70%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

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1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.45%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

12.95%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.64%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.49%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.40%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.32%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund | Advisor 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.52%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.52%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

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$ 53

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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167

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

291

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 653

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

18.59%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.69%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.70%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund | 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

0.40%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.56%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

179

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

313

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 701

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

18.46%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.53%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.59%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund | 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.26%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 67

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

211

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

368

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 822

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

18.31%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.41%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.45%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Fund | 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

0.40%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.08%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.73%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

233

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

406

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 906

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

18.23%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.32%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.43%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.52% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.67% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.77% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.91% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of medium-sized domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.44%	0.44%		0.44%	0.44%	0.44%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.03%	0.12%	[1]	0.03%	0.28%	0.09%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.47%	0.56%		0.62%	0.72%	0.78%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.47%	0.56%		0.62%	0.72%	0.78%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Mid-Cap Growth Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 48	$ 57	$ 63	$ 74	$ 80
3 years	151	179	199	230	249
5 years	263	313	346	401	433
10 years	$ 591	$ 701	$ 774	$ 894	$ 966

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 69% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in mid-cap equity securities. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of medium-sized domestic companies, as defined by the Fund’s benchmark index (the Russell Midcap^®Growth Index), that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes present the opportunity for growth. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. Advisors considers medium-sized companies to be those companies whose market capitalizations fall within the range represented by the Russell Midcap^®Growth Index at the time of the Fund’s investment.

Advisors looks for equity securities of companies that it believes have prospects for strong earnings or sales growth. The Fund invests in equity securities of companies that Advisors believes may represent high growth industries or rapidly evolving areas of the economy, that have distinctive products or services and that are growing faster than the overall equity market. The Fund may also invest in companies that Advisors believes to be undervalued based on current earnings, assets or growth prospects. These investments could include companies likely to benefit from prospective acquisitions, reorganizations, corporate restructurings or other special situations.

The Fund also uses proprietary quantitative models to screen and identify potential portfolio companies. Often, these companies represent modest deviations from the benchmark index based on relative value, price or potential earnings growth. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign investments.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

·Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Mid-Cap Growth Fund

Best quarter: 19.86%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -28.66%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	1.95%	11.98%		7.11%		Oct. 01, 2002
Advisor Class	1.94%	11.98%	[1]	7.11%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	1.81%	11.82%		6.99%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	1.69%	11.70%		6.84%		Oct. 01, 2002
Retail Class	1.63%	11.62%		6.83%		Oct. 01, 2002
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	1.83%	9.56%		5.75%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	1.21%	9.20%		5.58%
Russell Midcap® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	7.33%	13.51%		7.83%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.94% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of medium-sized domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 69% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

69.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in mid-cap equity securities. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of medium-sized domestic companies, as defined by the Fund’s benchmark index (the Russell Midcap^®Growth Index), that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes present the opportunity for growth. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. Advisors considers medium-sized companies to be those companies whose market capitalizations fall within the range represented by the Russell Midcap^®Growth Index at the time of the Fund’s investment.

Advisors looks for equity securities of companies that it believes have prospects for strong earnings or sales growth. The Fund invests in equity securities of companies that Advisors believes may represent high growth industries or rapidly evolving areas of the economy, that have distinctive products or services and that are growing faster than the overall equity market. The Fund may also invest in companies that Advisors believes to be undervalued based on current earnings, assets or growth prospects. These investments could include companies likely to benefit from prospective acquisitions, reorganizations, corporate restructurings or other special situations.

The Fund also uses proprietary quantitative models to screen and identify potential portfolio companies. Often, these companies represent modest deviations from the benchmark index based on relative value, price or potential earnings growth. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign investments.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

·Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Mid-Cap Growth Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 19.86%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -28.66%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

19.86%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(28.66%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund | Russell Midcap® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.33%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.51%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.83%

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund | 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

0.44%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.47%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

151

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

263

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 591

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

17.35%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(46.25%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

46.92%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

28.50%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(5.23%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

17.96%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

36.78%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

7.74%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(0.63%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

1.95%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.95%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.98%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.11%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.83%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

9.56%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.75%

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.21%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

9.20%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.58%

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund | Advisor 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

0.44%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.12%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.56%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.56%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 57

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

179

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

313

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 701

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.94%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.98%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.11%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund | 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

0.44%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.03%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.62%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

199

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

346

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 774

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.81%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.82%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.99%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund | 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

0.44%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.72%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

230

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

401

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 894

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.69%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.70%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.84%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Growth Fund | 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

0.44%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.78%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.78%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 80

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

249

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

433

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 966

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.63%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.62%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.83%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.94% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of medium-sized domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.40%	0.40%		0.40%	0.40%	0.40%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.01%	0.09%	[1]	0.01%	0.26%	0.06%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.41%	0.49%		0.56%	0.66%	0.71%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.41%	0.49%		0.56%	0.66%	0.71%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Mid-Cap Value Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 42	$ 50	$ 57	$ 67	$ 73
3 years	132	157	179	211	227
5 years	230	274	313	368	395
10 years	$ 518	$ 616	$ 701	$ 822	$ 883

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 43% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in mid-cap equity securities. The Fund will invest primarily in equity securities of medium-sized domestic companies, as defined by the Fund’s benchmark index (the Russell Midcap^®Value Index), that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes appear undervalued by the market based on an evaluation of their potential worth. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. Advisors considers medium-sized companies to be those companies whose market capitalizations fall within the range represented by the Russell Midcap^®Value Index at the time of the Fund’s investment.

Advisors uses a variety of comparative valuation criteria to determine whether shares of a particular company might be undervalued, including analyses of historical valuations of the same security; valuations of comparable securities in the same sector or the overall market; various financial ratios such as stock price-to-earnings, stock price-to-book value, free cash flow, debt-to-capital and, to a lesser extent, dividend yield.

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign investments.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Value Investing—Securities believed to be undervalued are subject to the risks that the issuer’s potential business prospects are not realized, its potential value is never recognized by the market or the securities were appropriately priced when acquired. As a result, value stocks can be overpriced when acquired and may not perform as anticipated.

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

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

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Mid-Cap Value Fund

Best quarter: 20.46%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -26.96%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	17.40%	14.15%		7.15%		Oct. 01, 2002
Advisor Class	17.44%	14.14%	[1]	7.14%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	17.22%	13.98%		7.03%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	17.17%	13.88%		6.88%		Oct. 01, 2002
Retail Class	17.12%	13.80%		6.89%		Oct. 01, 2002
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	16.16%	12.40%		6.06%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	10.84%	11.10%		5.59%
Russell Midcap® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	20.00%	15.70%		7.59%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.94% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of medium-sized domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 43% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

43.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in mid-cap equity securities. The Fund will invest primarily in equity securities of medium-sized domestic companies, as defined by the Fund’s benchmark index (the Russell Midcap^®Value Index), that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes appear undervalued by the market based on an evaluation of their potential worth. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. Advisors considers medium-sized companies to be those companies whose market capitalizations fall within the range represented by the Russell Midcap^®Value Index at the time of the Fund’s investment.

Advisors uses a variety of comparative valuation criteria to determine whether shares of a particular company might be undervalued, including analyses of historical valuations of the same security; valuations of comparable securities in the same sector or the overall market; various financial ratios such as stock price-to-earnings, stock price-to-book value, free cash flow, debt-to-capital and, to a lesser extent, dividend yield.

