North Carolina Expands Program Forgiving Future Teachers’ Loans

North Carolina is expanding its program that repays student loans for future teachers who plan to pursue teaching jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); Exceptional Children education; and elementary education.

The University of North Carolina (UNC) system announced Feb. 15 that it has added Appalachian State University (App State) in Boone and East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville to the North Carolina Teaching Fellows (NCTF) program beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.

“Our public schools are the cornerstone of North Carolina’s foundation,” NCTF Commission Vice Chair Patrick Brennan said in the press release.

“I am pleased that we are adding both Appalachian State University and East Carolina University as partner institutions, as not only do these campuses graduate a significant number of teachers, but they also do a great job of preparing them to make an impact in schools across North Carolina.”

The program is competitive and merit-based, forgiving up to $10,000 in loans per year for up to four years for students who will teach STEM, Exceptional Children education, and elementary education in North Carolina public schools.

To become a teacher in North Carolina, graduates must have at least a bachelor’s degree in education and obtain a teaching license. If someone has a non-education bachelor’s degree, they can enroll in a Professional Educators License program. Master’s degrees are not required but can help advance teaching careers.

To qualify for one academic year of loan forgiveness, applicants must either work one year at a state public, traditional, or charter school identified as low-performing or two years at a state public, traditional, or charter school not identified as low-performing. The program will repay the award amount and accrued interest in cash.

North Carolina Teaching Fellows partner institutions include:

The program is available to in-state high school seniors, transfer students, and students enrolled at participating colleges. People with bachelor’s degrees pursuing preparation for teacher licensure at a participating college are also eligible.

Applicants with fewer than 24 college credit hours will need a minimum high school unweighted 3.0 GPA. Those who have earned over 24 credits will need a minimum 2.7 cumulative GPA to qualify.

Fellows also must sign a promissory note agreeing to the forgivable loan terms. These include becoming a teacher within 10 years of graduating from a teacher licensure program. But if they don’t meet the loan terms, they’ll have to pay it back in cash.

Fifteen colleges and universities applied to become partner institutions. The UNC System chose App State and ECU for the number of teachers each institution produces, their programs, and the impact the schools have on their surrounding communities.

“Welcoming the next generation of educators is one of the most important things we do as a public university,” UNC System President Peter Hans said.

“Now that two of the UNC System’s largest educator preparation programs are included in Teaching Fellows, we hope to see the teacher pipeline expand to help match the substantial need in North Carolina’s school districts.”