MN Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship Pilot Program
The Minnesota Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship Pilot 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.
Who is eligible?
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.
Students may receive up to $25,000 in a lifetime.
Selection Process:
If there are insufficient funds to make full awards to all eligible applicants with complete applications received by the priority application deadline, awards are prioritized using a combination of the student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and application completion date.
- Eligible applicants with the lowest EFC are awarded first
- Eligible applicants with identical EFCs are prioritized by application completion date
Eligible applicants with complete applications received by the priority application deadline who are not awarded are placed on a waiting list by order of application completion date.
Complete applications from eligible applicants received after the priority application deadline are placed on the waiting list by order of application completion date.
Priority Deadline:
Eligible students with complete applications on file with the MN Office of Higher Education (OHE) by the priority deadline (listed below) will be considered for a grant. Applications will still be accepted after the priority deadline but students are much less likely to be awarded depending on the availability of funds.
To allow the University of St. Thomas Financial Aid Office time to review and complete the College or University Section of your application, we recommend having the application components listed below submitted to the Financial Aid Office one week prior to the MN Office of Higher Education (OHE) priority deadline.
|
Suggested Timeframe to submit application materials to St. Thomas |
June 30, 2023 |
|---|---|
| OHE Application Priority Deadline | July 7, 2023 |
Application Process and Requirements:
The following items must be submitted to apply for the MN Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship:
- Complete the online Student Section of the 2023-2024 Minnesota Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship Application
- Have the 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the MN Dream Act application (if you are not eligible to file the FAFSA) submitted.
- After both requirements listed above have been completed you will need to e-mail Becky Stevenson, becky.stevenson@stthomas.edu, from your St. Thomas e-mail account, to request the university section of the application be completed. If your e-mail request is received by the St. Thomas timeframe outlined above, the information will be submitted to OHE by their priority deadline.
*The MN Office of Higher Education considers the grant application to be complete after both the student portion and the university portion are submitted.