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in foreign investments.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Value Investing—Securities believed to be undervalued are subject to the risks that the issuer’s potential business prospects are not realized, its potential value is never recognized by the market or the securities were appropriately priced when acquired. As a result, value stocks can be overpriced when acquired and may not perform as anticipated.

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

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

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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, reimburse and/or compensate the Fund for certain fees, expenses and/or costs. Without these reductions and/or compensation, 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 an 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.org. For information on the effect of compensation paid to the Fund on returns, see the Financial highlights for the Fund in this Prospectus.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Mid-Cap Value Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 20.46%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -26.96%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

20.46%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(26.96%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund | Russell Midcap® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

20.00%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

15.70%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.59%

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund | 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.41%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

132

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

230

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 518

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

6.30%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(40.59%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

37.39%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

21.20%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(2.17%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

16.60%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

32.55%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

12.85%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(5.35%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

17.40%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.40%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.15%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.15%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.16%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

12.40%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.06%

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.84%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.10%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.59%

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund | Advisor 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 50

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

157

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

274

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 616

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.44%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.14%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.14%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund | 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

0.40%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.56%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

179

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

313

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 701

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.22%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.98%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.03%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund | 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.26%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 67

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

211

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

368

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 822

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.17%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.88%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.88%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Mid-Cap Value Fund | 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

0.40%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.71%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

227

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

395

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 883

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.12%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.80%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.89%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.55% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.70% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.80% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.94% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of smaller domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.40%	0.40%		0.40%	0.40%	0.40%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.02%	0.11%	[1]	0.02%	0.27%	0.08%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.42%	0.51%		0.57%	0.67%	0.73%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.42%	0.51%		0.57%	0.67%	0.73%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Small-Cap Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 43	$ 52	$ 58	$ 68	$ 75
3 years	135	164	183	214	233
5 years	235	285	318	373	406
10 years	$ 530	$ 640	$ 714	$ 835	$ 906

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 86% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in small-cap equity securities. In seeking a favorable long-term total return, the Fund will invest in securities that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes have favorable prospects for significant long-term capital appreciation potential. A small-cap equity security is a security within the capitalization range of the companies included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Russell 2000^®Index, at the time of purchase. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of smaller domestic companies across a wide range of sectors, growth rates and valuations. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund seeks to add incremental return over its stated benchmark index, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus its benchmark index. Advisors uses proprietary quantitative models, or models utilizing econometric and mathematical techniques, based on financial and investment theories to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests. These models typically weigh many different variables, including the valuation of the individual stock versus the market or its peers, future earnings and sustainable growth prospects, and the price and volume trends of the stock. The score is used to form the portfolio, along with the following additional inputs: weightings of the stock and its corresponding sector in the benchmark, correlations between the performance of the stocks in the universe, and trading costs. The Fund may purchase foreign securities and securities issued in connection with reorganizations and other special situations.

The overall goal is to build a portfolio of stocks that generate a favorable long-term total return, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus its benchmark index. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure successful investment. The markets or the prices of individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

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

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

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

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Small-Cap Equity Fund

Best quarter: 20.16%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -24.81%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	19.97%	15.45%		7.25%		Oct. 01, 2002
Advisor Class	19.96%	15.43%	[1]	7.24%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	19.86%	15.28%		7.13%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	19.63%	15.17%		6.98%		Oct. 01, 2002
Retail Class	19.57%	15.05%		6.95%		Oct. 01, 2002
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	19.02%	13.11%		5.90%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	12.10%	11.85%		5.51%
Russell 2000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	21.31%	14.46%		7.07%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.53% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.68% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.68% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.78% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.92% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of smaller domestic companies.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 86% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

86.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in small-cap equity securities. In seeking a favorable long-term total return, the Fund will invest in securities that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes have favorable prospects for significant long-term capital appreciation potential. A small-cap equity security is a security within the capitalization range of the companies included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Russell 2000^®Index, at the time of purchase. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of smaller domestic companies across a wide range of sectors, growth rates and valuations. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund seeks to add incremental return over its stated benchmark index, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus its benchmark index. Advisors uses proprietary quantitative models, or models utilizing econometric and mathematical techniques, based on financial and investment theories to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests. These models typically weigh many different variables, including the valuation of the individual stock versus the market or its peers, future earnings and sustainable growth prospects, and the price and volume trends of the stock. The score is used to form the portfolio, along with the following additional inputs: weightings of the stock and its corresponding sector in the benchmark, correlations between the performance of the stocks in the universe, and trading costs. The Fund may purchase foreign securities and securities issued in connection with reorganizations and other special situations.

The overall goal is to build a portfolio of stocks that generate a favorable long-term total return, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus its benchmark index. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure successful investment. The markets or the prices of individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

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

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

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

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Small-Cap Equity Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 20.16%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -24.81%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

20.16%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(24.81%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund | Russell 2000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

21.31%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.46%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.07%

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.42%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

135

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

235

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 530

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

(6.14%)

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(32.75%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

26.97%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

27.49%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(3.90%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

14.07%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

39.99%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

6.92%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

0.14%

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

19.97%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

19.97%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

15.45%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.25%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

19.02%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.11%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.90%

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.10%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.85%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.51%

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund | Advisor 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 52

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

164

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

285

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 640

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

19.96%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

15.43%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.24%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.40%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.57%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

183

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

318

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 714

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

19.86%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

15.28%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.13%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.40%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.27%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.67%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

214

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

373

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 835

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

19.63%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

15.17%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.98%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.40%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.08%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.73%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

233

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

406

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 906

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

19.57%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

15.05%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.95%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.53% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.68% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.68% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.78% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.92% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund

TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through 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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.46%	0.46%	0.46%	0.46%	0.46%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees				0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses	[1]	0.05%	0.14%	0.05%	0.30%	0.19%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.51%	0.60%	0.66%	0.76%	0.90%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.51%	0.60%	0.66%	0.76%	0.90%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 52	$ 61	$ 67	$ 78	$ 92
3 years	164	192	211	243	287
5 years	285	335	368	422	498
10 years	$ 640	$ 750	$ 822	$ 942	$ 1,108

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 between August 5, 2016 (inception date) and October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 2% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in small-cap and mid-cap equity securities. In seeking a favorable long-term total return, the Fund will invest in securities that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes have favorable prospects for significant long-term capital appreciation potential. A small-cap or mid-cap equity security is a security within the capitalization range of the companies included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Russell 2500^®Index, at the time of purchase. As of December 31, 2016, the Russell 2500^®Index had a mean market capitalization of $4.2 billion and a median market capitalization of $1.1 billion. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of small to mid-sized companies across a wide range of sectors, growth rates and valuations. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund seeks to add incremental return over its stated benchmark index, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus its benchmark index. Advisors uses proprietary quantitative models, or models utilizing econometric and mathematical techniques, based on financial and investment theories to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests. These models typically weigh many different variables, including the valuation of the individual stock versus the market or its peers, future earnings and sustainable growth prospects, and the price and volume trends of the stock. The score is used to form the portfolio, along with the following additional inputs: weightings of the stock and its corresponding sector in the benchmark, correlations of the stocks in the universe and trading costs. The Fund may purchase foreign equity securities, denominated in U.S. dollars or in non-U.S. dollar currencies, and equity securities issued in connection with reorganizations and other special situations.

The overall goal is to build a portfolio of stocks that generate a favorable long-term total return, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus its benchmark index. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure the Fund will perform as intended. The markets or the prices of individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

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

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

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

· Currency Risk—The risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign currencies, securities denominated in foreign currencies or derivative instruments that provide exposure to foreign currencies.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

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.org.

