Access College Grant Programs to Fund a Teaching Degree
There is a high demand for qualified teachers within the public education system of the United States. Recent years have seen some drastic knockbacks within public schools that have adversely affected the rights and authority of teachers.

However, the increase of high-need schools has created a demand for well-educated teachers across all states. Grant programs have been introduced to assist student teachers in accessing affordable degree based college and university education as a means to replenish the deficit of qualified public school teachers.

So what does this mean to you as a potential teaching student?
This means that you can access a range of free student teacher grant programs that will assist you in paying for your college education, and in some cases cover the full cost of your tuition.

Government Funded Grants for Teaching Students

The Federal TEACH Grant

Undergraduate, post baccalaureate, and graduate teaching students enrolled in partcipating higher education institutions can receive annual grants of up to $4,000 through the federal TEACH Grant program. This is a non-need based grant program available to teaching students designed to assist in paying for their education.

In exchange for receiving the TEACH Grant, you will be required to teach as a full-time teacher in a high-need public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low income students after you graduate from college or university for 4 academic years. To apply for the Federal TEACH Grant, students are must complete the FAFSA (although the grant is not based on financial need) as this is the process for applying for government funded financial aid.

Teaching Grants from State Governments

Students who study in-state can receive teaching grants directly through their state government in return for agreeing to work within their states education system after graduating with a qualifying degree. Almost all states offer programs grant programs for teaching students, below are a few examples, however more information will be available through your colleges department of financial aid.

  • Arkansas state administer the ‘Teacher Opportunity Grant’ (Arkansas TOP Grant) which provides reimbursements of up to $3000 for out of pocket expenses incurred whilst attending college.
  • The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education run a grants program called the ‘Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant’. Grants are designed to provide financial assistance to state residents employed as paraprofessionals in public schools across Massachusetts who wish to become certified full-time teachers. The grant is also available to students at undergraduate level who may not have any experience as a paraprofessional, but wish to become certified teachers in a high need discipline such as math, science, special education, foreign languages and bilingual education.

Private Sources that Provide Teaching Student Grants

The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation is a leading provider of private fellowship grants for aspiring teachers. Each year they distribute rather generous sums of money to teaching students at all degree levels and their Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color is a popular source of grants for minority undergraduate teachers.