OKcollegestart - Inspired to Teach

Career-Related Scholarships

Oklahoma Future Teachers Scholarship and Employment Incentive Program ("Inspired to Teach")

The Oklahoma Future Teachers Scholarship and Employment Incentive Program ("Inspired to Teach") was established by the Oklahoma legislature as an incentive to encourage the preparation of teachers in the public schools of Oklahoma.

Scholarship Component

Eligibility

In order to qualify for the "Inspired to Teach" program, applicants must:

Graduate from an Oklahoma high school.
Meet higher education admission standards at: 1) a public or private Oklahoma university with an accredited Oklahoma teacher education program, or 2) a community college with an approved articulation agreement with an accredited Oklahoma university teacher education program.
Declare a major in an accredited Oklahoma university teacher education program with a degree leading to a standard teaching certificate or declare a major at a community college with an approved "Inspired to Teach" articulation agreement with an accredited Oklahoma teacher education program leading to a standard Oklahoma teaching certificate.
Be enrolled as a full-time (12 credit hours per semester) undergraduate student each semester of eligibility in the program.
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and a minimum 2.5 GPA throughout matriculation.
Prior to entry into the "Inspired to Teach" program, the student shall agree to complete the Oklahoma teacher preparation education program and agree to teach in an Oklahoma public prekindergarten through 12th grade (PK-12) school for a minimum of five (5) consecutive years upon graduation and licensure as a teacher.

Application Process

Applicants must apply through their institution's "Inspired to Teach" Program Coordinator.
Application deadlines are established by OSRHE each semester and typically fall shortly after enrollment lock-in.
Institutions will submit scholarship applications to OSRHE, and will certify continuing eligibility for their current participants each semester.
OSRHE will notify institutions and participants of awards.

Amount of Scholarship

The "Inspired to Teach" scholarship is a tiered award system dependent on the hours earned toward the degree:

Award Tier	Enrollment	Hours Completed toward Baccalaureate Degree	Annual Maximum Award
I.	Full-Time	Min. 12 Hours Enrolled	$1,000
II.	Full-Time	24-47 Hours Earned	$1,000
III.	Full-Time	48-89 Hours Earned	$1,000
IV.	Full-Time*	> 90 Hours Earned	$2,500

*Students completing their student teaching internship will automatically be considered enrolled full-time for the purpose of this program. Full-time enrollment is considered at least 12 hours of undergraduate enrollment each semester for the purpose of this program. Students with an approved accommodation on file with their institution's Disabilities Office may participate in the program if enrolled less than full-time. Documentation of the approved accommodation must be submitted to OSRHE.

Employment Incentive Component

Eligibility

In order to qualify for the employment incentive portion of the program, participants must:

Apply and continually participate in the "Inspired to Teach" scholarship program prior to completing the teacher education preparation degree.
Complete graduation requirements for a teacher education preparation degree program.
Complete the Oklahoma standard teaching certification process.
Secure employment teaching in an Oklahoma public Pre-K-12 school district within 13 months of graduating college.

Amount of Incentive Payment

Eligible participants will receive up to $4,000 after each year of completed service teaching in an Oklahoma public school district for up to five years (for a maximum possible $20,000 in incentive payments over the five-year period).