Office of Teacher Services

Minority Educator Recruitment & Retention Scholarship Requirements

Eligibility Requirements:

• Be a minority as defined in KRS 160.345.
• Be a U.S. citizen and Kentucky resident.
• Declare teacher education as major field of study.
• Be an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing initial certification.
• Maintain continuous full-time enrollment OR be a part-time student within 18 semester hours of receiving a teacher education degree.
• Maintain a 2.75 GPA.
• Meet the standardized testing requirement (ACT, SAT, PPST or GRE) for admission into the Teacher Education program.

Other Requirements & Information:

• Complete a teacher education program in the prescribed time.
• Obtain a Kentucky Teaching Certificate.
• Teach one semester in Kentucky for each semester or summer term the scholarship is received.
• The maximum yearly award is five thousand dollars ($5,000).
• Student must have promissory note signed by the first day of class during both fall and spring semesters.  If the student does not have the promissory note signed, they forfeit the scholarship for that semester, but may reapply the next semester.
• Students are required to attend all MERR scholars meetings conducted by the coordinator.
• Students must meet with the MERR Coordinator at least once per semester on an individual basis to review the student's progress.
• Students who fall below full-time status during a semester in which they have received the scholarship forfeit the scholarship for the following semester.

Scholarship Renewal:

Any student who has previously received the scholarship and is reapplying needs to maintain a cumulative 2.75 GPA, complete a renewal application, sign the promissory note and review their demographic data sheet.

Students who fail to meet these listed requirements are subject to lose the partial or entire amount of the MERR scholarship.

Back to: Minority Teacher Recruitment Center