MI Future Educator Program Information!

Michigan Department of Treasury sent this bulletin at 10/31/2022 08:54 AM EDT

MI Future Educator Applications Now Available

Students may now submit their application for either the MI Future Educator Fellowship or MI Future Educator Stipend by creating an account and logging in to the MiSSG Student Portal.

Check out the most recent announcement about the applications.

MI Future Educator Fellowship

The MI Future Educator Fellowship is a $10,000 annual award to create low-cost tuition pathways for our future teachers. The award amount is $10,000 per year or the cost of tuition and required fees, whichever is less. Fellowship recipients must meet the following parameters to qualify for an award:

File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Have begun their first semester or term in the education program in the Fall 2022 semester or after.
Be a high school graduate.
Be admitted in an eligible Educator Preparation Program (EPP).
Be working on their first teacher certification.
Have earned at least 56 semester credits or 84 term credits.*
Have a GPA of at least a 3.0.
Be a Michigan resident as defined by the FAFSA.

*Post-baccalaureate level students would automatically meet this requirement.

Students can receive the fellowship for up to three years. Each year a student receives the MI Future Educator Fellowship increases their length of time they commit to teach in Michigan.

Number of Academic Years Received Fellowship	Number of Years Teaching Required
One	Three Years
Two	Four Years
Three	Five Years

If a recipient does not complete their Commitment to Teach in Michigan, the amount of money they received from the MI Future Educator Fellowship converts to a zero percent interest rate loan and must be repaid within ten years.

An annual application is required. Renewal awards are dependent on available funding.

Financial Aid Office Role with MI Future Educator Fellowship

At this time, no additional action is currently required from the institution. We are currently working with our vendor on the next phase of the development, which will include the following:

Notification to the institution to confirm a student’s eligibility for the Fellowship.
An action for the institution to confirm a student’s eligibility.
Creation of the Commitment to Teach in Michigan Agreement that will be emailed to the applicant and require an e-signature from the applicant.
A notification to institutions that a student is eligible for reimbursement.
Processing of payments.
- Note: Students who wish to be included in the first payment, must apply, and complete all required steps prior to December 31, 2022.
- We anticipate a delay in the first payment and hope to process the first payment early-2023.

Students’ Role with MI Future Educator Fellowship

At this time, no additional action is currently required from the student. We are currently working with our vendor on the next phase of the development, which will include the following:

Creation of the Commitment to Teach in Michigan Agreement that will be emailed to the applicant and require an e-signature from the applicant.

MI Future Educator Stipend

The MI Future Educator Stipend is a $9,600 stipend per semester to support Michigan’s hardworking student teachers as they continue their journey to being in the classroom full-time. This award is for students who are in their semester(s) of required student teaching. Stipend recipients must meet the following parameters to qualify for an award:

Be admitted in an eligible Educator Preparation Program (EPP).
Be working towards teacher certification.
Be participating in required student teacher coursework.
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
Be in an unpaid student teaching position.*

Students can receive the stipend for each semester of student teaching that is required by their Educator Preparation Program.

*The required student teaching experience must be unpaid. If a student substitute teaches or works in the school outside of the required student teaching experience, the student would still qualify for the MI Future Educator Stipend.

Financial Aid Office Role with MI Future Educator Stipend

At this time, no additional action is currently required from the institution. We are currently working with our vendor on the next phase of the development, which will include the following:

A notification to institutions that a student is eligible for certification.
Processing of payments.
- Note: Students who wish to be included in the first payment, must apply, and complete all required steps prior to December 31, 2022.
- We anticipate a delay in the first payment and hope to process the first payment early-2023.

Students’ Role with MI Future Educator Stipend

School districts will be required to assist applicants by timely completing the MI Future Educator Stipend Verification Form for the MI Future Educator Stipend student teacher. This form is required to verify eligibility for the MI Future Educator Stipend and must be completed by the Business Office of the school district where the receipt is student teaching. Students will have access to this form from the MiSSG Student Portal once they submit their application.