VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSU) – The VCSU Teacher Shortage Scholarship is available to those working part-time or full-time in a school as a paraprofessional or substitute teacher. The Scholarship covers the majority, or potentially all costs, associated with earning a teaching degree. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is Nov. 1, 2023.

The VCSU Para-to-Teacher Scholarship is available for anyone working as a paraprofessional and covers tuition and fees up to $20,000. VCSU will also waive a majority of fees for students attending courses through this scholarship.

“North Dakota needs more teachers and one of our strengths is providing the highest-quality experience and preparation for future educators. We are happy to offer innovative ways to help more individuals pursue education as a fulfilling career,” President Alan LaFave said. “These scholarships provide a way to significantly offset the cost for those pursuing a teaching degree and licensure in North Dakota.”

The scholarships are available for program areas including art education, business education, elementary education, English education, health education, history education, music education, physical education, Spanish education, social science education, endorsement options including K-12 ELL, K-12 Special Education, Early Childhood, Kindergarten and the VCSU Master of Arts in Teaching for secondary content areas including art, business, math, science, English, health, physical education, science, Spanish, social science and technology.

To apply for either scholarship visit vcsu.edu/departments/education-and-graduate-studies/. The VCSU Teacher Shortage Scholarship was started last year and has assisted 60 students along their educational path to become a teacher.

“Our faculty have strong connections with schools across the state and our hope is these scholarships will encourage more residents to consider becoming educators,” Dean of the VCSU School of Education Allen Burgad said. “Teaching is a very rewarding profession educating and preparing youth socially and towards their future career pathway.”