[1] Estimates for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.53% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.68% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.68% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.78% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.92% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through 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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 between August 5, 2016 (inception date) and October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 2% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

2.00%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimates for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in small-cap and mid-cap equity securities. In seeking a favorable long-term total return, the Fund will invest in securities that the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), believes have favorable prospects for significant long-term capital appreciation potential. A small-cap or mid-cap equity security is a security within the capitalization range of the companies included in the Fund’s benchmark index, the Russell 2500^®Index, at the time of purchase. As of December 31, 2016, the Russell 2500^®Index had a mean market capitalization of $4.2 billion and a median market capitalization of $1.1 billion. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of small to mid-sized companies across a wide range of sectors, growth rates and valuations. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund seeks to add incremental return over its stated benchmark index, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus its benchmark index. Advisors uses proprietary quantitative models, or models utilizing econometric and mathematical techniques, based on financial and investment theories to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the Fund invests. These models typically weigh many different variables, including the valuation of the individual stock versus the market or its peers, future earnings and sustainable growth prospects, and the price and volume trends of the stock. The score is used to form the portfolio, along with the following additional inputs: weightings of the stock and its corresponding sector in the benchmark, correlations of the stocks in the universe and trading costs. The Fund may purchase foreign equity securities, denominated in U.S. dollars or in non-U.S. dollar currencies, and equity securities issued in connection with reorganizations and other special situations.

The overall goal is to build a portfolio of stocks that generate a favorable long-term total return, while also managing the relative risk of the Fund versus its benchmark index. The Fund’s strategy is based upon Advisors’ understanding of the interplay of market factors and does not assure the Fund will perform as intended. The markets or the prices of individual securities may be affected by factors not taken into account in Advisors’ analysis.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

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

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

· Special Situation Risk—Stocks of companies involved in acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers or exchanges, takeovers, reorganizations, mergers and other special situations can involve the risk that such situations may not materialize or may develop in unexpected ways. Consequently, those stocks can involve more risk than ordinary securities.

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

· Currency Risk—The risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies may decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign currencies, securities denominated in foreign currencies or derivative instruments that provide exposure to foreign currencies.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

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.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.org

TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.46%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.51%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 52

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

164

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

285

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 640

TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund | Advisor 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

0.46%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.14%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 61

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

192

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

335

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 750

TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.46%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 67

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

211

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

368

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 822

TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.46%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.30%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.76%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

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

243

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

422

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 942

TIAA-CREF Small/Mid-Cap Equity Fund | 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

0.46%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.19%

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 92

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

287

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

498

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,108

[1] Estimates for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.53% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.68% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.68% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.78% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.92% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

XML

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return that reflects the investment performance of the overall U.S. stock market while giving special consideration to certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) criteria.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.15%	0.15%		0.15%	0.15%	0.15%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.04%	0.13%	[1]	0.04%	0.29%	0.06%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.19%	0.28%		0.34%	0.44%	0.46%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.19%	0.28%		0.34%	0.44%	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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Social Choice Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 19	$ 29	$ 35	$ 45	$ 47
3 years	61	90	109	141	148
5 years	107	157	191	246	258
10 years	$ 243	$ 356	$ 431	$ 555	$ 579

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 16% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities. The Fund attempts to achieve the return of the U.S. stock market as represented by its benchmark, the Russell 3000^®Index, while investing only in companies whose activities are consistent with the Fund’s ESG criteria. See “Additional information about the Fund’s benchmark index” below for more information about the Fund’s benchmark.

The ESG criteria the Fund takes into consideration are non-fundamental investment policies. Such criteria and the universe of investments that the Fund utilizes may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund’s investments are subject to certain ESG criteria. The ESG criteria are implemented based on data provided by independent research vendor(s). All companies must meet or exceed minimum ESG performance standards to be eligible for inclusion in the Fund. The evaluation process favors companies with leadership in ESG performance relative to their peers. Typically, environmental assessment categories include climate change, natural resource use, waste management and environmental opportunities. Social evaluation categories include human capital, product safety and social opportunities. Governance assessment categories include corporate governance, business ethics and government and public policy. How well companies adhere to international norms and principles and involvement in major ESG controversies (examples of which may relate to the environment, customers, human rights and community, labor rights and supply chain, and governance) are other considerations.

The ESG evaluation process is conducted on an industry-specific basis and involves the identification of key performance indicators, which are given more or less relative weight compared to the broader range of potential assessment categories. Concerns in one area do not automatically eliminate an issuer from being an eligible Fund investment. When ESG concerns exist, the evaluation process gives careful consideration to how companies address the risks and opportunities they face in the context of their sector or industry and relative to their peers. The Fund will not generally invest in companies significantly involved in certain business activities, including but not limited to the production of alcohol, tobacco, military weapons, firearms, nuclear power and gambling products and services.

Once a universe of ESG-eligible companies is established, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), then uses quantitative investment techniques to attempt to closely match, to the extent practicable, the overall risk characteristics of the benchmark index. The Fund holdings will generally consist of a subset of the eligible investment universe. The Fund is not required to invest in all companies that meet the ESG criteria.

The Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee (the “CGSR Committee”) of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (“Board of Trustees”) reviews the ESG criteria used to screen securities held by the Fund and approves the vendor of that service. Advisors seeks to ensure that the Fund’s investments are consistent with its ESG criteria, but Advisors cannot guarantee that this will always be the case for every Fund investment. Consistent with its responsibilities, the CGSR Committee evaluates options for implementing the Fund’s ESG investment criteria and monitors the ESG vendors selected to supply the ESG-eligible universe. Advisors has the right to change the ESG vendor(s) at any time and to add to the number of vendors providing the universe of eligible companies. Investing on the basis of ESG criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by the Fund’s vendor(s) or any judgment exercised by the CGSR Committee or Advisors will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor.

The Fund is not restricted from investing in any securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by other countries or their agencies or instrumentalities as approved by the CGSR Committee. Consistent with its ESG criteria, the Fund may invest up to 15% of its assets in foreign investments.

Principal investment risks

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

· ESG Criteria Risk—The risk that because the Fund’s ESG criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

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

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

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

· Benchmark Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Social Choice Equity Fund

Best quarter: 17.87%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -23.79%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	13.51%	13.56%		6.76%		Jul. 01, 1999
Advisor Class	13.57%	13.55%	[1]	6.76%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	13.32%	13.40%		6.63%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	13.24%	13.27%		6.49%		Oct. 01, 2002
Retail Class	13.26%	13.24%		6.55%		Mar. 31, 2006
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	11.79%	12.59%		6.15%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	9.08%	10.83%		5.41%
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	12.74%	14.67%		7.07%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.22% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.37% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.37% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.47% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.61% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return that reflects the investment performance of the overall U.S. stock market while giving special consideration to certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) criteria.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 16% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

16.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities. The Fund attempts to achieve the return of the U.S. stock market as represented by its benchmark, the Russell 3000^®Index, while investing only in companies whose activities are consistent with the Fund’s ESG criteria. See “Additional information about the Fund’s benchmark index” below for more information about the Fund’s benchmark.

