Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance Program

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

How to Apply

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is pleased to announce that the 2024-25 application for the Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance Program is now available. Your application and service verification must be submitted by July 31, 2025.

Eligibility Requirements

To receive loan repayment assistance, an applicant must:

• Submit a complete application by the application deadline.
• Be a certified educator who met one of the following requirements in the last academic year:
• 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 service period at the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a Texas public school.

                     Designated Critical Shortage Fields for 2024-2025
                          -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

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

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 five service periods.
• Loan repayment assistance is reported to the Internal Revenue Service by the Coordinating Board.

Eligible Loans

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.
• Must 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?
The service period is a minimum of nine months of eligible employment of a 12-month academic year.

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

I forgot to upload my teaching certificate on my application. What do I do?
No further action is needed as the Coordinating Board has access to verify your teaching credentials.

I provided the wrong name/email for my Chief Administrative Officer(CAO). How do I correct this?
Please contact our office for further instructions.

My CAO never received an employment verification email. What do I do?
Ask your CAO to check their spam/junk email folders. Please contact us for further instructions if an employment verification email is not received after 48 hours.

My CAO received an error message when they submitted the employment verification form.  
Please contact our office to determine if we have received their submission.

My CAO cannot complete the form.  Who else can complete the form besides my principal? 
If your CAO is unable to complete the employment verification form, the following authorized officials can complete the form:

• Assistant Principal
• Human Resources official authorized to verify employment
• Superintendent or their designee

If I have been granted loan repayment assistance from this program in the past and apply this year, I guaranteed to receive assistance again?
No, funds are not guaranteed. But if you still meet program eligibility requirements and do not have a break in service or application periods, your application will receive priority consideration.

I teach Math and/or Science, but have a Self-Contained/Generalist/Core Subjects certificate. Am I considered to be teaching in a shortage field?
No. Although an applicant with a Generalist, Self-Contained, or Core Subject certificate is able to teach various subjects, the applicant is not considered to be teaching a shortage field. 

Are instructional coaches eligible?
No. Instructional coaches work primarily 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?
Yes.  However, loans whose governing promissory notes include a provision for loan forgiveness based on the completion of a specified service obligation are not eligible for repayment through the Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance Program (for example, the Federal TEACH Grant Program).

I am participating in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Does this disqualify me from this program?
No. The PSLF 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. However, a participant may complete the Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance 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 and loan repayment assistance in a given year are tied to service in the prior academic year only.

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. If the name on your teaching certificate is different, there is a field on the application where you can enter your previous name.

Can I apply if I started teaching after the year started?
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.

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

How is loan repayment assistance applied to my education loans? 
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 O
Clarifying Rules: Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 23, Subchapter B

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