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Last updated on Tuesday, January 17, 2017
(UNDATED) - More than 600 Hoosier students have applied for a new college scholarship that pays up to $7,500 annually for 200 individuals who commit to teaching in Indiana for five years after graduation.
Authored by House Speaker Brian Bosma, the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship was established with bipartisan support by the 2016 Indiana General Assembly.
"We're encouraged by the overwhelming positive response from aspiring teachers who want to make a difference in Indiana classrooms," Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers said. "The Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship creates an important opportunity to bring more of our best and brightest students into the teaching profession."
A total of 643 students applied for the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship with applications coming from 273 high schools in 84 of the state's 92 counties. About two-thirds of applicants were Indiana high school seniors with the remainder comprised of current college students.
"Today's news is promising as it reflects the interest and excitement of those students looking for a rewarding career in education," Bosma said. "This also marks a great first step toward our goal of having more of our top-performing students teach in Hoosier classrooms, and I'm thankful for the work of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to implement and promote this opportunity."
To qualify for the scholarship, students must either graduate in the highest 20 percent of their high school class or earn a score in the top 20th percentile on the SAT or ACT. To continue earning the scholarship in college, students must earn a 3.0 cumulative GPA and complete at least 30 credit hours per year.
Next Steps
The 200 Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship recipients will be selected through a competitive process based on academic achievement, a teacher nomination and an in-person interview. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education will review applications and select finalists by January 31, 2017. Finalists will be interviewed at eight regional sites across the state. Students selected to receive the scholarship will be notified by April 15, 2017.
Learn more at LearnMoreIndiana.org/NextTeacher.
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