NC Teaching Fellows Program welcomes largest class of students since 2017 restart

March 30, 2023

Forgivable loan program awards fellowships to 132 students from 53 North Carolina counties, sees increase in minority candidates

RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission has selected a record 132 individuals to receive North Carolina Teaching Fellows awards for the Class of 2023.

The Teaching Fellows program is a competitive, merit-based forgivable loan program providing tuition assistance of up to $8,250 per year for qualified students committed to teaching special education, science, technology, engineering or math in a North Carolina public school. The purpose of the program is to recruit, prepare and support future teachers who attend institutions of higher education in North Carolina.

These 132 awards are the largest number given since the reconstitution of the program in 2017. The group includes 75 high school seniors, 34 college transfer students and 23 licensure-only students. Award recipients hail from 90 different cities and towns representing 53 counties across the state.

The 2023 class also features a 30% increase in minority recipients when compared to the previous year’s class. Overall, one-third of the recipients in the class of 2023 are minority candidates. Seventy-eight of the award recipients intend to study in STEM majors while 54 of the awardees intend to seek licensure in special education.

Fellows may attend any of the program’s eight partner institutions: Elon University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, NC State University, Meredith College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Teaching Fellows receive enhancement and enrichment activities throughout their program studies. Following their graduation, they benefit from the New Teacher Support Program as they begin to work in schools across the state.

“We are proud to welcome these Teaching Fellows into the program, and eventually into classrooms across North Carolina,” said Dr. Bennett Jones, director of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. “This program attracts some of the best and brightest into the teaching profession for the long-term benefit of the state and its K-12 students. To the new class of Teaching Fellows: congratulations and thank you for your commitment to future generations of North Carolinians. We look forward to providing excellent educational and professional experiences in conjunction with your academic endeavors.”

The commission selected recipients after conducting interviews and reviewing video presentations from each finalist. Commission members considered grade point average, leadership and experience, awards and honors, written essays, and interviews/videos to narrow this pool of applicants.

The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission is comprised of four deans from educator preparation programs, teachers, principals, a member from business and industry and a local school board member. The NC Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, Superintendent of the Year, chair of the State Education Assistance Authority (SEAA) Board of Directors and director of the Teaching Fellows Program all serve as ex-officio members of the commission.

North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program Highlights:

• The amount of the forgivable loan is up to $4,125 per semester.
• Teachers have up to 10 years to pay back the loan, either through cash repayment or loan forgiveness. To meet the loan forgiveness requirement, a teacher must serve one year in a low-performing school or two years in another public school for every year they were awarded a forgivable loan.

The following individuals represent the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Class of 2023: