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Minnesota Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship Pilot Program

The Minnesota Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship Pilot Program has received a one time appropriate for 2024-2025. This program provides postsecondary financial assistance to eligible undergraduate and graduate students who are preparing to become teachers, have demonstrated financial need, and belong to racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in the state’s teacher workforce.

Eligibility

In general, applicants must:

  • Be enrolled at an eligible institution located in Minnesota in a:
    • Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) approved teacher preparation program seeking initial licensure; or
    • Two-year program specifically designed to prepare early childhood educators;
  • Be a person of color or American Indian;
  • Be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements as defined by the institution;
  • Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or MN Dream Act application for aid year; and
  • Demonstrate financial need.

Award Amounts

The annual award for full-time students is up to $10,000. Awards for students enrolled less than full-time are prorated on a per-credit basis.

For graduate students, full-time means enrollment in a minimum of six graduate credits or equivalent.

The lifetime maximum a student can receive is $25,000.

Selection Process

All awards are based on funds availability. If there are insufficient funds to make full awards to all eligible applicants with complete applications received by the priority deadline, awards will be prioritized based on a combination of the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) and application completion date.

Eligible students with complete applications who did not receive an award due to insufficient funds, will be placed on a waitlist in the order of the application completion date.

Priority Deadline

A complete application must be submitted to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education by the priority deadline to be considered for an award. Applications will still be accepted after the priority deadline but eligible students may be placed on the waitlist. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

To allow the University of St. Thomas Financial Aid Office time to review and complete the financial aid data section of your application, we recommend having the student application components listed below completed one week prior to the MN Office of Higher Education (OHE) priority deadline.

  • Suggested St. Thomas deadline: July 25, 2024
  • OHE application priority deadline: August 1, 2024

Application Process

The following items must be submitted to apply for the MN Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship:

  1. Complete the online student section of the 2024-2025 Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship Application.

  2. Submit the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the MN Dream Act application (if you are not eligible to file the FAFSA).

Once both items have been completed, the Financial Aid Office will move forward in submitting the financial aid data portion of the application typically within 5-7 business days.