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Available Scholarships for Teachers
As an aspiring teacher, you don't have to go deep into debt to pursue a career in elementary or secondary education.
There are many scholarship programs designed to encourage high-achieving students to use their education to help others.
Local Teaching Scholarships
Your school's financial aid office and your departmental academic advisor are the best source of information regarding teaching scholarships offered by your school or state. If you're nearing graduation, ask about scholarships that can be used to help with living expenses during your student teaching assignment and federal programs for student loan forgiveness.
While local teaching scholarships are often smaller than the national awards, don't overlook these important sources of financial aid. A smaller applicant pool means less competition for scholarship dollars. And, in most cases, you're encouraged to combine these smaller awards with larger scholarships.
National Teaching Scholarships
National scholarships for education majors can be either targeted towards future teachers in general or aimed at students who plan to teach in a specific subject area. These scholarships include:
- The Phi Delta Kappa International Education Foundation awards scholarships of up to $1,000 to high school seniors and current undergraduate students who plan careers in elementary or secondary education.
- Bright Horizons Family Solutions, the world's leading provider of employer-sponsored early care, offers four $2,500 scholarships for full-time students currently pursuing degrees in early childhood education. Students must submit an essay, resume, transcripts, and letters of recommendation with their completed scholarship application.
Diversity Scholarships
Since teachers act as role models for children, it's important to have a diverse group of people enter the teaching profession. Teaching scholarships to promote diversity include:
- The Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the State Farm Companies Foundation work together to award scholarships of $2,500 to 20 deserving Hispanic college students who wish to pursue teaching careers. You can learn more about this scholarship on the State Farm website or request an application by calling 1-877-473-4636.
- The Siemens Foundation has partnered with the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the United Negro College Fund to award various scholarships to undergraduate and graduate education students who attend historically black colleges or universities. Preference is given to students who wish to teach math or science. To learn more about the Siemens Teacher Scholarship Initiative, visit the Siemens website or call 1-877-822-5233.
- National Federation of the Blind Educator of Tomorrow Award is a $3,000 scholarship given to a blind student planning a career in elementary, secondary, or postsecondary teaching. The scholarship is awarded based on the applicant's record of scholastic excellence, financial need, and community service. Applications are available on the National Federation of the Blind website.
Make note that scholarships can be bundled with other financial aid for teachers such as grants. Also, the odds of a teacher being female are high, so women should check out our pages on women's scholarships and grant options.
