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About Financial Aid

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

Cost-Saving Strategies

There are many opportunities to reduce or eliminate your preparation expenses.

  • 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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If you want help finding scholarships and financial aid you're best suited for, schedule a free 1-on-1 coaching call.

When you sign up, you'll get access to a checklist app that keeps track of application deadlines and best practices, and fee rebates of up to $100.

Sign Up

Key vocabulary

All this money talk can get confusing. Here are some key terms to help you get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

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