Math and Science Scholars Loan Repayment Assistance Program
The purpose of the Math and Science Scholars Loan Repayment Assistance Program is to encourage teachers who demonstrated high academic achievement as math or science majors to teach math or science in Texas public schools.
How to Apply
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is pleased to announce that the 2024-25 application for the Math and Science Scholars Loan Repayment Assistance Program is now available. Your application and service verification must be submitted by July 31, 2025.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible, an applicant must:
- Submit a complete application, including postsecondary education transcripts and any other requested documents, by the published deadline.
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Have completed an undergraduate or graduate program in mathematics or science (see Eligible Programs Listing).
- Have earned a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale or the equivalent at the institution from which they graduated.
- Be certified under the Texas Education Code, Title 2, Subchapter B to teach mathematics or science in a Texas public school.
- Have been employed as a full-time classroom teacher to teach mathematics or science in a public school for one to eight consecutive service periods.
- Teachers who first established eligibility for the program prior to September 1, 2023, must teach at a Texas public school that receives federal funding under Title I, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, during their first four years of participation in the program.
Assistance Amount
- The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (Coordinating Board) determines the maximum annual loan repayment assistance amount a teacher may be eligible for under this program, which will be announced after the review of applications has begun.
- If the loan repayment assistance does not cover the full amount owed, the teacher is responsible for the remaining loan balance.
- Teachers may qualify for education loan repayment assistance for a maximum of eight service periods.
- For teachers who first established eligibility for the program prior to September 1, 2023, if any of the last four years of the required eight years of service are not completed at a Title I Texas public school, the award maximum is reduced to 75% of the standard maximum.
- Loan repayment assistance is reported to the Internal Revenue Service by the Coordinating Board.
Eligible Loan
Loans eligible for repayment through this program must:
- Be evidenced by a promissory note which required the loan proceeds to be used to pay for the cost of attendance for the undergraduate or graduate education of the teacher applying for repayment assistance.
- Not be in default at the time of application.
- Not have an existing obligation to provide service for loan forgiveness through another state program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a service period?
A service period is a minimum of nine months of eligible employment of a 12-month academic year.
What is considered a full-time classroom teacher?
A full-time classroom teacher must teach a minimum of four hours a day in an eligible subject.
I am participating in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Does this disqualify me from this program?
No. This program requires a person to make 120 payments before the loan is potentially forgiven. The verification process does not take place until all 120 payments have been made. However, a participant may complete the Math and Science Scholars Loan Repayment Program before all 120 payments have been made on their federal loans.
When will I receive loan repayment assistance?
Your annual loan repayment assistance payment will be mailed to the lender after you have completed a year of service, and all required documentation has been received and approved. We cannot send payments electronically or via ACH, so please allow time for the check to be mailed and processed by your lender.
Additional Information
Program Statute: Texas Education Code, Title 3, Subchapter KK
Clarifying Rules: Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 23, Subchapter J
Contact Us
To speak to a Customer Service Representative regarding loan repayment programs, call 833-597-0454, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. Email Inquiries: LoanRepaymentPrograms@highered.texas.gov |