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Missouri Teaching Fellows Program

Missouri Teaching Fellows Program

This program provides loan repayment or stipends to academically successful students who attain a teaching certificate and obtain employment for five years in an unaccredited school district.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for assistance you must meet eligibility criteria at both the high school and collegiate levels and engage in qualified employment upon graduation from college.

High School Criteria

Attain cumulative grade point average ranking in the top 10% of your graduating class and score in the top 20 percentile on either the ACT or SAT, OR
Attain cumulative grade point average ranking in the top 20% of your graduating class and score in the top 10 percentile on either the ACT or SAT

Sign an agreement during your senior year in high school with the department agreeing to engage in qualified employment for five years upon graduation from a higher education institution

Collegiate Criteria

Complete a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approved teacher education program through a Missouri college or university and obtain certification as a teacher through DESE.
Receive a bachelors or graduate degree with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0

Employment Criteria

Gain employment as a certified teacher, including those certified to teach at the prekindergarten level within a prekindergarten program in which no fees are charged to parents or guardians, in a school district that is not classified as accredited by the state board of education at the time the first contract to teach in that district is signed.
Enter each year into a one-year contract with the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) agreeing to meet the employment criteria in exchange for the loan forgiveness or stipend.

How much can I receive?

At the conclusion of each of the first four years of qualified employment, the program repays, subject to appropriation, up to $5,000 of your educational loans or, if you do not have any educational loans, pays up to a $5,000 stipend to you. At the conclusion of the fifth year of qualified employment, the program pays you, subject to appropriation, a $1,000 stipend. Loan repayment is not an option in the fifth year. All loan repayments and stipends are conditional on sufficient state appropriations.

Year	Payment
1	Up to $5,000 loan repayment, OR $5,000 stipend
2	Up to $5,000 loan repayment, OR $5,000 stipend
3	Up to $5,000 loan repayment, OR $5,000 stipend
4	Up to $5,000 loan repayment, OR $5,000 stipend
5	$1,000 stipend
Total	Up to $20,000 in loan repayment and $1,000 stipend OR $21,000 in stipends

How can I apply?

If you are a high school senior and are interested in applying for this program, complete and submit the form below and the MDHE will send you the appropriate materials.

Missouri Teaching Fellows Registration Form

Please complete and submit the following form in order to request application materials.
* Denotes required field

First Name*
Last Name*
Address*
City*	State*
Zip*	(e.g. 65109 or 65109-1111)
Phone*	(e.g. 555-555-5555)
Email