Scholarships

A teaching career offers amazing benefits, diverse career paths, lifelong learning, and fulfillment that you can’t put a price on. Many resources are available to help pay for the education and training you need to take on the mission of a lifetime.

Haig and Janette Tashjian Art Teaching Scholarship

Available from the Western Michigan University, this scholarship is in recognition of excellence for art students who are in financial need – students will need to demonstrate this through the application process. The dollar value of the award varies, and it rotates between schools every second year. The award is limited to students who intend to go on to a career in teaching. You must be studying an art major for this, be in your junior or senior year, and must be nominated by the faculty. For more details, visit here. GPA 3.5: or above. Deadline: 1st February in the year of awarding (2016, 2018, 2020…)

AICPA Fellowship
There is considered to be a lack of ethnic minorities in the accounting field. With that said, the AICPA Fellowship for Minority Doctoral Students focuses on increasing representation in the teaching of accounting and other financial subjects. This fellowship is available to ethnic minorities who are presently studying for a doctorate in finance and intend to devote their studies towards teaching the subject to others. You do not need to have gained acceptance onto a doctoral program, applicants can also be awaiting a decision from a college; applicants should be a member of or intend to apply to become a full member of the CPA. For more details, visit this page.
 
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The ASME Fellowship seeks to address the critical shortage of engineers. ASME have set up this fund in an attempt to encourage the brightest and best young people (who might have otherwise felt hindered by costs) to apply to an essential field. Anyone can apply, but the selection process generally favors women and ethnic minorities. However, that’s not to say you will receive automatic refusal for not being part of this demographic. The fund is available for those who intend to pursue engineering education as a career, so college professorships are ideal. Awardvalue is $5,000. To see more details and apply, go here.
 
FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid should be the first port of call for most students, but especially those looking to go onto post-graduate study. American colleges and universities will always need university level teachers and lecturers. The great thing about FAFSA is that there are very few restrictions to the program – each applicant is considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must be a US citizen, an eligible non-citizen (such as a permanent resident), and have a valid Social Security number. Funding is also dependent on “satisfactory” academic grades with a minimum GPA of 2.0. The full list of requirements is here.
 
Fullbright Scholar Program
Fulbright offers a number of grants and scholarships to undergraduates and graduate students, with a particular focus on early career research, lecturing andfunding the first post-doctoral research that would be vital to your college teaching career. In this case, you already need to have completed your doctoral degree – you cannot apply while you are still a student. They offer several funding paths: some are available only to women and ethnic minorities for example, and most are field-flexible meaning you can apply from almost any discipline. For a full list of their programs, and to see whether you are eligible, go here.
 
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The HSF presently offers access to two separate scholarship programs. Their general program, which has run for many years, is available for people of Hispanic ethnicity from underprivileged backgrounds. It is not just for high school students looking to enter college, but also existing undergraduate and postgraduate students looking to further their studies and research – this includes doctorates with a view to carryon into teaching and researching at college. The value of the fund ranges from $500 to $5,000. You have a higher chance of acceptance if you are studying a STEM subject. Requirement: Minimum 3.0 GPA for High School Students. Minimum 2.5GPA for college students (undergraduate and postgraduate). You also need to have completed the FAFSA application. For other criteria and details, go here.
 
NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship
This education development fellowship seeks to improve education standards across all disciplines within our schools. With a value of $27,500, the fellowship is available to anyone who has proposed a research dissertation on how to improve education standards in the US. It is a highly competitive fellowship, with just 35 granted each year to an expected 600+ applicants. Applicants need not be US citizens, but should be candidates for a doctoral program at a US university. They need to have demonstrable experience of researching standards in education. For further details, visit the scholarship page. 

AKA Educational Advancement Scholarships

The Sorority House has a number of scholarships, some education specific, for which members may apply to aid their degree in education. They pride themselves on improving education and it represents one of their prime outreach programs. Some are needs based, some are merit based. None have an upper limit value. Applicants need to be a member of the group and already enrolled on a relevant degree course; it will also help your application if you have engaged in leadership and promoting the house. For further details, visit their web page here. GPA: 3.0 (merit based); 2.5 (need based). Deadline: mid-April every year.

