Scholarships & Aid

Catholic Educator Reduced Tuition rate

The USF School of Education offers a 40% reduced CST tuition rate in order to increase the number and diversity of credentialed teachers in Catholic schools.

Eligibility Criteria

This tuition rate is available for candidates who are in a teaching credential program (except SFTR) or in a Reading Certificate program, and providing a needed service to Catholic schools. To qualify for the CST tuition rate, candidates must submit a Recommendation Form from a supervising teacher/staff and/or the principal/head of a Catholic school that documents how the service provided to that school supports the educational success of underserved groups of students. All forms, regardless of recommender, must be signed by the principal/head of Catholic school. 

This reduced rate is available for students who are providing needed service in one of two ways, namely, as:

1. A paid teacher, teacher aide, staff, or coach in a Catholic school. Candidates who are regularly employed at a Catholic school are eligible for the CST tuition rate each semester of concurrent enrollment in teacher training and employment in a Catholic school.
2. A volunteer making a substantial commitment of time working in a needed role within a Catholic school. To be eligible for the CST tuition rate, it is expected that the volunteer commitment be at least 3 hours a week of on-site, school-related work at a Catholic school during each semester of tuition reduction. Candidates must have the volunteer opportunity secured before the first semester begins and are required to begin the volunteer position before Census Date of the semester. This allows candidates to have the opportunity to begin volunteering when they begin the program. Candidates who elect to do their student teaching requirement in a Catholic School will be eligible for the CST Reduced Tuition Rate during the semester of their student teaching placement.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Candidates applying for the CST tuition rate must submit the CST Rate Recommendation Form to the School of Education, from a supervising teacher/staff and the school principal/head of the school detailing either the candidate’s employment or volunteer involvement in the school and recommendation to receive the tuition rate. The forms should be sent in advance of candidates starting the program and no later than September 1^st for fall, February 1^st for spring, and June 1^st for summer sessions.

Please note that for candidates who are determining their loan packages with the USF Financial Aid office we advise you to submit the CST Rate Recommendation Form no later than 10 days before the start of the semester.

The form includes:

• a statement of the intended work or service the candidate will be doing that is responsive to needs in the school;
• the time commitment of work or service that meets minimal expectations (at least 3 hours a week of on-site, school-related work throughout the semester);
• expected impact work or service will have on the educational success of underserved groups of students (i.e. student demographics such as racial/ethnic breakdown, free or reduced lunch, etc.;
• and rationale for recommending the specific candidate.

RENEWAL PROCESS

To continue qualifying for the CST tuition rate in succeeding semesters, candidates must submit a Renewal Recommendation Form from a supervising teacher/staff and/or the principal/head of the Catholic school where they have been working or volunteering recommending continuation of the tuition rate. The renewal form must verify the work or service and time commitment completed in the previous semester; the impact the candidate’s work or service has had on the educational success of underserved groups of students; and a description of the work or service to be done, as well as time commitment (at least 3 hours a week of on-site, school-related work) for the upcoming semester. The renewal forms should be sent no later than September 1^st for fall, February 1^st for spring, and June 1^st for summer sessions. Bills for the upcoming semester will show the CST discounted tuition rate. If, by the deadlines posted above, candidates have not submitted a CST Renewal Form, they will be billed at the full tuition rate.

Student Teaching 

Candidates who elect to do their student teaching requirement in a Catholic School will be eligible for the CST Reduced Tuition Rate during the semester of their student teaching placement. To obtain the tuition rate, candidates and Catholic school principal/heads must complete the CST Verification of Student Placement Form by the deadline posted above.

All forms for the Catholic Educator Reduced Tuition Rate should be submitted to CST Rate Recommendations & Renewals

Please direct any questions regarding the process to:
Quyen Tran, Project Manager for Academic Affairs.
cstrate@usfca.edu
415-422-2081

State Resources and Federal Resources

The following programs are administered by various agencies in the State of California and around the United States. Please consult each program's website for further information.

Cal Grant Program
If you are currently an undergraduate student with a Cal Grant A or B and plan to enroll in a teacher credential program, you may be eligible to renew your Cal Grant award for an additional year. The additional year of payment is provided to students who are seeking an initial teaching credential and cannot be used for other graduate level courses of study.

Perkins Loan Forgiveness
You qualify for cancellation (discharge) of up to 100 percent of a Federal Perkins Loan if: you have served full-time in a public or nonprofit elementary or secondary school system as a teacher in a school serving students from low-income families; or you are a special-education teacher, including teachers of infants, toddlers, children, or youth with disabilities; or you are a teacher in the fields of mathematics, science, foreign languages, or bilingual education, or in any other field of expertise determined by a state education agency to have a shortage of qualified teachers in that state.

Stafford Loan Forgiveness Program for Teachers
The Teacher Loan Forgiveness program is intended to encourage individuals to enter and continue in the teaching profession. Under this program, individuals who teach full-time for five consecutive, complete academic years in certain elementary and secondary schools that serve low-income families and meet other qualifications may be eligible for forgiveness of up to a combined total of $17,500 in principal and interest on their Federal Family Education Loan and/or Direct Loan program loans.

Teach Grant
The TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 per year to graduate students who are completing course work needed to begin a career in teaching.

Troops to Teachers Program (TTT)
Troops to Teachers is a U.S. Department of Education and Department of Defense program that helps eligible military veterans begin new careers as teachers in K-12 public, private, and charter schools where their skills, knowledge, and experience are most needed. State and regional Troops to Teachers offices provide participants with counseling and assistance regarding certification requirements, routes to state certification, and employment leads. Additionally, generous financial assistance may be provided to eligible individuals who wish to serve as teachers in schools serving a high percentage of students from low-income families.