Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program

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Program Description
Eligibility
How to Apply (and Obtaining the Application)
     Application Priority Consideration Date: March 1
Correcting Previously-Submitted Data
Details
How Funds Are Disbursed
Processing Updates
Participating Schools

If you plan to become a preschool, elementary or secondary school teacher and are of African American/Black, Hispanic American, Asian American or Native American origin, you may qualify for up to $5,000 per year as part of the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program to pay for tuition, fees and room and board, or commuter allowances, if applicable. This scholarship may be received for a maximum of eight semesters or twelve quarters.

As part of the application process, you must agree to the terms and conditions that are outlined in the application's Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note. By receiving this scholarship, you must teach in Illinois. If this teaching commitment is not fulfilled, the scholarship converts to a loan, and you must repay the entire amount plus interest.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen
• Be a resident of Illinois
• Be a minority student of either African American/Black, Hispanic American, Asian American or Native American origin
• Be a high school graduate, or hold a General Educational Development (GED) certificate
• Be enrolled on at least a half-time basis as an undergraduate or graduate student
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at a qualified Illinois institution of higher education in a course of study which, upon completion, qualifies you to be certified as a preschool, elementary or secondary school teacher by the Illinois State Board of Education, including alternative teacher certification
• Maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by your college
• Comply with federal Selectrive Service registration requirements
• Complete the application process by:
  • submitting a fully-completed application for the Teacher Education Scholarship Programs (which includes the Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note), 
  • being certified as meeting eligibility requirements by the college at which you will use the scholarship, and
  • accepting the scholarship (if one is offered)
• Sign the appplication's Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note promising to fulfill the teaching commitment or repay funds received plus interest
• Not be in default on any student loan, nor owe a refund on any state or federal grant
• Not have previously received funds from the MTI Scholarship Program for the equivalent of four academic years, which is the program maximum
• Not receive funds from the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) or Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) programs during the same term(s) for which you receive funds from the MTI Scholarship Program

How to Apply

The Teacher Education Scholarship Programs application (which must be submitted each academic year in order to apply for the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) and/or Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship programs), along with the corresponding Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note for each program, is available online as an interactive application. The online application has many benefits including program information which is available at your fingertips, online edits which prevent errors, elimination of mailing time, and immediate confirmation that your application has been received at ISAC.

As part of the interactive application, a digital ID allows you to provide your legally binding digital signature. Obtaining a digital ID is the first part of the application process and you must have a valid Illinois Drivers License or State ID to do so. If you are interested in submitting a Teacher Education Scholarship Programs application, but are unable to obtain a digital ID from the State of Illinois, contact a College Zone Counselor.

The online, interactive application collects all the information needed to determine eligibility (including your agreement to the program terms and conditions, as outlined in the application's Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note).

For priority consideration, ISAC must receive your complete application on or before March 1 preceding the academic year for which you are applying. You must submit a new application each year you wish to be considered for a scholarship. Because the number of scholarships awarded each year is based on limited funding, it is possible that not all applicants who meet the March 1 priority consideration deadline will receive a scholarship. You are encouraged to submit your application as far in advance of March 1 as possible. Applications received after that date will be given consideration for the scholarship only if funding remains available after all timely, qualified applicants have been awarded.

Please note: once an electronic application has been successfully submitted, a confirmation page will display to verify the exact date and time it was received by ISAC. For individuals who are unable to apply electronically and receive ISAC approval for an alternate means of applying, the application received date will be based upon the U.S. Postal Service postmark date.

Correcting Previously-submitted Data

Only one interactive Teacher Education Scholarship Programs application/promissory note may be submitted per academic year. Consequently, if you need to change your response(s) to any item(s) after the interactive application/promissory note has been submitted, you will need to do the following:

• To change your response to the questions regarding Program Choice (IFTC, MTI, or Both) and/or Program Preference if awarded both programs (IFTC or MTI), you must contact a College Zone Counselor to request a paper application/promissory note. If an unsigned paper application/promissory note is submitted, it will be returned for your signature.
• To change your response to any other items on the interactive application/promissory note, submit a signed letter to ISAC's Deerfield office. The letter to clearly state what change(s) need to be made to the original information you'd submitted.

Please contact a College Zone Counselor if you have any questions regarding the application/promissory note correction process.

Details

• Applications are processed in date-received order.
• ISAC selects recipients from among the highest scoring qualified applicants on the basis of renewal applicant status and minority student status. You are considered a renewal applicant if during the previous academic year you received funds from the program for which you are currently applying.
• The total number of scholarships awarded in a given fiscal year is contingent upon available funding.

How Funds Are Disbursed

ISAC works with the college to disburse funds for this program. The college certifies student eligibility and then submits a payment request on behalf of the student. It may take up to eight weeks after the date that ISAC processes the payment request before funds are received at the college.

Depending on the college, students may be responsible for payment until program funds are received. Qualified applicants who are awaiting receipt of funds from this program should contact the Financial Aid Office or Business Office to determine the college's policy.

Processing Updates

Note that ISAC routinely updates this section as new information becomes available. Be sure to check back periodically for the current processing status.

For the 2008-09 Academic Year (last updated on
August 14, 2008):

Notifications regarding MTI Scholarship Program eligibility and funding status were mailed on August 13, 2008, to applicants for whom ISAC had on file both a complete Teacher Education Scholarship Programs application (from the student) and a complete Initial Certification (from the college indicated on the application).

Qualified applicants who were notified that they were not funded will be considered and notified if funding becomes available by the end of the fall term. Funding may become available if previously-awarded recipients decline or become ineligible for funds obligated to them.

The process from this point forward for all complete applications is as follows:

• the college's financial aid office certifies the applicant's eligibility to participate in the MTI Scholarship Program
• once ISAC receives the certification from the college, the applicant is notified of eligibility status as follows:
  • Notices of Eligibility are sent to those applicants who qualify as "eligible and funded" (i.e., are awarded a scholarship). Colleges request payment each term for those applicants who qualify as eligible and continue to meet all eligibility requirements, including enrollment.
  • Notification is sent to applicants who qualify as eligible but, due to limited funding, are not awarded a scholarship.
  • Notices of Ineligibility are sent to those applicants who do not qualify as eligible (i.e., are not awarded a scholarship), as certified by the college.

For the 2009-10 Academic Year (last updated on
August 1, 2008):

ISAC anticipates launching the 2009-10 interactive Teacher Education Scholarship Programs application during December 2008. All 2009-10 applicants will use an Illinois digital ID to submit their applications online. Procedures for obtaining a digital ID from the State of Illinois will be provided as part of the online application process. Individuals who are interested in submitting a Teacher Education Scholarship Programs application, but are unable to obtain a digital ID from the State of Illinois, should contact a College Zone Counselor. 

To view a listing of Illinois colleges approved to participate in this program, click on the link for the appropriate academic year:

2009-10
2008-09

ISAC offers three programs designed specifically for individuals studying to become teachers: the MTI Scholarship Program, the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program, and the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program. A comparison chart provides a side-by-side view of the IFTC, MTI Scholarship, and Illinois SETTW programs.