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SFA > Awards/Scholarships - By Program > Minority Teacher/Special Services Scholarship Minority Teacher/Special Services Scholarship

Purpose

The Minority Teacher Scholarship was created by the 1988 Indiana General Assembly to address the critical shortage of Black and Hispanic teachers in Indiana. In 1990 the Indiana General Assembly expanded the program to include the field of Special Education, and in 1991 the fields of Occupational and Physical Therapy were added. The Scholarships are administered by the Division of Student Financial Aid (SFA) which is responsible for record keeping and for allotting funds to approved colleges and universities

Scholarship Value

Minority students demonstrating financial need may receive up to $4,000 annually; for non-minority students the maximum award is $1,000. Colleges will determine the actual amount when reviewing a scholar's financial aid package. Colleges may not reduce a scholar's state or federal gift financial aid, if any, when awarding the scholarship. The scholarship amount will be divided into semester or quarterly disbursements, the same as other financial aid.

Scholarships are non-transferable between universities. Students must re-apply if they transfer.

Eligibility

To be eligible the student must be:

  1. A minority student (defined as Black or Hispanic) seeking a teaching certification; or any student (minority and non-minority) seeking Special Education teaching certification, or Occupational or Physical Therapy certification.
  2. An Indiana resident and an eligible U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  3. Admitted to an eligible institution as a full time student or already attending as a full time student.
  4. Pursuing or intending to pursue a course of study that would enable the student upon graduation to teach in an accredited elementary or secondary school in Indiana or practice as an Occupational or Physical Therapist in Indiana
  5. Complete and file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  6. Not be in default on a state or federally-funded student loan.
  7. Meet all minimum criteria established by SFA.

Renewal Scholarships

Recipients of the scholarship must:

  1. Maintain the cumulative GPA that is required by the college for admission to its School of Education or Occupational or Physical Therapy; or
  2. Maintain at least a 2.0 on a scale of 4.0 or the equivalent if there is no minimum GPA at the college
  3. Reapply each year.

Students should check with their chosen college to see if it is eligible to participate in the program; not all programs at all colleges are approved. Colleges are responsible for making the actual awards. They may not base the awards solely on merit based factors. Financial need may be considered but it is not a requirement. Priority of granting scholarships will be in the following order: 1) Minority students seeking a renewal scholarship; 2) Newly enrolling minority students; 3) Special education services students seeking a renewal scholarship; and 4) Newly enrolling special education services students

Conditions

Scholars must agree to:

  1. Pursue a program which leads to either a teaching or an Occupational or Physical Therapy Certification.
  2. Complete the Teacher or Occupational Therapy or Physical Therapy certification program within six (6) years from the time the first scholarship is received.
  3. Teach on a full time basis in an accredited Indiana elementary or secondary school; or
  4. Practice in the field of Occupational or Physical Therapy in an accredited school, vocational rehabilitation center, community mental retardation or other developmental disabilities center, for 3 years out of the first 5 years of certification.

Those who fail to fulfill the terms of their scholarship agreements must reimburse the State of Indiana for the full amount of the scholarships plus administrative costs.

Application Procedures

Applications by Term:

For scholarship consideration, applications should be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid at the college the student plans to attend. 2012-2013 applications filed through the online system will be provided to the first eligible institution listed on a student's FAFSA after May 31, 2012. Applications should not be submitted to SFA. Awards will be announced by each college according to their awarding schedule.

If you have any questions regarding this program, including detailed program requirements, please email awards@sfa.che.in.gov or call (317) 232-2350.