Teacher Scholarship Program

Scholarship Sponsored by American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

Program overview
This scholarship is designed to help address the nationwide shortage of language teachers by expanding the pipeline of future instructors in languages other than English. It awards merit-based support to graduating U.S. high school seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to becoming language educators.

Award details and benefits
- Established in 2019, the Language Connects Foundation (LCF) Teacher Scholarship offers $1,500 per academic year. Recipients may renew the award up to three times after the initial grant for a maximum lifetime award of $6,000 per student.
- Each Scholar receives complimentary membership in ACTFL while they participate in the program and for one year after graduation and entry into the teaching profession. This membership includes access to the ACTFL Mentoring Program for early-career language teachers.
- Because of the pressing shortage of language teachers, deferrals are not allowed. Recipients who plan to renew must do so in consecutive years.

Who may apply
To be considered, applicants must meet all of the following:
- Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident and attend a secondary school located in the United States or a U.S. territory.
- Expect to complete a high school diploma by the time of application.
- Have been accepted to — and intend to enroll in — an accredited U.S. postsecondary program that leads to credentialing as a language teacher.
- New for 2024: Students entering either two-year or four-year postsecondary institutions are eligible.
- Have completed at least two years of the same language other than English in high school OR submit proof of proficiency from an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), the ACTFL AAPPL, or an equivalent assessment.
- Maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
- Not be related to any ACTFL staff member.

Renewal requirements (not automatic)
Renewal of the scholarship requires an annual application and documentation. To renew, recipients must each year:
- Submit official college/university transcripts demonstrating an overall GPA of 3.0 or above (4.0 scale).
- Provide evidence of continued enrollment at their institution.
- Complete a short annual survey about their progress and experiences.
- At the end of their junior year in a bachelor’s program, confirm that they remain enrolled in a program that leads to credentialing as a language educator. If the transcript does not clearly show this through completed coursework, the applicant must supply a signed letter from their academic advisor confirming the feasibility of their plan and the student’s commitment to pursue a career as a language teacher (in a language other than English).
- Notify LCF and update contact information promptly if they transfer to another institution; participation is not restricted to students who remain at the same school for all four years.

Application checklist and instructions
Submit the following items via the online application:
1. Complete every required field on the online application form.
2. Upload your current high school transcript.
- If you did not complete two years of the same language in high school, include documentation of language proficiency from an ACTFL OPI, the ACTFL AAPPL, or a comparable assessment along with your transcript.
3. Upload the acceptance letter from the college or university you will attend.
4. Upload a personal essay of no more than 200 words describing who you are, your interests and goals (personal and professional), and explaining why you want to become a language educator.
5. Arrange for one letter of recommendation addressing this prompt: What about this student’s character, accomplishments, and abilities makes you confident they will be an excellent language teacher?
- Preferably, this letter should come from a language teacher who instructed you in high school.
- Teachers must send recommendation letters directly to LCF via email at contact@languageconnectsfoundation.org. Only one recommendation letter will be accepted per applicant.
- If you qualified through a proficiency assessment and did not study a language in high school, you may submit a recommendation from another high school teacher or a school counselor responding to the same prompt.

Selection and contact
The selection committee uses a published evaluation rubric to assess applicants; prospective applicants are encouraged to review this rubric before applying. If you have questions about the program or the application process, contact LCF at contact@languageconnectsfoundation.org.