Scholarships

Minority Teacher Education Scholarship (MTES)

History:

· Scholarships program started in 1996 to attract minority students to pursue teaching careers ultimately increasing the number of minority teachers in Florida public schools.

· Administered by the Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, Inc. (FFMT), housed at the University of Florida's College of Education.

· Governed by a Board of Directors whose members consist of higher education leaders.

· Twenty-nine participating institutions both private & public sectors (all SUS schools).

Eligibility:

· Resident of the State of Florida.

· Member of one of the following racial groups: African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander or Native American/Alaskan Native.

Selection:

· Selections made by participating institutions; FFMT determining the number of scholarships each institution receives.

· Priority consideration given to community college transfers.

Awards:

· Students receive an annual award of $4,000 for a two-year period or a maximum of three years depending on the length of the program.

· Disbursement of award occurs twice a year during the fall and spring semesters.

Conditions:

· Enroll full time each semester award is given.

· Maintain academic progress as determined by the institution while on scholarship.

· Participate in the annual recruitment and retention conference.

· Must teach in a Florida public school (K-12) for the same number of years that scholarship was awarded.

Critical Teacher Scholarship and Forgivable Loan Program (CTS)

The CTS Forgivable Loan Program provides awards for students enrolled in an approved teacher preparation program leading to certification in a critical teacher shortage area, who plan to teach in Florida public or developmental research schools. Awards made to participants of this program must be repaid either in appropriate teaching service or in cash.

When the completed applications are returned, the OSSCS verifies criteria for eligibility and sends applications to the Florida Department of Education. During the 2000-2001 academic year, 49 students applied but only 40 met criteria.

The Florida Teacher Scholarship and Forgivable Loan Program (FTS&FL)

The FTS&FL Program (FTS&FL) provides teacher scholarships and loans to eligible applicants. The primary purpose of this program is to attract capable and promising students and teachers to pursue teaching careers in critical teacher shortage subject areas in Florida public and developmental research schools. The Florida Teacher Scholarship and Forgivable Loan Program consists of two student financial assistance programs:

· "Chappie" James Most Promising Teacher Scholarship

· Critical Teacher Shortage (CTS) Forgivable Loan Program

The “Chappie” James Most Promising Teacher Scholarship provides awards for the freshman and sophomore years of undergraduate study to one graduate of each Florida public high school and a proportional number of graduates of Florida private high schools. The Florida Critical Teacher Shortage Forgivable Loan Program provides awards for upper division undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an approved teacher preparation program leading to certification in a critical teacher shortage subject area.