Application Procedures for IFTC

The Teacher Education Scholarship Programs Application [which must be submitted each academic year in order to apply for the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program and/or the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship] is available online as an interactive application and replaces the paper applications that were completed in previous years. Although applicants are given the opportunity to apply for both the IFTC and MTI on the application, they may only accept and receive assistance from one of these teacher education scholarship programs for the academic year.

For priority consideration, ISAC must receive a complete application on or before March 1st preceding the academic year for which the applicant is applying. Once an online application has been successfully submitted, a Confirmation Page will display to verify the exact date and time it was received by ISAC and may be printed by the applicant. For applicants who are unable to apply online and have received ISAC approval for an alternate means of applying, the application received date will be based upon the U.S. Postal Service postmark date.

Digital ID

Applicants who previously obtained a digital ID for the TESP application process will use that same digital ID for the 2007-08 application process.

As part of the online process, a digital ID serves as the applicant's legally binding digital signature. All applicants are required to obtain a digital ID from the State of Illinois. Obtaining a digital ID is the first part of the application process and applicants must have a valid Illinois Drivers License or State ID to do so. Students attempting to access the interactive TESP application who do not have a digital ID will be prompted to request one from the State of Illinois. Students who are interested in submitting a TESP application, but are unable to obtain a digital ID from the State of Illinois, should contact an ISAC College Zone Counselor.

By signing the application's Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note (either online or hard-copy), the student promises to fulfill their teaching requirement according to the rules of the program under which they receive assistance. The student's signature is legally binding. The student is promising to fulfill the teaching requirement or repay the funds received (prorated as appropriate) plus 5% interest and any reasonable collection costs. Recipients must begin to fulfill their teaching requirements within one year following the completion of the postsecondary education degree or certificate program for which the scholarship is awarded.

Renewal Applicants

Renewal applicants must submit a new application each year on or before the application priority consideration date of March 1. Applications used in a previous academic year will not be accepted and processed for the new academic year award consideration.

Qualified renewal applicants may receive a subsequent award even though the teacher shortage discipline for which they were previously awarded is not included as one of the designated teacher shortage disciplines for the new award year.

Award Amounts

The amount of each award is determined by whether the applicant is studying a teacher shortage discipline or agreeing to teach at a hard-to-staff school or both. Scholarship awards are as follows:

• Up to $5,000 for individuals who agree to teach in a Teacher Shortage Discipline; or
• Up to $5,000 for individuals who agree to teach in a hard-to-staff school; or
• Up to $10,000 for individuals who agree to teach in a Teacher Shortage Discipline at a hard-to-staff school.

Acknowledgement of Application

• notify the school they will be attending of their enrollment plans;
• notify ISAC in writing of any changes to their enrollment plans or address changes; and
• file, as an undergraduate or a graduate student, a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the purpose of determining the applicant’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Incomplete and Rejected Applications

For purposes of the application priority consideration date, incomplete applications will not be considered for processing until the date that all missing information is received at ISAC. Students are notified concerning the need for additional information.

Reasons that applications are rejected include the following:

• a prior year version of the application was used rather than the appropriate year version; 
• the student did not indicate a teacher shortage discipline; 
• the applicant indicated enrollment at a noneligible school; 
• Illinois was not indicated as the applicant’s state of legal residence; 
• the academic term for which the scholarship was requested has concluded; or 
• the student is not a citizen or eligible non-citizen of the United States.