Florida Minority Teacher Education Scholarship Program

Awarded By:

Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance

Number of Awards & Eligibility: The number of awards offered varies annually. In prior academic years, there were 135 new awards disbursed.

Description: This award is available to Florida resident undergraduate students who are enrolled as upper division undergraduates in a state-approved teacher education program at an eligible Florida institution. Students must be of African, American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander, or American Indian/Alaskan Native descent, and plan to teach in a Florida public school upon graduation.

Application requirements for the Florida Minority Teacher Education Scholarship Program are:

• Essay
• Application form
• Official Transcript

Additional Information: Each participating institution appoints a screening committee to review each application. The committee nominates candidates to FFMT's administrative office, which announces its final selection each semester. Each new scholar will receive a congratulatory letter and a promissory note that must be signed and returned within 30 days of receipt. Scholars must keep a copy of the promissory note to refer to the terms and conditions of the scholarship. Scholars are selected on the basis of qualities that would indicate their potential to become good teachers. These qualities include writing ability, communication skills, overall academic performance, and evidence of commitment to the youth of America, preferably demonstrated through volunteer activities. Students receiving the scholarship must attend the Annual Teacher Recruitment and Retention Symposiums and maintain satisfactory academic progress. The recipient's institution determines satisfactory academic progress; however, for this scholarship, recipients must maintain a 2.5 grade point average or higher and maintain full-time enrollment. Upon graduation, recipients are required to teach one year in a Florida public school for each year they received the scholarship. If recipients do not graduate within 2-3 years, or if recipients do not teach in a Florida public school, they will be required to repay the total amount of the scholarship received at an annual interest rate of eight percent.

Award Amount: $4,000 annually, non-renewable. The award is disbursed in equal installments for fall and spring semesters. Students may be eligible to receive the scholarship for up to two consecutive years.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $4,000.