MI Future Educator Fellowship

Scholarship Sponsored by Michigan Student Aid

The MI Future Educator Fellowship offers $10,000 scholarship to up to 2500 future educators every year. 

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible, the student must:

• Complete the annual MI Future Educator Fellowship application.
• File a current-year Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Be a high school graduate.
• Be admitted into an eligible Educator Preparation Program (EPP) approved by Michigan’s State Board of Education.
• Be working on their initial teacher certification.
• Be enrolled in enough coursework to be considered enrolled full-time during the academic year, or its equivalency for individuals enrolled in an alternative certification program.
• Have reached Junior grade level according to the institution’s definition.
• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
• Be a Michigan resident since July 1 of the previous calendar year.
• If you are a dependent student, your parent on your FAFSA must also be a Michigan resident since July 1 of the previous calendar year.
• Complete a Commitment to Teach in Michigan Agreement, which requires that the recipient teach in Michigan in a public school or qualifying public preschool program for a specific number of years, depending on the number of years the recipient has received the MI Future Educator Fellowship. This will be issued to applicants when the institution confirms eligibility.

Ready to apply? Follow these steps:

• File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Create a portal account on the MiSSG Student Portal.
• Complete the 2023-24 application in your MiSSG Student Portal by July 15, 2024.
• Applications for the 2024-25 MI Future Educator Fellowship award are currently open.

Already applied? These are the next steps in the process:

• Institutions confirm student eligibility
• Complete Commitment to Teach in Michigan Agreement
• Institutions request reimbursement from the State of Michigan
• Payments are made to institutions

Commitment to Teach in Michigan

When a student receives this award, they agree to work in Michigan classrooms.

• If you receive one year of funding from the MI Future Educator Fellowship you agree to work as a certified teacher in a public or public preschool program in Michigan for three years.
• If you receive two years of funding from the MI Future Educator Fellowship you agree to work as a certified teacher in a public or public preschool program in Michigan for four years.
• If you receive three years of funding from the MI Future Educator Fellowship you agree to work as a certified teacher in a public or public preschool program in Michigan for five years.
• If you teach in a critical needs district your service obligation may be less.

If a student does not meet this service obligation requirement and/or does not finish the teacher certification program, the fellowship converts to a 0% interest rate loan with a repayment term of 10 years, plus any deferment period as determined and approved by the Michigan Department of Treasury.