DAR Scholarships

Daughters of the American Revolution offer a number of scholarships pertaining to education -elementary, middle and high school options. Specific to elementary school teaching is the Edward G. and Helen A. Borgens Elementary and Secondary Teacher Education Scholarships. Each year, two students are chosen for a one-off scholarship of $1500 (one for elementary school, one for secondary education). Applicant must be a college sophomore or high school graduate looking to enter into education. More information, including details on other scholarships, is here. GPA: 3.5

Gates Millennium Foundation

Though you may apply for the GMF to study for any major, it is most encouraging of those wishing to enter into education as a career (and therefore it is applicable to any degree type listed here). Set up by Bill Gates to enable the underprivileged into higher education, applicants must be an ethnic minority within the US and either a citizen, permanent resident or American National. It is a full scholarship fund that can be applied for undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral studies. You must have applied for the PELL grant to be eligible. More information is here. Deadline: mid-January every year. GPA: 3.3

Edwyna Wheadon Training Scholarship Fund

It can be difficult to get funding for a postgraduate course, and teaching English is no exception. For those who wish to advance in their career to study a master’s or other post-grad course, the EWTSF offers $500-1,000 annually to one applicant. Set up in honor of a woman who did much in her career to encourage advanced training for English teachers in her native Houston. The money goes directly to the institution. You must already be an English teacher at a publicly funded education establishment in order to apply, and be a member of the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English). For further information, please visit the Edwyna Wheadon Scholarship Fund page here. Deadline: 31st January (the same every year)

NILRR Applegate-Jackson-Parks Future Teacher Scholarship

Set up in honor of three Michigan teachers who refused to pay union fees (and were consequently fired for refusing to do so),  this scholarship is for both undergraduates and graduates who have pursued or are pursuing a degree in education at an accredited and publicly funded institution. Approval is dependent on the applicant having a teaching license, or pending acceptance of said license. You will be expected to write a mini essay on the subject of voluntary unionism and the problems of compulsory unionism. The fund will go directly to the education establishment upon approval. Deadline: December 31st every year. For further criteria and to apply, visit here.

Catherine W. Pierce Scholarship

One of the many United Negro College Fund scholarships, this $5,000 value scholarship is for black students of history, American Studies, art and other social sciences such as anthropology. Students must be enrolled at an accredited university and studying a four-year course. Application should be supported by an academic transcript. For further details, visit the website here. GPA: 2.5. Deadline: Usually late June

James Madison Memorial Foundation

The JMMF makes available a number of set bursaries for the research and teaching of US history. Fellowship value is anything up to $24,000 which – where granted – is spread over two years. Applicants must be US citizens and either a teacher or planning to become a teacher of American history or government or social studies, of children aged 7-12. The coursework should concern the US Constitution considerably, and the applicant must be graduates of certain (designated) subjects. For a full list, see their eligibility page.

Nancy Larson Foundation

This scholarship is designed specifically for college and university students training to become elementary school teachers. You can apply whether you are a junior, senior, or graduate student wishing to teach the youngest among us. Nancy Larson herself is famous for having written a number of math and science textbooks, but this found can be applied for teaching any subject. The value of each scholarship is $1,000 and it has only a short application window from 1st of October to 15th of November. For more information, visit their website here.

AFCEA Educational Foundation STEM Scholarship

Encouraging interest in science and technology from an early age is a vital step in securing the future of America’s competitiveness on the world stage. To that end, AFCEA offers an annual scholarship for high school and college students who are seeking a career in science and technology (and other STEM subjects) with a goal to teach middle school students. The scholarship is valued at $5,000. In addition, an extra candidate is selected for the special MG Eugene C Remzi award. This too is worth $5,000. A GPA of 3.5 from an accredited college or university is required. For further information, click here.

 

NFB Blind’s Scholarship Program

Blindness is no barrier to teaching. To that end, the National Foundation for the Blind has made available 30 scholarships for those who wish to pursue a career in teaching. The value of the scholarship is anything between $3,000 and $12,000, and will go towards education that will lead to a teaching career at middle or high school. Applicants must be blind in both eyes and a resident of the US, District of Colombia, or Puerto Rico. Winning candidates will also be expected to take part in all NFB activities for its national convention. Complete details are on the NFB website. Deadline: end of March every year

SHAPE America

The Society of Health and Physical Educators have three scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students looking to enter into physical education teaching as a career. For the Ruth Abernathy Presidential Award, the value is $1,250 (undergrad) and $1,750 (postgrad) and a complementary three-year membership to SHAPE. A separate scholarship (The Cooley Scholarship) is worth $1,000 and eligible for master’s students only. All scholarships require a supporting statement and proof of enrollment. Other requirements vary depending on the scholarship program. The Bill Kane Scholarship is also valued at $1,000 and for undergraduate students only. Not only scholarships, but they also offer grants for qualified teachers and researchers seeking to improve fitness of young people. For full details on their scholarships and to see the grants available, visit their website. GPA: 3.0 minimum. Deadline: mid-October (Ruth Abernathy), mid-November (Cooley & Bill Kane)

AAEF

The Association of American Educators is a general scholarship and grant fund dedicated to the improvement of education standards all over the country. There are few specific criteria that you need in order to apply for this fund – they are just as likely to give money to a pre-school teacher for a project as they are to give to a high school student applying for money to do a degree in education. Those who are already members of AAEF are preferred. Most individual scholarships and funds are worth a maximum of $500. For more information on the AAEF and on their funding opportunities, please visit their page here.

