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The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission announced this month that it selected a record 530 teaching fellows for the 2025-26 academic year, continuing a trend of growth since the program was reinstated.
The NC Teaching Fellows program originally ran from 1986 to 2015, when state funding for the program ended. It was re-launched in 2017.
The program offers forgivable loans of up to $10,000 per year to qualifying students committed to becoming licensed and teaching elementary, STEM, or special education classes in North Carolina public schools upon graduation.
According to the NC Teaching Fellows website, loans can be repaid through one year of service at a low-performing NC public school for each year of awards, or two years of service for non-low-performing schools. Students may also repay the loan in cash with interest.
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According to a press release, the NC Teaching Fellows Commission received 809 applications and considered grade point average, leadership and experience, awards and honors, written essays, and educator recommendations to choose the 530 recipients. The commission includes various figures in the education space including a community college president, a beginning teacher, a principal, and a local school board member, among others.
Who are the awardees?
The awardees include 268 high school seniors, 234 college transfer students including 29 from NC community colleges, and 28 licensure-only students who are currently teaching in North Carolina schools, according to the release. This year’s total number of offers marks a 15% increase from the 462 offered last year and a 481% increase since the year of the return of the program.
The press release said 344 of the recipients intend to study elementary education, 78 are to study special education, and 108 will pursue licensure in the areas of STEM education. The proportion of minority recipients is 30%, and recipients hail from 81 North Carolina counties and 13 states.
“We are thrilled about the continued growth and interest in the Teaching Fellows program. The recruitment activities by our program and campuses, in conjunction with targeted efforts to recruit more high need areas in the state, led to the record number of applications and awards,” said Dr. Bennett Jones, director of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows. “We are grateful for the support of lawmakers and educational leaders across the state as we continue to recruit, train, prepare, and place high quality teachers in North Carolina.”
See a full list of the recipients here.
