Become a North Carolina Teaching Fellow

Before you start your North Carolina Teaching Fellows application, please review all eligibility requirements and loan forgiveness information outlined in our frequently asked questions.

Important Application Dates

• Early Action Window: Apply by November 1, 2025, to receive an application update by November 21, 2025.
• Regular Decision Window: Apply after November 2, 2025, to receive an application update by February 21, 2026.
• Application Deadline: January 31, 2026 (application closes at midnight)

Note: The NCTF Application is separate from applications at all partner institutions. One does not affect the other. If selected as an NC Teaching Fellow, you must be admitted to a partner institution to accept funding.

Make sure you have the following documents ready to upload in a PDF format, with your application.

• High School or College Transcript (unofficial transcripts are acceptable)
• Two letters of recommendation
  • One from an academic reference (counselor, teacher, or administrator)
  • One from a personal or additional academic reference (not a family member)

• High school applicants or applicants with fewer than 24 hours of college credit must have a minimum unweighted high school GPA of 3.0. While not required, we strongly encourage applicants to submit an SAY and/or ACT score.
• Applicants with more than 24 hours of college credit must have a minimum of a 2.7 cumulative GPA.

Applicants are required to submit answers to three essay questions. Recommended length: 250-500 words for each response.

• Describe why you are inspired to enter the teaching profession, including why you wish to teach in elementary education, special education, or a STEM field.
• Describe a time when you have faced a challenge or adversity. Explain how you used grit, resiliency, commitment, etc. to overcome the obstacle and what you learned from your experience.
• Briefly describe your school activities, accomplishments, leadership positions held, job experiences, and community service opportunities and why they are/where important to you as a student and as a person.