Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance Program

The purpose of the Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance Program (TFTLRAP) is to recruit and retain certified classroom teachers in fields and communities that have a shortage of teachers in Texas.

For more details, review Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 23, Subchapter B.

How to Apply

The application is available online at https://forms.highered.texas.gov/forms/LRPApplication. You will need: 

• a copy of your current teaching certificate,
• information about your student loan balances, account numbers, and loan holders, and
• the email address for your facility's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). Your CAO may be a principal or assistant principal, superintendent, or other human resources official who is authorized to verify employment information. After you have submitted your application, we will email a service verification form to your CAO. 

The deadline to apply for the 2023-24 academic year is June 30, 2024. The deadline for employers to submit the employment verification form is July 31, 2024. 

If you have any questions, please contact our office at LoanRepaymentPrograms@highered.texas.gov.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for participation in this program, applicants must meet one the following requirements:

• be certified in a critical shortage teaching field, be currently teaching full-time in that field at the time of application, and have taught in that field full-time for at least one year at the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a Texas public school

• be a certified educator currently teaching in a critical shortage community (campus) full-time at the time of application at the preschool, primary, or secondary level and have taught in that community (campus) full-time for at least one year

 NOTE: Title I designation is not a criterion for determining shortage campuses.

 Designated Critical Shortage Fields for 2023-2024

• Bilingual/English as a Second Language (Grades PK-12)
• Career and Technical Education (Grades 7-12)
• Technology Applications and Computer Science (PK-12)
• Special Education

Award Amount

• Teachers may qualify for up to a maximum of $2,500 in student loan repayment per year for a period of up to 5 years.
• Loan repayment awards are reported to the Internal Revenue Service by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Eligible Loans

The following requirements apply for a loan to be eligible for repayment through the 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
• must not be in default at the time of application
• must not have an existing obligation to provide service for loan forgiveness through another program 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is considered full time?
Teaching students for at least four hours each day in a classroom setting, performing instructional duties as a full-time employee of a Texas public school district.

How do I know if my school qualifies as a shortage community (campus)?
To verify if your school is considered a shortage campus, go to the  Teaching Shortage Community search page.

I forgot to upload my teaching certificate with my application. What do I do?
We will access the information from the State Board for Educator Certification website.

I provided the wrong name/email for my CAO. How do I correct this?
Please contact us for further instructions.

My CAO never received the employment verification form. What do I do?
Ask the CAO to check his/her spam/junk email folders. If after 48 hours, the form cannot be located, please contact us for further instructions.

My CAO received an error message when he/she completed the employment verification form.  
Please contact our office to determine if we have received the completed form.

My CAO cannot complete the form.  Who else can complete the form besides my principal? 
The assistant principal, Human Resources official authorized to verify employment, or superintendent or his/her designee may complete the form.

If I have been awarded funds in the past and apply this year, will I be guaranteed to receive funds?
Funds are not guaranteed. If you still meet the eligibility requirements and have not had a break in service or a break in application periods, you will receive priority for funding before new applicants receive consideration.

I teach Math and/or Science, but have a Self-Contained/Generalist/Core Subjects certificate. Do I qualify as teaching a shortage field?
No. Per the Texas Education Agency, an applicant with a Generalist, Self-Contained, or Core Subject certificate is able to teach various subjects, but is not considered to be teaching a shortage field. 

I am an instructional coach. Am I eligible?
No. Instructional coaches work primarily work with classroom teachers to provide instructional and curriculum support.

Are principals, assistant principals, counselors, or librarians eligible?
No. They do not provide classroom instruction.

I am applying for the Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program. Am I eligible to apply for this program also?
Yes. Administrative rules for the program do not prohibit teachers from qualifying for repayment of their student loans through more than one program. However, loans whose governing promissory notes include a provision for forgiveness of the loans upon the borrower’s completion of a specified service obligation are not eligible for repayment through the TFTLRAP.

I am participating in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Does this disqualify me from any loan repayment 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 after all 120 payments have been made. A participant may complete the state program before all 120 payments have been made on their federal loans.

I have been teaching for several years and just learned about this program. Can I receive funds for my previous years of teaching?
No. Applications must be received by the deadline established for each year of funding.

The name on my teaching certificate is different from my current name. Which name do I use on my application?
You must apply using your current legal name. There is a place on the application to provide the name on the teaching certificate. 

I began teaching after the year started. Am I eligible to apply?
No. You must wait until the next academic year since one of the program eligibility requirements is to provide one academic year of teaching for the school year for which funds are being awarded.

I am teaching with an intern or a probationary certificate. Am I eligible to apply?
No.  Applicants teaching with an intern certificate, a probationary certificate, temporary certificate, or emergency permit are not eligible.  If the applicant has a one-year certificate, the applicant is eligible.

Can I submit a paper form?
No. You must apply online.

When will I receive my award?
The annual award will be mailed to the lender after you have completed each year of service and all required documentation has been received and reviewed.

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