Education Scholarship

Future teachers in the state of Maryland have the chance to receive education scholarships and have hidden opportunities for financial aid beginning in their junior year of high school. Academic performance as high school juniors can result in receiving The Distinguished Scholar Award, which in turn, can lead to the Distinguished Scholar Teacher Education Scholarship.

When students in Maryland become finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program, the Distinguished Scholar Award automatically becomes available to them. This scholarship is in the amount of $3,000 and is given to Maryland residents who attend a Maryland college full time. Recipients of this scholarship who enroll in a teacher education program will get an application for the education scholarship along with the award letter they get for the Distinguished Scholar Award. The Distinguished Scholar Distinguished Teacher Education Scholarship is also $3,000, and both scholarships are renewable if the student maintains a 3.0 GPA. One requirement of the teacher scholarship is a contract stating that for each year they were awarded the scholarship, they will work full time for one year as a teacher in one of Maryland's public schools.

High school students in their junior year should also be aware that if they plan to be teachers, they can be on the path to receiving the Distinguished Scholar Teacher Education Scholarship, just by keeping a high GPA or being artistically talented. Teachers are allowed to nominate up to five students who are gifted in performing and visual arts for the Distinguished Scholar Award, and students who have at least a 3.7 GPA can apply for the award on their own. Nominees in the arts will audition and have their portfolios evaluated as part of the selection process, and students who apply on the basis of academics will be ranked according to additional test scores from their junior year.