There are many opportunities to receive the financial support you need to become a teacher. In addition to the specific aid provided by teacher preparation programs, federal and state aid can also help fund your teacher preparation. Explore the grants, scholarships, and other financial aid opportunities below to find the ones that can best support your teacher preparation.
FEDERAL AID
Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)
Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG) are awarded to first- and second-year undergraduates who completed a rigorous high school curriculum.
Federal Pell Grant
The Federal Pell Grant Program awards grants to low-income undergraduate and certain postbaccalaureate students. These grants, unlike loans, do not need to be repaid.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
The FSEOG Program provides need-based grants to help low-income undergraduate students finance the costs of postsecondary education.
Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness
Under the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, teachers who serve full-time for five complete and consecutive academic years in a low-income school or educational service agency may be eligible for loan forgiveness of up to $17,500.
Federal Work-Study Program
The Federal Work-Study Program offers undergraduate and graduate students with financial need part-time jobs to help them pay for their education.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form that must be completed by current and prospective college students that determines whether they are eligible for federal student financial aid.
National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant
SMART Grants are awarded to third-, fourth- and fifth-year undergraduates who are majoring in technical fields, critical foreign languages, or who are in a qualifying liberal arts program.
TEACH Grant Program
The TEACH Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching.
Federal Work-Study Program
The Federal Work-Study Program offers undergraduate and graduate students with financial need part-time jobs to help them pay for their education.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form that must be completed by current and prospective college students that determines whether they are eligible for federal student financial aid.
National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant
SMART Grants are awarded to third-, fourth- and fifth-year undergraduates who are majoring in technical fields, critical foreign languages, or who are in a qualifying liberal arts program.
TEACH Grant Program
The TEACH Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching.
STATE AID
Aid to Native Americans
Enrolled members of a New York State tribe or their children who are attending, or planning to attend, a college in New York State and are New York State residents are eligible to receive financial aid from the state’s Aid to Native Americans Program.
Aid for Part-time Study (APTS)
The Aid for Part-time Study (APTS) Program provides grant assistance for eligible part-time students enrolled in approved undergraduate studies.
Excelsior Scholarship:
The New York State Excelsior Scholarship allows students from low-income households attend a SUNY or CUNY college tuition free.
Masters in Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship
The Masters-in-Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship Program provides eligible students with a full-tuition scholarship for a master’s degree at a State University of New York (SUNY) or City University of New York (CUNY) college or university.
Math and Science Teaching Incentive Scholarship
The NYS Math and Science Teaching Incentive Program is offered to students attending school at the undergraduate and/or graduate degree level in exchange for five years of full-time employment as math or science teachers in secondary education in New York State.
NYSED’s Clinically Rich Intensive Teacher Institute (CR-ITI)
Teacher preparation programs that participate in New York State’s Clinically Rich Intensive Teacher Institute (TAP) provide support to teachers pursuing bilingual certification.
Part-Time Tuition Assistance Program
The New York State Part-Time TAP Program available for students attending SUNY, CUNY and not-for-profit independent degree-granting colleges on a part-time basis.
Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program
The NYS Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program provides student loan forgiveness teachers serving in hard to staff districts or who teach in subject shortage areas in New York State.
Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) helps eligible New York residents pay tuition at approved schools in New York State.