The ESG criteria the Fund takes into consideration are non-fundamental investment policies. Such criteria and the universe of investments that the Fund utilizes may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund’s investments are subject to certain ESG criteria. The ESG criteria are implemented based on data provided by independent research vendor(s). All companies must meet or exceed minimum ESG performance standards to be eligible for inclusion in the Fund. The evaluation process favors companies with leadership in ESG performance relative to their peers. Typically, environmental assessment categories include climate change, natural resource use, waste management and environmental opportunities. Social evaluation categories include human capital, product safety and social opportunities. Governance assessment categories include corporate governance, business ethics and government and public policy. How well companies adhere to international norms and principles and involvement in major ESG controversies (examples of which may relate to the environment, customers, human rights and community, labor rights and supply chain, and governance) are other considerations.

The ESG evaluation process is conducted on an industry-specific basis and involves the identification of key performance indicators, which are given more or less relative weight compared to the broader range of potential assessment categories. Concerns in one area do not automatically eliminate an issuer from being an eligible Fund investment. When ESG concerns exist, the evaluation process gives careful consideration to how companies address the risks and opportunities they face in the context of their sector or industry and relative to their peers. The Fund will not generally invest in companies significantly involved in certain business activities, including but not limited to the production of alcohol, tobacco, military weapons, firearms, nuclear power and gambling products and services.

Once a universe of ESG-eligible companies is established, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), then uses quantitative investment techniques to attempt to closely match, to the extent practicable, the overall risk characteristics of the benchmark index. The Fund holdings will generally consist of a subset of the eligible investment universe. The Fund is not required to invest in all companies that meet the ESG criteria.

The Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee (the “CGSR Committee”) of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (“Board of Trustees”) reviews the ESG criteria used to screen securities held by the Fund and approves the vendor of that service. Advisors seeks to ensure that the Fund’s investments are consistent with its ESG criteria, but Advisors cannot guarantee that this will always be the case for every Fund investment. Consistent with its responsibilities, the CGSR Committee evaluates options for implementing the Fund’s ESG investment criteria and monitors the ESG vendors selected to supply the ESG-eligible universe. Advisors has the right to change the ESG vendor(s) at any time and to add to the number of vendors providing the universe of eligible companies. Investing on the basis of ESG criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by the Fund’s vendor(s) or any judgment exercised by the CGSR Committee or Advisors will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor.

The Fund is not restricted from investing in any securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by other countries or their agencies or instrumentalities as approved by the CGSR Committee. Consistent with its ESG criteria, the Fund may invest up to 15% of its assets in foreign investments.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

· ESG Criteria Risk—The risk that because the Fund’s ESG criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

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

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

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

· Benchmark Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Social Choice Equity Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 17.87%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -23.79%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

17.87%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(23.79%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund | Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.74%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.67%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.07%

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund | 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

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.19%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.19%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 19

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

61

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

107

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 243

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

4.03%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(36.14%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

32.38%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

15.91%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(0.05%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

14.05%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

34.32%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

11.25%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(2.39%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

13.51%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.51%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.56%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.76%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jul. 01, 1999

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.79%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

12.59%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.15%

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

9.08%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

10.83%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.41%

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund | Advisor 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

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.13%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.28%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 29

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

90

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

157

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 356

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.57%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.55%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.76%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund | 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

0.15%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.04%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 35

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

109

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

191

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 431

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.32%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.40%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.63%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund | 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

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.29%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

141

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

246

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 555

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.24%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.27%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.49%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund | 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

0.15%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.46%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

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

148

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

258

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 579

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

13.26%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.24%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.55%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.22% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.37% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.37% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.47% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.61% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return that reflects the investment performance of the overall U.S. stock market while giving special consideration to certain environmental, social, and governance criteria (“ESG”), which include additional criteria relating to carbon emissions and fossil fuel reserves.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.25%	0.25%		0.25%	0.25%	0.25%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.40%	0.49%	[1]	0.42%	0.66%	0.47%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.65%	0.74%		0.82%	0.91%	0.97%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]	(0.33%)	(0.33%)		(0.35%)	(0.34%)	(0.32%)
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.32%	0.41%		0.47%	0.57%	0.65%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 33	$ 42	$ 48	$ 58	$ 66
3 years	175	203	227	256	277
5 years	330	379	421	471	505
10 years	$ 779	$ 887	$ 981	$ 1,088	$ 1,161

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 83% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities. The Fund attempts to achieve investment results that reflect the return of the U.S. stock market as represented by its benchmark index, the Russell 3000^®Index while investing in companies whose activities are consistent with the Fund’s ESG criteria, which include additional criteria relating to carbon emissions and fossil fuel reserves. See “Additional information about the Fund’s benchmark index” below for more information about the Fund’s benchmark.

The Fund’s investments are subject to certain ESG criteria. The ESG criteria are implemented based on data provided by independent research vendor(s). All companies must meet or exceed minimum ESG performance standards to be eligible for inclusion in the Fund. The evaluation process favors companies with leadership in ESG performance relative to their peers. Typically, environmental assessment categories include climate change, natural resource use, waste management and environmental opportunities. Social evaluation categories include human capital, product safety and social opportunities. Governance assessment categories include corporate governance, business ethics and government and public policy. How well companies adhere to international norms and principles and involvement in major ESG controversies (examples of which may relate to the environment, customers, human rights and community, labor rights and supply chain, and governance) are other considerations.

The ESG evaluation process is conducted on an industry-specific basis and involves the identification of key performance indicators, which are given more or less relative weight compared to the broader range of potential assessment categories. Concerns in one area do not automatically eliminate an issuer from being an eligible Fund investment. When ESG concerns exist, the evaluation process gives careful consideration to how companies address the risks and opportunities they face in the context of their sector or industry and relative to their peers. The Fund will not generally invest in companies significantly involved in certain business activities, including but not limited to the production of alcohol, tobacco, military weapons, firearms, nuclear power and gambling products and services.

In addition to the overall ESG performance evaluation, the Fund favors companies that (1) demonstrate leadership in managing and mitigating their current carbon emissions and (2) have limited exposure to oil, gas, and coal (i.e., fossil fuel) reserves. The determination of leadership criteria takes into consideration company carbon emissions both in absolute terms (e.g., tons of carbon emitted directly into the atmosphere) and in relative terms (e.g., tons of carbon emitted per unit of economic output such as sales). Reserves are fossil fuel deposits that have not yet been extracted.

Once a universe of ESG-eligible companies is established, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), then uses quantitative investment techniques to attempt to closely match, to the extent practicable, the overall risk characteristics of the benchmark index. Under these quantitative investment techniques, the Fund uses a risk model to evaluate the universe of stocks in which the Fund may invest and to inform the construction of a broadly diversified group of stocks. The Fund holdings will generally consist of a subset of the eligible investment universe. The Fund is not required to invest in all of the companies that meet the ESG criteria.

The Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee (the “CGSR Committee”) of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (“Board of Trustees”) reviews the ESG criteria used to determine eligibility of the securities held by the Fund and approves the vendor of that service. Advisors seeks to ensure that the Fund’s investments are consistent with its ESG criteria, but Advisors cannot guarantee that this will always be the case for every Fund investment. Consistent with its responsibilities, the CGSR Committee evaluates options for implementing the Fund’s ESG investment criteria and monitors the ESG vendor(s) selected to supply the ESG-eligible universe. Advisors has the right to change the ESG vendor(s) at any time and to add to the number of vendors providing the universe of eligible companies. Investing on the basis of ESG criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by the Fund’s vendor(s) or any judgment exercised by the CGSR Committee or Advisors will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor.

The ESG criteria the Fund takes into consideration are non-fundamental investment policies. Such criteria and the universe of investments that the Fund utilizes may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is not restricted from investing in any securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by other countries or their agencies or instrumentalities as approved by the CGSR Committee. Consistent with its ESG criteria, the Fund may invest up to 15% of its assets in foreign investments.

