Masters in Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship

To receive the Scholarship, you must meet the following residency requirements: 

• You are a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
• You are a legal resident of New York State and have resided in New York State for 12 continuous months.

Not a citizen or eligible noncitizen? Learn more about the NYS DREAM Act application.

High School, GED, or Ability to Benefit

• Graduated from high school in the United States, earned a high school equivalency diploma (GED), or passed a federally approved "Ability to Benefit" test.

College & Program

Once in college, you must meet the following requirements:

Undergraduate:

• Received an undergraduate degree from a college/university located in NYS and have been a NYS resident while earning this degree.
• Earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher upon completion of your undergraduate study.

Graduate:

• Enrolled full-time in an approved master’s degree in education program at SUNY or CUNY that leads to a certification as a public elementary or secondary education teacher.
• Earn a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher each term of graduate study.
• Study at an approved post-secondary institution in New York State.

There are no income limits for this Scholarship.

Financial Status

To receive the Scholarship, you must:

• Be in good standing (a non-default status) on a student loan made under any NYS or federal education loan program or on the repayment of any NYS award, AND
• Be in compliance with the terms of the service condition(s) imposed by any NYS award that you have previously received.

• Recipients must agree to teach full-time for five years, regardless of the number or amount of award payments received, in a classroom at a public elementary or secondary school, including charter schools, located in NYS.
• Teaching must commence within two years of completion of your graduate degree program.
• If you fail to fulfill your service obligation as outlined in the Scholarship Contract, all award payments made on your behalf will convert to a 10-year student loan plus interest.  Interest rate for the life of the loan shall be fixed and equal to that set annually by the U.S. Department of Education for federal undergraduate Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loans at the time the Service Contract is signed.

For more detailed information, please review the NYS Masters-in-Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship Program Service Contract

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, students with qualified disabilities who attend less than full-time must register with their college office for students with disabilities. 

Learn More