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You Can Afford Teacher Training in DFW

Strategies for financing your education, from finding scholarships to exploring loan forgiveness.

Cost-Saving Strategies for Your Teacher Preparation

There are many opportunities to reduce or eliminate your training expenses.
  1. 1

    Apply for scholarships and financial aid.

    There are some pretty significant scholarship opportunities for aspiring teachers in Dallas-Fort Worth. For example, the Charles Butt Scholarship offers $8,000/year for up to four years, as well as professional support through and after completing your training. Multiple universities in Texas offer the scholarship, including UNT Dallas and SMU Simmons.

    In addition to what you will find in our Scholarship & Financial Aid Explorer, there’s a whole universe of other scholarship, financial aid and loan opportunities relevant for anyone pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees across the U.S. Higher education institutions use financial aid applications, such as FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to determine student eligibility for federal and state aid.

  2. 2

    Explore loan forgiveness programs.

    If you teach for "high-demand" schools or subjects like math, science and special education, the federal government and many states have created programs to forgive some or all of your student loans.

    For starters, check out Texas Education Agency's Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.

  3. 3

    Apply for teacher training scholarships.

    Whether you’re in high school, college or graduate school, there are lots of opportunities that you may be eligible for.

    Visit Scholarships & Financial Aid to find opportunities in DFW.

  4. 4

    Get your training as part of your undergraduate education.

    You can avoid having to pay tuition for a graduate school program by completing all of the coursework and training that you need to become a certified teacher as part of your bachelor’s degree.

    Sometimes, it’s as simple as majoring in education; other times there are “blended” programs where you complete teaching certification requirements separate from your major.

    Head over to Getting Certified for the details.

  5. 5

    Earn a salary while completing your coursework.

    If you have a bachelor’s degree, but haven’t completed a teacher preparation program, you can explore alternative certification programs that allow you to take coursework while you start working in the classroom.

    Some programs follow a hands-on “residency” program, where you may earn a stipend as a teacher-in-training before leading a classroom, while others provide an opportunity to work as a full-time teacher once you complete your pre-service training.

    Our Program Explorer helps you compare options in DFW.

Key Vocabulary

A scholarship is a direct payment made to the student or the institution that student is attending. It is a set amount of funds awarded on the basis of academic or other achievement or financial need, along with demonstrated success and interest in specific areas defined by the scholarship.

Financial aid from the federal and/or state government to help you pay for education expenses at an eligible college or career school. For example, Pell Grants are a common federal grant. (Good news! Grants do not have to be paid back.)

A loan is a sum of money that can be used to help finance the cost of your education and is expected to be paid back with interest after you graduate.

If loans are needed to pay for college, many students first take loans from the federal government because they tend to have more favorable rates, and then take private loans from a bank if they have maxed out on federal loans and still need additional funds.

If a student commits to teaching for a set period of time, oftentimes in a certain geography, subject or grade level, they can avoid having to pay some or all of their loans.

Because they can be for substantial amounts, loan forgiveness is among the highest quality/value financing opportunities for handling the cost of education. However, each program varies, so it is critical that candidates understand the specific requirements for the type of loans and amounts that can be forgiven, as well as the teaching commitment they must fulfill.

Eligibility is the basic criteria you must meet in order to be able to apply for an opportunity such as a scholarship, grant, internship or loan forgiveness program.

​​​​​​To be considered for a scholarship, loan forgiveness or other opportunity, you must proceed with the application process, which usually includes an application composed of a form or collection of forms.

Additional materials, like recommendation letters, school transcripts and other documents that determine your eligibility, may also be required.

FAQs

If you receive a scholarship or grant for school, there are several ways you can actually get the funds.

Depending on the award, you might receive the money directly, or it may go directly to your college or university in your name.

Each financial aid opportunity is different, so check to find out how your funds will get distributed. 

If you have been awarded a scholarship or grant, depending on the terms of that award, you may receive it directly or it may be directly distributed to the institution that you are attending to offset tuition costs. Other opportunities, such as loan forgiveness, may be distributed in other ways like directly reflected in the remaining balance of your loans. Each method of distribution is unique to the opportunity and you will find additional details for each specific process on the information page or original website for each opportunity itself.

Most scholarship, grant, and internship opportunities have specific deadlines that are available on their information page and website. Usually these pages also provide instructions to aid you in the application process.

​​​​​​Yes, through TEACH.org’s search tool you can select specific criteria unique to you such as your location, background, subject(s) of interest, and other details that may qualify you for opportunities that are most relevant to your situation.

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