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 in Texas that have a shortage of teachers.

For more details, review Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 23, Subchapter B.

How To Apply?

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has extended the 2024-25 application deadline for the Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance Program to Aug. 31, 2025. 

Note: Please disregard the original deadline of July 31, 2025, which still appears on the online application form and automated emails. 

Apply here

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.
    • 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.

 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

Award 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.
  • 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

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

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

No further action is needed as the Coordinating Board has access to verify your teaching credentials.

Please contact our office for further instructions.

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.

Please contact our office to determine if we have received their submission..

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

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.

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 in a shortage field. 

No. Instructional coaches work primarily with classroom teachers to provide instructional and curriculum support.

No. They do not provide classroom instruction.

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).

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.

No. Applications and loan repayment assistance in a given year are tied to service in the prior academic year only.

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.

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.

No. Applicants teaching with an intern certificate, a probationary certificate, temporary certificate, or emergency permit are not eligible. 

No. You must apply online.

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

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