Principal investment risks

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

· ESG Criteria Risk—The risk that because the Fund’s ESG criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

· Low-Carbon Risk—The risk that because the Fund’s investment will have special emphasis on companies with low current carbon emissions and limited exposure to fossil fuel reserves, the Fund’s portfolio might exclude certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons and the Fund may forgo some market opportunities that otherwise would be available.

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

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

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

· Benchmark Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund

Best quarter: 4.54%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2016. Worst quarter: 1.33%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2016.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund	1 Year	Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	12.85%	7.65%		Aug. 07, 2015
Advisor Class	12.93%	7.70%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	12.77%	7.56%		Aug. 07, 2015
Retirement Class	12.69%	7.41%		Aug. 07, 2015
Retail Class	12.64%	7.33%		Aug. 07, 2015
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	12.01%	6.97%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	7.84%	5.78%
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	12.74%	7.56%	[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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.32% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.47% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.47% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.57% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.71% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return that reflects the investment performance of the overall U.S. stock market while giving special consideration to certain environmental, social, and governance criteria (“ESG”), which include additional criteria relating to carbon emissions and fossil fuel reserves.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 83% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

83.00%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities. The Fund attempts to achieve investment results that reflect the return of the U.S. stock market as represented by its benchmark index, the Russell 3000^®Index while investing in companies whose activities are consistent with the Fund’s ESG criteria, which include additional criteria relating to carbon emissions and fossil fuel reserves. See “Additional information about the Fund’s benchmark index” below for more information about the Fund’s benchmark.

The Fund’s investments are subject to certain ESG criteria. The ESG criteria are implemented based on data provided by independent research vendor(s). All companies must meet or exceed minimum ESG performance standards to be eligible for inclusion in the Fund. The evaluation process favors companies with leadership in ESG performance relative to their peers. Typically, environmental assessment categories include climate change, natural resource use, waste management and environmental opportunities. Social evaluation categories include human capital, product safety and social opportunities. Governance assessment categories include corporate governance, business ethics and government and public policy. How well companies adhere to international norms and principles and involvement in major ESG controversies (examples of which may relate to the environment, customers, human rights and community, labor rights and supply chain, and governance) are other considerations.

The ESG evaluation process is conducted on an industry-specific basis and involves the identification of key performance indicators, which are given more or less relative weight compared to the broader range of potential assessment categories. Concerns in one area do not automatically eliminate an issuer from being an eligible Fund investment. When ESG concerns exist, the evaluation process gives careful consideration to how companies address the risks and opportunities they face in the context of their sector or industry and relative to their peers. The Fund will not generally invest in companies significantly involved in certain business activities, including but not limited to the production of alcohol, tobacco, military weapons, firearms, nuclear power and gambling products and services.

In addition to the overall ESG performance evaluation, the Fund favors companies that (1) demonstrate leadership in managing and mitigating their current carbon emissions and (2) have limited exposure to oil, gas, and coal (i.e., fossil fuel) reserves. The determination of leadership criteria takes into consideration company carbon emissions both in absolute terms (e.g., tons of carbon emitted directly into the atmosphere) and in relative terms (e.g., tons of carbon emitted per unit of economic output such as sales). Reserves are fossil fuel deposits that have not yet been extracted.

Once a universe of ESG-eligible companies is established, the Fund’s investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), then uses quantitative investment techniques to attempt to closely match, to the extent practicable, the overall risk characteristics of the benchmark index. Under these quantitative investment techniques, the Fund uses a risk model to evaluate the universe of stocks in which the Fund may invest and to inform the construction of a broadly diversified group of stocks. The Fund holdings will generally consist of a subset of the eligible investment universe. The Fund is not required to invest in all of the companies that meet the ESG criteria.

The Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee (the “CGSR Committee”) of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (“Board of Trustees”) reviews the ESG criteria used to determine eligibility of the securities held by the Fund and approves the vendor of that service. Advisors seeks to ensure that the Fund’s investments are consistent with its ESG criteria, but Advisors cannot guarantee that this will always be the case for every Fund investment. Consistent with its responsibilities, the CGSR Committee evaluates options for implementing the Fund’s ESG investment criteria and monitors the ESG vendor(s) selected to supply the ESG-eligible universe. Advisors has the right to change the ESG vendor(s) at any time and to add to the number of vendors providing the universe of eligible companies. Investing on the basis of ESG criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by the Fund’s vendor(s) or any judgment exercised by the CGSR Committee or Advisors will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor.

The ESG criteria the Fund takes into consideration are non-fundamental investment policies. Such criteria and the universe of investments that the Fund utilizes may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is not restricted from investing in any securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by other countries or their agencies or instrumentalities as approved by the CGSR Committee. Consistent with its ESG criteria, the Fund may invest up to 15% of its assets in foreign investments.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

· ESG Criteria Risk—The risk that because the Fund’s ESG criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

· Low-Carbon Risk—The risk that because the Fund’s investment will have special emphasis on companies with low current carbon emissions and limited exposure to fossil fuel reserves, the Fund’s portfolio might exclude certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons and the Fund may forgo some market opportunities that otherwise would be available.

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

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

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

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

· Benchmark Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

· Quantitative Analysis Risk—The risk that stocks selected using quantitative modeling and analysis could perform differently from the market as a whole.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.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 INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 4.54%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2016. Worst quarter: 1.33%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2016.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2016

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

4.54%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Mar. 31, 2016

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

1.33%

Performance Table Heading

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund | Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.74%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.56%

^[1]

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund | 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

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.40%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.65%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.33%)

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.32%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 33

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

175

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

330

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 779

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

12.85%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.85%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.65%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 07, 2015

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.01%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.97%

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.84%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.78%

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund | Advisor 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

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.49%

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.74%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.33%)

^[2]

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

203

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

379

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 887

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.93%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.70%

^[4]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund | 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

0.25%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.42%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.82%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.35%)

^[2]

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

227

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

421

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 981

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.77%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.56%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 07, 2015

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund | 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

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.91%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.34%)

^[2]

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

256

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

471

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,088

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.69%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.41%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 07, 2015

TIAA-CREF Social Choice Low Carbon Equity Fund | 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

0.25%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.47%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.97%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.32%)

^[2]

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

277

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

505

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 1,161

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.64%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.33%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 07, 2015

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

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.32% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.47% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.47% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.57% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.71% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[3] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[4] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities selected to track the overall U.S. equity markets based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.04%	0.04%		0.04%	0.04%	0.04%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.01%	0.10%	[1]	0.01%	0.26%	0.05%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.05%	0.14%		0.20%	0.30%	0.34%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.05%	0.14%		0.20%	0.30%	0.34%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Equity Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 5	$ 14	$ 20	$ 31	$ 35
3 years	16	45	64	97	109
5 years	28	79	113	169	191
10 years	$ 64	$ 179	$ 255	$ 381	$ 431

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 9% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of its benchmark index (the Russell 3000^®Index). The Russell 3000^®Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the Russell 3000^®Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Principal investment risks

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Equity Index Fund

Best quarter: 16.89%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -22.73%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	12.76%	14.63%		7.06%		Jul. 01, 1999
Advisor Class	12.75%	14.62%	[1]	7.06%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	12.57%	14.44%		6.95%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	12.45%	14.34%		6.79%		Mar. 31, 2006
Retail Class	12.42%	14.29%		6.81%		Mar. 31, 2006
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	12.07%	13.95%		6.58%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	7.70%	11.69%		5.65%
Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	12.74%	14.67%		7.07%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.48% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities selected to track the overall U.S. equity markets based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 9% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

