Minority Teaching Fellows Program: (Promulgated Rules) (Application in Adobe pdf format.) (On-line Application)

The Minority Teaching Fellows Program is intended to encourage talented minority Tennesseans to enter the teaching field in Tennessee. The award is $5,000 per year for students who pursue a teacher certification at an eligible Tennessee institution.

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• be a minority Tennessee resident and a U.S. citizen, and
  
• be a high school senior or a continuing college student, and
  
• be a high school senior who has achieved at least a 2.75 high school cumulative grade point average, and either scored a minimum composite score of 18 on the ACT or 860 SAT (math and critical reading only), or be in the top 25% of his/her high school graduation class, or
  
• be a continuing college student who has achieved at least a 2.5 college cumulative grade point average.

An application, in order to be considered complete, must be accompanied by:

• a 250 word essay on “Why I Chose Teaching as a Profession”, and
  
• a recommendation from a school official and a person in the applicant’s community, and
  
• a list of extracurricular activities, and
  
• an official high school transcript with official ACT/SAT scores for high school applicants or an official college transcript for continuing college students.  

Those who receive the award incur an obligation to teach PreK-12 in a Tennessee public school one year for each year the award is received. If recipients do not meet this obligation the award must be repaid to TSAC.

Awards are made in equal installments each term throughout the academic year.   The award may be renewed three times for a total of four years. The recipient must maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average and attend full-time to remain eligible.

Applications are available at TSAC or by clicking on one of the links above. Awards are very competitive and are based on funding. Renewal applicants are given first priority.  TSAC must receive the completed application and required attachments by the April 15 deadline.