ACTFL is currently accepting applications for its Future Teacher Scholarship Program 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
About ACTFL Future Teacher Scholarship Program
The Future Teacher Scholarship Program is designed to support students dedicated to entering the language education profession. It provides financial assistance for academic and living expenses while fostering professional growth through mentoring and membership opportunities. The program specifically targets the national shortage of language teachers and encourages students to pursue long-term careers in language education.
- Sponsor Organisation: ACTFL
Benefits of ACTFL Future Teacher Scholarship Program
- High school seniors and undergraduate students: $1,500 per academic year, renewable up to three years (total $6,000)
- Graduate students seeking language teaching certification: $500 per year for up to two years or until program completion
- Complimentary ACTFL membership, including mentoring programs for early-career language educators
- Mentorship access extends one year post-graduation and entry into the teaching profession
ACTFL Future Teacher Scholarship Program Requirements
To be eligible for consideration, applicants must:
- Be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents attending secondary schools in the United States or a U.S. territory.
- Either be anticipating completion of a high school diploma at the time of application and have been accepted and are planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution, leading to credentialing as a language educator, OR be a current student at a U.S post-secondary institution, in a program leading to credentialing as a language educator. Students at both two-year and four-year undergraduate post-secondary institutions are eligible to apply.
- Have taken at least two years of the same language in high school or post-secondary studies, or present documentation of proficiency results from an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), the ACTFL Assessment of Performance Toward Proficiency (AAPPL), or any comparable assessment.
- Have maintained a 3.0 or higher GPA overall (on a 4.0 scale).
Renewals are not automatic and require completion of a yearly renewal application. Students seeking renewal must:
- Provide college or university transcripts annually to show proof of a GPA of 3.0 or higher overall (on a 4.0 scale).
- Submit proof of continued enrollment.
- Complete a brief annual survey to report on their experience.
- If applicable, verify at the conclusion of their junior year of a bachelor's degree that they remain enrolled in a degree program leading to credentialing as a language educator. If not clearly demonstrated by completed coursework on their transcript at that time, recipients must also submit a signed letter of recommendation from their academic advisor, indicating the advisor’s assessment of both the viability of their plan and the applicant’s commitment to pursue a career as a language educator.
- The Future Teacher Scholarship Program participation is not limited to students who remain at a single institution throughout all four years: Those who transfer must notify ACTFL and provide updated contact information in a timely manner.
Application Date and Process
- Complete all required fields of the online application form below.
- Upload a copy of your current transcript.
- If you have not completed two years of a language other than English in high school or undergraduate studies, present documentation of your proficiency results from an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), the ACTFL Assessment of Performance Toward Proficiency (AAPPL), or any comparable assessment in addition to your transcript.
- Upload a copy of the acceptance letter from the college or university you will be attending. If you are a current undergraduate student, your transcript will suffice.
- Write and upload a personal essay not to exceed 250 words that answers the prompt: "Teaching a world language means..."
- Provide a letter of recommendation from a language teacher who was your instructor in high school or your post-secondary institution and who can address the question: What can you tell us about this student’s character, accomplishments, and abilities that makes you believe they’ll be a great language educator?
- Teachers must submit letters of recommendation directly to ACTFL via email at [email protected]. Only one letter will be accepted per applicant.
- If you have not studied a language in high school but have met the eligibility requirements by presenting proficiency documentation from a test, as outlined above, please submit a letter from another teacher who was your instructor in high school or from your school counselor, answering the same question.
Application Deadline
29 March, 2026
Opportunity Application
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ACTFL Future Teacher Scholarship Program
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