Teaching Fellows Program
The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) administers the Teaching Fellows Program, an initiative of the New Jersey State Legislature.
This program recognizes New Jersey's shortage of teachers who instruct students in the critical area needs of mathematics, science, foreign language, and special education. Additionally, the Program recognizes the difficulty that certain New Jersey school districts have in acquiring and retaining talented teachers. The Teaching Fellows Program addresses these issues by rewarding those teachers that have accepted positions in selected school districts in New Jersey with an offer of student loan redemption. Limited funding was included in the budget that provide for loan redemption to recent education graduates who accept teaching positions in high-need school districts or teach subject areas of critical need.
To be eligible, a teacher must:
- Be a New Jersey resident
- Hold a valid NJ teaching certificate
- Teach in one of the public schools in an Abbott School District
- Graduated in Spring 2004 or after from a New Jersey College or University with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a scale of A=4.0
- Obtained student loans through the Federal Student Loan Programs.
Program funding is limited and will be awarded on a first-come basis. The program provides redemption of 100% of the teacher’s outstanding federal student loan balance, up to a maximum of $24,000. Teachers working in the subject areas of math, science, foreign language, or special education will have $6,000 or 25% of their qualified federal loans redeemed for each year of service. Teachers in other subject area will receive redemption at a rate of 20% per year, up to the program maximum.
Due to limited funding and an overwhelming application response, we have fully exhausted all funding for the current fiscal year. Please check this website after July 1, 2010 to determine if additional funding will be available for next year.