Minnesota Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment Program
If you are going to apply for this program, you will be asked if you have read this page before you can apply.
The Minnesota Teacher Shortage Student Loan Repayment Program was established to provide student loan repayment assistance to teachers providing classroom instruction in Minnesota. The purpose of the program is to encourage teachers, particularly those who belong to a race or ethnicity underrepresented in the state's teacher workforce, to teach in Minnesota, to teach in license shortage areas, or to teach in rural school districts. (See the Frequently Asked Questions below for a list of the current shortage areas and rural school districts)
In general, applicants must currently:
- Hold a teaching license issued by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board.
- Be employed by a school district to provide classroom instruction in their license area
- Have outstanding qualified educational loan debt not in default; and
- Belong to a racial or ethnic group underrepresented in the Minnesota teacher workforce.
To the extent that funds are available, eligibility extends to teachers:
- Who teach in a rural school district; or
- Teach in a license shortage area.
Apply for the 2025 Minnesota Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment Program. The application will be available until September 15, 2025.
Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements will be notified if they are selected for application review in October. Those applicants will be asked to provide additional documentation to verify the information on the application by November 30.
Awards will be disbursed in spring 2026.
Awards for this program are not made on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Office of Higher Education adopted administrative rules addressing the criteria for how participant awards will be prioritized. If there are insufficient funds available to award all eligible applicants, applications are prioritized based on the following:
- the financial need of an applicant, considering the applicant's income, household size, and total qualified educational loan;
- whether or not the applicant belongs to a racial or ethnic group underrepresented in the Minnesota teacher workforce;
- previous awards to the applicant from the Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment Program;
- whether or not the applicant taught in a license field shortage area;
- whether or not the applicant taught in a rural school district; and
- the statewide distribution of funds
Funds are very limited to this program compared to the number of eligible applicants. Selected applicants receive an award up to $1,000 in loan repayment assistance paid directly to them. Awardees are limited to $5,000 in total repayment assistance.
Note: This program is not receiving any new funds but will continue to be awarded until current funds are expended.
Apply for the 2025 Minnesota Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment Program. The application will be available until September 15, 2025.