Scholarships and Assistantships

Teacher Education Scholarships, 2010

Scholarships are available to students pursuing degrees and/or certification in teacher education.  Scholarship funds come from two sources, institutional funds distributed to departments and individual donors who designate criteria for selecting recipients.  Please read the following information very carefully. 

Departmental scholarships are funded on the basis of the number of majors in the department.  This means that you should check your major plan on BroncoWeb for accuracy very carefully and update this section as necessary.  You may not be considered for departmental scholarships if your major plan does not match the majors available within the department.  This also means that students majoring in secondary education should apply for departmental scholarships through their major department. 

Designated scholarships are funded by private donors who specify criteria such as GPA, gender, ethnicity, class standing, and major for selecting recipients. This means that students majoring in secondary education may qualify for some designated scholarships and should also complete the Teacher Education Scholarship Application form, if they wish to be considered.  Sometimes donors specify uncommon criteria for selecting recipients (e.g., single parent, students interested in environmental education, students who graduate from particular Idaho high schools).  This means that you must provide accurate, thorough information about yourself so that the Scholarship Committee can consider you for all scholarships for which you qualify. 

Students are encouraged to consult the Boise State University Financial Aid website for information about need-based scholarships, loans and other private scholarship opportunities. Students who intend to teach in Idaho may be interested in Loan Forgiveness programs (see the Frequently Asked Questions link on the website). (Note: continuing students wishing to be considered for need-based scholarships must mail the FAFSA to the federal processor by March 15; the deadline for new/transfer students is February 15.) 

Individuals who are members of under-represented groups (e.g., students with disabilities, minority students, and students whose first language is not English) are especially encouraged to apply.

Mission

The mission of the Teacher Education Scholarship program is to:

• Reward academic excellence and promote high standards for student achievement.
• Recruit and retain students who demonstrate the potential to become effective teachers who facilitate learning of P-12 students.
• Meet the needs of the local educational community that hires BSU graduates, with attention to such issues as shortage areas and representation of historically under-represented groups

Criteria
All applicants are evaluated according to the criteria established for specific scholarships, many funded by private donors. These criteria include academic achievement. The Scholarship Committee utilizes the university’s guidelines of a 3.0 grade point average in making award decisions. However, all education majors with a compelling need are encouraged to apply as criteria also include financial need, engagement with activities that demonstrate your commitment to the profession (e.g. involvement in education-related student organizations or volunteer work), or intention to work in rural settings or in shortage areas (e.g. special education and bilingual/ESL education).

To apply

Submit the following supplemental materials to Dr. Susan Martin no later than March 15, 2010:

• Download an application form
• One copy of your current, unofficial transcript from Boise State University, available through BroncoWeb and other institutions as appropriate
• A one-two page statement of your qualifications, addressing specified criteria

Note: incomplete applications will not be considered.

The process

• Students will submit supplemental materials to Dr. Susan Martin by March 15. Materials may be submitted by either of these ways:
  • placing them in her mailbox on the 2nd floor of the Education Building
  • mailing them to her at Boise State University, College of Education, 1910 University Dr., Boise, ID 83725-1725

• The Financial Aid Office will provide lists of students eligible for academic scholarships and need-based scholarships to the department in early April.
• A faculty committee will select recipients by the end of April.
• Recipients will be notified by the Financial Aid Office as soon thereafter as possible.
• Recipients must respond by the date established by the Financial Aid Office. Alternate scholarship recipients will be notified after recipients have accepted or declined their awards.
• You may be asked to write a thank you letter to the scholarship donor.