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9.00%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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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Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of its benchmark index (the Russell 3000^®Index). The Russell 3000^®Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the Russell 3000^®Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

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. An investment in the Fund, due to the nature of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

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

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

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 for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.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 Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.tiaa.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 (%) Equity Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 16.89%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -22.73%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

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Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

16.89%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(22.73%)

Performance Table Heading

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

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The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund | Russell 3000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.74%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.67%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.07%

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund | 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

Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

none

Management fees

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 5

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

16

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

28

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 64

Annual Return 2007

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5.16%

Annual Return 2008

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(37.23%)

Annual Return 2009

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28.34%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

16.88%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

0.99%

Annual Return 2012

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16.33%

Annual Return 2013

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33.47%

Annual Return 2014

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12.52%

Annual Return 2015

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0.46%

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

12.76%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.76%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.63%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.06%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jul. 01, 1999

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.07%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.95%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.58%

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.70%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.69%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.65%

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.10%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.14%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.14%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 14

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

45

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

79

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 179

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.75%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.62%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.06%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.20%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.20%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 20

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

64

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

113

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 255

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.57%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.44%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.95%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.26%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.30%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.30%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 31

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

97

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

169

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 381

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.45%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.34%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.79%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

TIAA-CREF Equity Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 35

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

109

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

191

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 431

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.42%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.29%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.81%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Mar. 31, 2006

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.48% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities of large domestic growth companies based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Retirement 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)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Retirement Class
Management fees		0.04%	0.04%		0.04%
Other expenses		0.02%	0.11%	[1]	0.27%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.06%	0.15%		0.31%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.06%	0.15%		0.31%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Large-Cap Growth Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Retirement Class
1 year	$ 6	$ 15	$ 32
3 years	19	48	100
5 years	34	85	174
10 years	$ 77	$ 192	$ 393

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 22% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of its benchmark index (the Russell 1000^®Growth Index). For purposes of the 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. The Russell 1000^®Growth Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^®Index, which represents the performance of the large-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^®Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values.The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the Russell 1000^®Growth Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Principal investment risks

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

·Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Best quarter: 16.41%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -22.74%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	7.05%	14.43%		8.26%		Oct. 01, 2002
Advisor Class	7.02%	14.42%	[1]	8.25%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Retirement Class	6.75%	14.14%		7.99%		Oct. 01, 2002
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	6.72%	13.87%		7.86%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	4.27%	11.56%		6.68%
Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	7.08%	14.50%		8.33%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; and (iii) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities of large domestic growth companies based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 22% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

22.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of its benchmark index (the Russell 1000^®Growth Index). For purposes of the 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. The Russell 1000^®Growth Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^®Index, which represents the performance of the large-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^®Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values.The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the Russell 1000^®Growth Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

·Risks of Growth Investing—Due to their relatively high valuations, growth stocks are typically more volatile than value stocks and may experience a larger decline on a forecast of lower earnings, or a negative event or market development, than would a value stock.

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Large-Cap Growth Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 16.41%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -22.74%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

16.41%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(22.74%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.08%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.50%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.33%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 6

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

19

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 77

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

11.64%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(38.46%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

37.18%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

16.52%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

2.58%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

15.22%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

33.34%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

12.98%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

5.61%

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

7.05%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.05%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.43%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.26%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

6.72%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.87%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.86%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.27%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.56%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.68%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 15

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

48

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

85

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 192

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.02%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.42%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

8.25%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.27%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.31%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.31%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 32

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

100

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

174

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 393

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

6.75%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.14%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.99%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; and (iii) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities of large domestic value companies based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Retirement 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)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Retirement Class
Management fees		0.04%	0.04%		0.04%
Other expenses		0.02%	0.11%	[1]	0.27%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.06%	0.15%		0.31%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.06%	0.15%		0.31%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Large-Cap Value Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Retirement Class
1 year	$ 6	$ 15	$ 32
3 years	19	48	100
5 years	34	85	174
10 years	$ 77	$ 192	$ 393

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 23% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of its benchmark index (the Russell 1000^®Value Index). For purposes of the 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. The Russell 1000^®Value Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^®Index, which represents the performance of the large-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^®Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower expected growth values. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the Russell 1000^®Value Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Principal investment risks

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Value Investing—Securities believed to be undervalued are subject to the risks that the issuer’s potential business prospects are not realized, its potential value is never recognized by the market or the securities were appropriately priced when acquired. As a result, value stocks can be overpriced when acquired and may not perform as anticipated.

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Best quarter: 18.13%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -22.15%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	17.23%	14.70%		5.67%		Oct. 01, 2002
Advisor Class	17.28%	14.70%	[1]	5.66%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Retirement Class	16.99%	14.42%		5.41%		Oct. 01, 2002
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	16.32%	13.38%		4.71%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	10.38%	11.58%		4.34%
Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	17.34%	14.80%		5.72%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; and (iii) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities of large domestic value companies based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 23% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

23.00%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of its benchmark index (the Russell 1000^®Value Index). For purposes of the 80% investment policy, “large-cap” securities are securities of issuers with a capitalization equal to or greater than the top 80% of issuers by capitalization within the Russell 1000^®Index at the time of purchase. The Russell 1000^®Value Index is a subset of the Russell 1000^®Index, which represents the performance of the large-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000^®Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower expected growth values. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the Russell 1000^®Value Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

· Style Risk—The risk that use of a particular investing style (such as growth or valueinvesting) may fall out of favor in the marketplace for various periods of time and result in underperformance relative to the broader market sector or significant declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

· Risks of Value Investing—Securities believed to be undervalued are subject to the risks that the issuer’s potential business prospects are not realized, its potential value is never recognized by the market or the securities were appropriately priced when acquired. As a result, value stocks can be overpriced when acquired and may not perform as anticipated.

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.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 INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 18.13%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -22.15%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

18.13%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(22.15%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund | Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.34%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.80%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.72%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 6

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

19

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 77

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

(0.20%)

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(36.84%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

19.78%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

15.39%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

0.31%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

17.36%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

32.34%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

13.37%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(3.81%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

17.23%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.23%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.70%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.67%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.32%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.38%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.71%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.38%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.58%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.34%

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 15

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

48

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

85

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 192

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

17.28%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.70%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.66%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Large-Cap Value Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.27%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.31%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.31%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 32

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

100

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

174

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 393

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

16.99%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.42%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.41%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; and (iii) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities of large domestic companies selected to track U.S. equity markets based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Retirement 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)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Retirement Class
Management fees		0.04%	0.04%		0.04%
Other expenses		0.01%	0.11%	[1]	0.26%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.05%	0.15%		0.30%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.05%	0.15%		0.30%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 S&P 500 Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Retirement Class
1 year	$ 5	$ 15	$ 31
3 years	16	48	97
5 years	28	85	169
10 years	$ 64	$ 192	$ 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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of its benchmark index (the S&P 500^®Index). The S&P 500^®Index includes 500 leading companies and captures approximately 80% coverage of available market capitalization of the U.S. equity market. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the S&P 500^®Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Principal investment risks

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) S&P 500 Index Fund

Best quarter: 15.89%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -21.94%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	11.87%	14.58%		6.89%		Oct. 01, 2002
Advisor Class	11.84%	14.57%	[1]	6.88%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Retirement Class	11.60%	14.29%		6.62%		Oct. 01, 2002
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	11.25%	14.03%		6.43%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	7.23%	11.71%		5.52%
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	11.96%	14.66%		6.95%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; and (iii) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities of large domestic companies selected to track U.S. equity markets based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

