State Regents Program Provides up to $25,000 for Future Teachers

MOORE, Okla. (Feb. 20, 2023) -- The Oklahoma Teacher Connection at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education has financial opportunities for high school students interested in becoming educators through their Oklahoma Future Teacher Scholarship & Employment Incentive Program: Inspired to Teach.

The Inspired to Teach program provides students who qualify with up to $25,500. The program is open to all Oklahoma high school graduates who declare an eligible program of study through one of our state’s Educator Preparation Programs leading to a standard teaching certificate, or who declare a major at a community college with an approved Inspired to Teach articulation agreement on file with an accredited Oklahoma teacher-education program leading to a standard Oklahoma teaching certificate.

Eligible Inspired to Teach participants can receive up to $5,500 in scholarship awards or $1,000 for the first three years of study and $2,500 for the final year of study. They can then receive up to $4,000 for each year of teaching in a public PK-12 Oklahoma school district for up to five years. This is a potential $20,000 in employment incentive payments.

Requirements to qualify: 

• Graduate from an Oklahoma high school. 

• Meet higher education admission standards at:

  • A public or private Oklahoma university with an accredited Oklahoma teacher education program, or

  • 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.

Each participating higher education institution has at least one Inspired to Teach Program Coordinator who facilitates the enrollment process for students. Senior students completing the application can submit it to the Program Coordinator at the institution they plan to attend. Current high school seniors have until the start of the Fall 2023 semester to apply.

A list of Oklahoma coordinators and the participating colleges and universities is available in the resources to the right. To begin a digital and fillable Inspired to Teach Participant Agreement or to see a list of frequently asked questions and answers click the resources to this article. 

For specific questions about Inspired to Teach, students and parents can email futureteachers@osrhe.edu. Additional information is at the OSRHE site here.