Minnesota Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship Pilot Program

If you have questions about this program, please contact the staff member listed on this page via email. If a staff member is not listed, please email info.ohe@state.mn.us and provide a detailed description of your question.

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?

To be eligible, students 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.

How Much Money Can You Get?

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 undergraduate students, full-time means enrollment in a minimum of 15 or more credits per term. 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.

What Is the Application Process?

Interested students should complete the FAFSA or MN Dream Act application before completing the Minnesota Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship application.  

The priority deadline is June 17^th, 2022.

The 2022-2023 Student Section of the application is available here. Students should contact their school’s Financial Aid Office to submit the College or University Section of the application.

Information and application forms will also be available from:

Minnesota Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship Pilot Program
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
1450 Energy Park Drive, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108
Tel: (651) 642-0567 or (800) 657-3866
Fax: (651) 642-0675

Complete applications must include the following:

• Student Section including all the required information that is signed and dated;
• College or University Section completed by an authorized representative at the college or university you attend that includes all of the required information; and
• Completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Minnesota Dream Act application.

Incomplete applications will not be processed.

What's the 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.

What if You are Selected for an Award?

Applicants selected to receive an award are expected serve as a full-time teacher in Minnesota after completing the program for which the grant was awarded.

Eligible Institutions with Teacher Preparation Programs

• Augsburg University
• Bemidji State University
• Bethany Lutheran College
• Bethel University
• Carleton College
• College of St. Benedict
• College of St. Scholastica
• Concordia College, Moorhead
• Concordia University, St. Paul
• Crown College
• Gustavus Adolphus College
• Hamline University
• Martin Luther College
• Metropolitan State University
• Minnesota State University, Mankato
• Minnesota State University, Moorhead
• North Central University
• Southwest Minnesota State University
• St. Catherine University
• St. Cloud State University
• St. John's University
• St. Mary's University of Minnesota
• St. Olaf College
• University of Minnesota, Crookston
• University of Minnesota, Duluth
• University of Minnesota, Morris
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• University of Northwestern, St. Paul
• University of St. Thomas
• Walden University
• Winona State University

Eligible Minnesota Institutions with 2 year Early Childhood Education programs

• Central Lakes College
• Dakota County Technical College
• Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College
• Hennepin Technical College
• Leech Lake Tribal College
• Minneapolis Community and Technical College
• Minnesota North College
• Minnesota State College-Southeast
• Minnesota State Community and Technical College-
• Minnesota West Community and Technical College
• Northland Community and Technical College
• Northwest Technical College
• Pine Technical College
• Ridgewater Community College
• Rochester Community and Technical College
• Saint Cloud Technical and Community College
• South Central College
• St Paul College
• Rasmussen University