Financial Aid Just for Future Teachers

Newberry College is pleased to offer the following Financial Aid assistance for potential teachers:

South Carolina Teaching Fellows
http://www.cerra.org/fellows

Teaching Fellows participate in advanced enrichment programs in Teaching Fellows Institutions, professional development opportunities during summer months, involvement with communities and businesses throughout the state and receive up to $6000 in yearly scholarships for four years while they complete a degree leading to teacher certification. The scholarship provides up to $5700 for tuition and board and $300 for summer enrichment programs (contingent on funding from the S.C. General Assembly) administered by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement (CERRA). A Fellow agrees to teach in South Carolina one year for every year he/she received the Fellowship.

Applications are available from High School Guidance Counselors, Teacher Cadet Instructors, and may be downloaded from the Cerra Website.

The application, which is the first phase of the process, includes documentation of academic achievement as well as school activities, a separate indicator for Teacher Cadet and ProTeam participation, three references, and a short narrative. High school seniors who are legal residents of South Carolina , enrolled in any public, private or home school at the time of application are encouraged to apply to become a S.C. Teaching Fellow. A Fellowship begins the fall term immediately following high school graduation.

Students with outstanding applications are invited to continue to the second phase of the process: the Regional Interview. A candidate will be assigned a date and time for the interview based on his/her region of the state. The Regional Interview consists of two parts:

• Part I: Written - A Teaching Fellows candidate is given 30 minutes to write a response to an education-related question before the interview. The written assessment is read and rated by trained assessors during the candidate's interview session.
  

• Part II: Oral - The candidate is interviewed by a committee representing education, business, policymakers and the community. The candidate is asked to respond to a series of questions and is rated based on his/her responses.

  • Teaching Fellows candidates are rated in Part II based on:

    • Communication

    • Problem Solving Ability

    • Knowledge of World and Educational Issues

    • Originality

    • Commitment to Teaching

    • Knowledge of Educational Issues

The Regional Committees forward their recommendations for Fellowships to CERRA. These recommendations are presented to the Center's Board of Directors for final approval. In addition, a list of alternates are selected and notified. In the event that a new Teaching Fellow declines or no longer meets the requirements of the Fellowship, the alternate with the highest rating will be selected. Fellows may be selected from the pool of alternates until the end of the first fall term following high school graduation.

South Carolina Teacher Loan Program

The South Carolina Teacher Loan Program was established by the State of South Carolina through the Education Improvement Act of 1984 to entice talented and qualified students into the teaching profession. This loan is cancelled by teaching in South Carolina public schools in an area of critical need.

The loan is cancelled at the rate of 20% or $3,000, whichever is greater, for each full year of teaching in a critical subject or critical geographic area within South Carolina. If you teach in both a critical subject and a critical geographic area, your loan will be cancelled at the rate of 33.33% or $5,000, whichever is greater, for each year of full time teaching. The subject areas deemed critical at the time you apply, or subsequently, will be honored for cancellation when you begin teaching; a critical geographic area must be deemed critical at the time of your employment. If you decide not to teach, the interest rate will be the interest rate charged on Stafford Loans plus 2%. This variable rate is capped at 10.25%.

For more information regarding cancellation benefits and current critical geographical and subject needs, visit the SC Student Loan Corporation's web site at www.slc.sc.edu .

Note: Due to limited funding, meeting all criteria and deadlines does not mean you will be accepted into the Teacher Loan Program.