8.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of its benchmark index (the S&P 500^®Index). The S&P 500^®Index includes 500 leading companies and captures approximately 80% coverage of available market capitalization of the U.S. equity market. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the S&P 500^®Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

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

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) S&P 500 Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 15.89%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -21.94%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

15.89%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(21.94%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund | S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.96%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.66%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.95%

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 5

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

16

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

28

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 64

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

5.40%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(36.92%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

26.46%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

14.93%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

2.01%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

15.94%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

32.24%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

13.60%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

1.35%

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

11.87%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.87%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.58%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.89%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.25%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.03%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.43%

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

7.23%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.71%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.52%

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 15

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

48

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

85

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 192

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.84%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.57%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.88%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF S&P 500 Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.26%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.30%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.30%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 31

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

97

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

169

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 381

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.60%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.29%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.62%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; and (iii) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities in smaller domestic companies based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Retirement 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)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Retirement Class
Management fees		0.04%	0.04%		0.04%
Other expenses		0.02%	0.11%	[1]	0.27%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.06%	0.15%		0.31%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.06%	0.15%		0.31%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Small-Cap Blend Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Retirement Class
1 year	$ 6	$ 15	$ 32
3 years	19	48	100
5 years	34	85	174
10 years	$ 77	$ 192	$ 393

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 22% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities included in its benchmark index (the Russell 2000^®Index). A small-cap equity security is a security within the capitalization range of the companies included in the Russell 2000^®Index at the time of purchase. The Russell 2000^®Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the Russell 2000^®Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Principal investment risks

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Small-Cap Blend Index Fund

Best quarter: 20.56%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -26.18%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	21.58%	14.71%		7.21%		Oct. 01, 2002
Advisor Class	21.56%	14.70%	[1]	7.20%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Retirement Class	21.28%	14.44%		6.94%		Oct. 01, 2002
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	20.30%	13.22%		6.09%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	12.97%	11.47%		5.51%
Russell 2000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	21.31%	14.46%		7.07%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; and (iii) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities in smaller domestic companies based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 22% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

22.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses, before expense reimbursements, remain the same. The example assumes that the Fund’s expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities included in its benchmark index (the Russell 2000^®Index). A small-cap equity security is a security within the capitalization range of the companies included in the Russell 2000^®Index at the time of purchase. The Russell 2000^®Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various U.S. equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index. Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the Russell 2000^®Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

· Small-Cap Risk—The risk that the stocks of small-capitalization companies often experience greater price volatility than large- or mid-sized companies because small-cap companies are often newer or less established than larger companies and are likely to have more limited resources, products and markets. Securities of small-cap companies are often less liquid than securities of larger companies as a result of there being a smaller market for their securities, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when Advisors deems it appropriate.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Small-Cap Blend Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 20.56%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -26.18%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

20.56%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(26.18%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund | Russell 2000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

21.31%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.46%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.07%

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 6

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

19

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 77

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

(1.46%)

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(33.54%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

26.83%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

26.78%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(4.12%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

16.61%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

38.98%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

5.15%

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(4.14%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

21.58%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

21.58%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.71%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.21%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

20.30%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

13.22%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.09%

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

12.97%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.47%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.51%

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 15

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

48

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

85

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 192

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

21.56%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.70%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

7.20%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Small-Cap Blend Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.27%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.31%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.31%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 32

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

100

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

174

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 393

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

21.28%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

14.44%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.94%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.09% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.24% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; and (iii) 0.34% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of emerging market equity investments based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (percentage of offering price)	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge	none	none	none	none	none
Maximum sales charge imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions	none	none	none	none	none
Redemption or exchange fee	none	none	none	none	none
Account maintenance fee (annual fee on accounts under $2,000)	none	none	none	none	$ 15.00

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
Management fees		0.14%	0.14%		0.14%	0.14%	0.14%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%		0.25%
Other expenses		0.08%	0.17%	[1]	0.08%	0.33%	0.22%
Acquired fund fees and expenses	[2]	0.01%	0.01%		0.01%	0.01%	0.01%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.23%	0.32%		0.38%	0.48%	0.62%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[3]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.23%	0.32%		0.38%	0.48%	0.62%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class	Retail Class
1 year	$ 24	$ 33	$ 39	$ 49	$ 63
3 years	74	103	122	154	199
5 years	130	180	213	269	346
10 years	$ 293	$ 406	$ 480	$ 604	$ 774

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 30% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities that comprise its benchmark index, the MSCI Emerging Markets^®Index (“MSCI EM Index”), or in instruments with economic characteristics similar to all or a portion of the MSCI EM Index. The MSCI EM Index is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment attributes of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various emerging market equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index.

Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the MSCI EM Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

From time to time, Advisors may determine that the Fund may not invest in securities of issuers that do not meet certain corporate governance criteria. The Fund currently does not invest in certain companies with operations in Sudan.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund

Best quarter: 14.12%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. Worst quarter: -24.07%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		Since Inception		Inception Date
Institutional Class	11.06%	1.00%		0.08%		Aug. 31, 2010
Advisor Class	11.03%	0.99%	[1]	0.08%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	10.81%	0.84%		(0.07%)		Aug. 31, 2010
Retirement Class	10.74%	0.72%		(0.17%)		Aug. 31, 2010
Retail Class	10.57%	0.58%		(0.32%)		Aug. 31, 2010
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	10.63%	0.57%		(0.32%)
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	6.71%	0.81%		0.12%
MSCI Emerging Markets® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	11.19%	1.28%		0.57%	[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] Estimate is 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 the Fund invests. These expenses are not paid directly by Fund shareholders. Instead, Fund shareholders bear these expenses indirectly as a result of the Fund's investments. 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, LLC, 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 Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.50% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.64% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

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

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of emerging market equity investments based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, 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]

rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees

“Acquired fund fees and expenses” are the Fund’s proportionate amount of the expenses of any investment companies or pools in which the Fund invests. These expenses are not paid directly by Fund shareholders. Instead, Fund shareholders bear these expenses indirectly as a result of the Fund’s investments. 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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, but that there will be no waiver or expense reimbursement agreement in effect thereafter. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities that comprise its benchmark index, the MSCI Emerging Markets^®Index (“MSCI EM Index”), or in instruments with economic characteristics similar to all or a portion of the MSCI EM Index. The MSCI EM Index is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment attributes of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various emerging market equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index.

Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the MSCI EM Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

From time to time, Advisors may determine that the Fund may not invest in securities of issuers that do not meet certain corporate governance criteria. The Fund currently does not invest in certain companies with operations in Sudan.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal investment risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

· Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries, and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, share prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may be less liquid than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries.