 

TEACH Early Childhood

The TEACH scholarships and grant are the most extensive Federal programs presently available. Knowing how important it is to get early education years right, they have made available one Early Childhood scholarship available for each state. The money is to be used against earning an Associates Degree or other accredited program to improve the standards of preschool education. One applicant is chosen per state, For further details, please visit the TEACH website. Grade: Varies, but is typically the 75th percentile. Deadline: End of September, for 2015 it is the 30th

Business Professionals of America Scholarship

The BPA offer scholarships to certain administration students, but only if the college or other education institution has affiliated with the BPA. There is a set list of criteria – for example you must be studying one of the defined courses which include most finance, business and public administration programs at any accredited college in those states. There are three scholarships available with the first chosen receiving $3,000, the second receiving $2,500 and the third $2,000. You must also be a member of the BPA. For more details, visit their website. GPA: varies by institution – check if your college is eligible. Deadline: mid-March every year.

Search Grants on Education Degree

There is a wide variety of scholarships available specifically for women. Whether you are a current classroom teacher, prospective educator, or an educator or counselor who wants to share financial resources for high school students pursuing college, this list is for you.

ALA Scholarships

The American Library Association is the largest organization in the country for librarians. As one of the oldest in the world, they have a long tradition in helping people enter into the field as a career. They also have one of the most extensive scholarship programs with many different awards. Some are for general application, and some are set aside for people from low income families, ethnic minorities and so on. They also have subject specific scholarships and grants for those who wish to train and specialize. Their scholarships are not limited to the US either, Canadian citizens are also eligible for some programs. GPA varies from scholarship to scholarship so check their site for details. For full details, visit their scholarship page here.

United Negro College Fund

The UNCF,  historically one of the largest representation organizations for Black students, has a large range of available scholarships – some are based on need, some on academic merit. Limited to Black students, you may apply for one of these scholarships for any subject but preference nearly always gravitates towards those studying STEM subjects. In order to be eligible, you must already have applied for funding to FAFSA. To see their full range of scholarships and details, and to apply, please visit the relevant web page here.

Federal TEACH Grant

Not limited to teaching kids with special needs, extra consideration is given to those students at undergraduate and graduate level who intend to teach children and young adults with special education needs. The grant is worth up to $4,000 every year and special conditions are placed on recipients such as that they are contractually bound to teach in a US school for a certain number of years (usually in a socially deprived area). There are no limits to who can apply. More information and application is on the TEACH webpage.

ETS TOEFL Dissertation Award

ETS are another international education organization dedicated to improving education standards the world over. Their TOEFL dissertation award grants $2,500 to one Doctoral student every year whose dissertation is on the subject of second or foreign language testing standards.Part of the award will be compensation for accommodation and travel fees for traveling to the ceremony to collect the award, which is applicable only against eligible doctoral programs. For full details, visit here.

 

FASEB Excellence in Science Grant

This award from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology rewards one woman every year on a number of criteria including scientific achievement, excellence in teaching (at post doctoral and undergraduate levels) and contributions to the scientific community. Evidence will include details of excellence, research papers, biography and supporting statements. The value of the award is presently a $10,000 research grant (to include travel bursaries to receive the award, and the cost of the hotel). For more information, see their website. Requirements: Must already be a professional biology teacher/lecturer at university level. Deadline: 1st March every year

 

National Association of School Psychologists

The largest group in the USA dedicated to providing training and information to school psychologists, have several scholarships and grant programs available for applicants wishing to enter into school counseling / psychology as a career. Amongst them are the Minority Scholarship Program available to lower financial barriers to ethnic minority students wishing to enter into a career as a school psychologist. The scholarship is valued at $5,000 and each applicant must be a member of NASP, a US citizen and enrolled at a NASP approved institution. For more information, see the NASP page. GPA: 3.0

 

Z-NEF Education Program

Like most Sorority organizations, Zeta Phi Beta has a number of scholarships covering most educational areas. Of particular  interest to students and graduates of Elementary Education is the Isabel M. Herson Scholarship in Education. Valued at between $500 and $1000, applicants need not be members of the House but should provide proof of their enrollment. Selection is based on academic merit. Three letters of recommendation are required. For further details, please visit their website here.