
About Financial Aid
Learn strategies for financing your education, from finding scholarships to exploring loan forgiveness.
Cost-Saving Strategies
Apply for scholarships and financial aid
There are significant scholarship opportunities for aspiring teachers in North Carolina. For example, the Epsilon Sigma Alpha Scholarship offers up to $2,500 to undergraduate students or current teachers seeking additional training to work specifically with people with special needs. In addition through NC Promise, the state has significantly reduced student tuition cost at Western Carolina, UNC Pembroke, and Elizabeth City State to $500 per semester for in-state and $2500 per semester for out-of-state students. For more information on these scholarships and others like them, see Explore Financial Aid, or check out our national scholarship database.
Explore loan forgiveness programs
If you teach in 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 North Carolina's Forgivable Education Loans for Service program.
Apply for teacher preparation scholarships
Whether you’re in high school, college or graduate school, there are lots of opportunities that you may be eligible for. See a list of featured scholarships in North Carolina.
Start your preparation at a community college
Have you considered starting your undergrad at a community college? Many community colleges offer transfer programs to larger universities. You can start preparation at the community college and finish your degree at a four-year institution.
Prepare to teach while in undergrad
You can avoid paying tuition for a graduate school program by completing all of the coursework and preparation you need to become a licensed teacher as part of your bachelor’s degree.
Head over to About Licensure to learn more.
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 licensure programs that allow you to take coursework while you start working in the classroom.
Reduce your application costs
TEACH North Carolina will reimburse up to $100 of your application expenses when you apply to a teaching program. That includes required costs like application fees, test registration fees, transcript fees and more! Get the details at our Fee Reimbursements page.
Not sure where to begin? Get personalized advice.

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