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

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

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year since inception of the Institutional Class. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier, Retirement and Retail classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.org

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

Past performance of the Fund (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best quarter: 14.12%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. Worst quarter: -24.07%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Mar. 31, 2012

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

14.12%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(24.07%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund | MSCI Emerging Markets® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.19%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.28%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.57%

^[1]

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund | 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

0.14%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.08%

Acquired fund fees and expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.23%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.23%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 24

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

74

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

130

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 293

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(19.24%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

18.61%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

(3.21%)

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

(3.21%)

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(14.83%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

11.06%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.06%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

1.00%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.08%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 31, 2010

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.63%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.57%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.32%)

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

6.71%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.81%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.12%

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.14%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.17%

^[4]

Acquired fund fees and expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.32%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.32%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 33

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

103

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

180

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 406

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

11.03%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.99%

^[5]

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

0.08%

^[5]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund | 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

0.14%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.08%

Acquired fund fees and expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.38%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[3]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.38%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 39

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

122

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

213

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 480

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.81%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.84%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.07%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 31, 2010

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund | 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

0.14%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.33%

Acquired fund fees and expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.48%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[3]

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

154

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

269

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 604

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.74%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.72%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.17%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 31, 2010

TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund | 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

0.14%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.22%

Acquired fund fees and expenses

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.01%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.62%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[3]

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

199

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

346

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 774

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

10.57%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.58%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

(0.32%)

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Aug. 31, 2010

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

[2] "Acquired fund fees and expenses" are the Fund's proportionate amount of the expenses of any investment companies or pools in which the Fund invests. These expenses are not paid directly by Fund shareholders. Instead, Fund shareholders bear these expenses indirectly as a result of the Fund's investments. 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, LLC, 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 Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; (iv) 0.50% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares; and (v) 0.64% of average daily net assets for Retail Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[4] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[5] The performance shown for the Advisor Class that is prior to its inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor Class. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund

Investment objective

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of foreign equity investments based on a market index.

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 (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement 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
Maximum account fee	none	none	none	none

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

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund		Institutional Class	Advisor Class		Premier Class	Retirement Class
Management fees		0.04%	0.04%		0.04%	0.04%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees					0.15%
Other expenses		0.02%	0.11%	[1]	0.02%	0.27%
Total annual Fund operating expenses		0.06%	0.15%		0.21%	0.31%
Waivers and expense reimbursements	[2]
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement		0.06%	0.15%		0.21%	0.31%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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 International Equity Index Fund - USD ($)	Institutional Class	Advisor Class	Premier Class	Retirement Class
1 year	$ 6	$ 15	$ 22	$ 32
3 years	19	48	68	100
5 years	34	85	118	174
10 years	$ 77	$ 192	$ 268	$ 393

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 11% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of its benchmark index (the MSCI EAFE^®Index). The MSCI EAFE^®Index measures stock performance in certain countries outside North America. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks included in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various foreign equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index.

Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the MSCI EAFE^®Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

Principal investment risks

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

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

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

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

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

Past performance

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year. The bar chart shows the annual total returns of the Institutional Class of the Fund, before taxes, in each full calendar year for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (%) International Equity Index Fund

Best quarter: 25.38%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -19.99%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

Average Annual Returns - TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund	1 Year	5 Years		10 Years		Inception Date
Institutional Class	1.22%	6.69%		0.85%		Oct. 01, 2002
Advisor Class	1.19%	6.68%	[1]	0.85%	[1]	Dec. 04, 2015
Premier Class	1.08%	6.52%		0.74%	[1]	Sep. 30, 2009
Retirement Class	0.96%	6.42%		0.61%		Oct. 01, 2002
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class	0.50%	5.77%		0.23%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class	1.23%	5.10%		0.68%
MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	1.00%	6.53%		0.75%

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] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[2] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.30% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.30% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[1] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label

Element

Value

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, by investing primarily in a portfolio of foreign equity investments based on a market index.

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]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

Feb. 28, 2018

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 October 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 11% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

11.00%

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 expense reimbursement agreement will remain in place through February 28, 2018, 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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Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of its benchmark index (the MSCI EAFE^®Index). The MSCI EAFE^®Index measures stock performance in certain countries outside North America. The Fund buys most, but not necessarily all, of the stocks included in its benchmark index, and will attempt to closely match the overall investment characteristics of its benchmark index. For purposes of the 80% investment policy, the term “assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

The Fund is designed to track various foreign equity markets as a whole or a segment of these markets. The Fund primarily invests its assets in equity securities its investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Advisors”), has selected to track a designated stock market index.

Because the return of an index is not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, the Fund’s ability to match the returns of the MSCI EAFE^®Index is negatively affected by the costs of buying and selling securities as well as the Fund’s fees and other expenses. The use of a particular index by the Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The portfolio management team of Advisors will attempt to build a portfolio that generally matches the market weighted investment characteristics of the Fund’s benchmark index.

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. An investment in the Fund, due to the nature of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, typically is subject to the following principal investment risks:

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

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

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

· Index Risk—The risk that the Fund’s performance may not correspond to its benchmark index for any period of time and may underperform such index or the overall financial 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.

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

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

· Illiquid Investments Risk—The risk that illiquid investments may be difficult to sell for the value at which they are carried, if at all, or at any price within the desired time frame.

Please see the non-summary portion of the Prospectus for more detailed information about the risks described above.

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 for the last ten years. Because the expenses vary across share classes, the performance of the Institutional Class may vary from the other share classes. Below the bar chart are the best and worst returns of the Institutional Class for a calendar quarter during the full calendar-year periods covered by the bar chart. The performance table following the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for the Institutional, Advisor, Premier and Retirement classes over the applicable one-year, five-year, ten-year and since-inception periods ended December 31, 2016, and how those returns compare to those of the Fund’s benchmark index. After-tax performance is shown only for Institutional Class shares, and after-tax returns for the 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 an 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.org.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following chart and table help illustrate some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.tiaa.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 (%) International Equity Index Fund

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best quarter: 25.38%, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Worst quarter: -19.99%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

25.38%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2011

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(19.99%)

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS For the Periods Ended December 31, 2016

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

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

The returns for the benchmark index reflect no deduction 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 returns are shown for only one class, and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

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.

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund | MSCI EAFE® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.00%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.53%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.75%

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.06%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 6

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

19

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

34

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 77

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

11.08%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(42.17%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

29.59%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

7.63%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

(12.09%)

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

19.09%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

21.96%

Annual Return 2014

rr_AnnualReturn2014

(5.51%)

Annual Return 2015

rr_AnnualReturn2015

(0.49%)

Annual Return 2016

rr_AnnualReturn2016

1.22%

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.22%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.69%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.85%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.50%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.77%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.23%

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund | Institutional Class | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.23%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.10%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.68%

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund | Advisor 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.11%

^[2]

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.15%

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

rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates

Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 15

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

48

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

85

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 192

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.19%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.68%

^[3]

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.85%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Dec. 04, 2015

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.02%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.21%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.21%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 22

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

68

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

118

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 268

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

1.08%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.52%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.74%

^[3]

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 2009

TIAA-CREF International Equity Index Fund | 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

0.04%

Other expenses

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.27%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.31%

Waivers and expense reimbursements

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

^[1]

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.31%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 32

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

100

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

174

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

$ 393

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.96%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.42%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

0.61%

Inception Date

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Oct. 01, 2002

[1] Under the Fund's expense reimbursement arrangements, the Fund's investment adviser, Teachers Advisors, LLC, 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) 0.15% of average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares; (ii) 0.30% of average daily net assets for Advisor Class shares; (iii) 0.30% of average daily net assets for Premier Class shares; and (iv) 0.40% of average daily net assets for Retirement Class shares of the Fund. These expense reimbursement arrangements will continue through at least February 28, 2018, unless changed with approval of the Board of Trustees.

[2] Estimate is for the current fiscal year.

[3] The performance shown for the Advisor and Premier classes that is prior to their inception date is based on performance of the Fund's Institutional Class. The performance for these periods has not been restated to reflect higher expenses of the Advisor and Premier classes. If those expenses had been reflected, the performance would have been lower.

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Mar. 01, 2017