Tuition Assistance
There are 3 distinct forms of financial assistance (described below) available for trainees enrolled in our Waldorf teacher education programs.
Additionally, the Center for Anthroposophy has established a Diversity Scholarship Fund to promote racial and ethnic diversity among teachers in North American Waldorf schools. This fund provides scholarship funds to help cover the tuition of Waldorf teacher training. Scholarship awards, based on need, will be made to eligible candidates who are in the process of becoming a Waldorf teacher through the Center for Anthroposophy or Antioch University. Please indicate your interest in the Diversity Scholarship on the Waldorf Fellowship Application form below.
Financial Aid awards – made once a candidate has been accepted into our teacher training programs – are applied to the first year of tuition. Candidates seeking additional financial support beyond the first year need to apply each year for further assistance; requests will be considered based on availability of funds from year to year. Awards, ranging in any one year from $500 to around $3,000, are based on need but cannot be expected to match all requests.
Application deadline is June 1
1./ Waldorf Fellowships
Grants awarded by the Center for Anthroposophy based on applicants needs and their demonstrated commitment to Waldorf education.
Waldorf Fellowship Application
2./ AWSNA Teacher Education Loans and Grants
The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to strengthen and support Waldorf schools and teacher education institutes throughout North America. One aspect of this is providing financial assistance to people training to be Waldorf teachers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. These programs are made possible by contributions to AWSNA from member and sponsored schools and institutes, and by grants from various foundations, including the Waldorf Educational Foundation.
a. Teacher Education Loans Program is designed for students enrolled in Waldorf teacher education programs, with the intention of becoming full-time Waldorf teachers. The funds borrowed from AWSNA are forgiven over three years if graduates of education programs teach three-quarter to full-time in AWSNA- or WECAN-affiliated Waldorf schools.
- The amount of the loans varies each year and depends on the funding available.
- Funds are distributed as a loan, repayable to AWSNA. Each consecutive year that the recipient works three-quarter to full-time at an AWSNA-affiliated Waldorf school (or WECAN-affiliated early childhood program), one-third of the original loan amount will be forgiven.
- Loans are interest-free during study and while working full-time as a Waldorf teacher. Failure to complete the training, or to teach full time at a school as described above upon graduation, will cause the loan to become due and payable, as described in the Teacher Education Fund loan contract.
- Foundation year students are not eligible for these funds.
- Antioch and CfA students apply for AWSNA teacher education loans directly through the Center for Anthroposophy by filling out this online Application Form. Your application will be reviewed by the CfA Financial Aid Committee and submitted to AWSNA along with all other applications.
- Application deadline is June 1 and the award letters will be emailed shortly thereafter. AWSNA-generated loan contracts will be distributed to all awardees in October. The actual funds will arrive from AWSNA to Center for Anthroposophy in March – April of the following year. The amount for awards made to Antioch students will be forwarded to Antioch
b. Currently Practicing Teacher (CPT) Matching Grant Program is designed for people already teaching in AWSNA- or WECAN-affiliated schools while pursuing their training. AWSNA provides outright grants that are matched by the school at which the applicant is teaching. All grants are contingent on a matching grant from the school at which the grant recipient teaches. The amount of the grants varies each year and depends on the funding available. The application must be accompanied by a letter from the school where the applicant teaches, specifying the maximum amount of matching funds the school will commit.
- Antioch and CfA students may apply for AWSNA Currently Practicing Teacher (CPT) Matching Grant Program directly through the Center for Anthroposophy by filling out this online Application Form.
- Application deadline is June 1 and the award letters will be emailed shortly thereafter. AWSNA-generated loan contracts will be distributed to all awardees in October. The actual funds will arrive from AWSNA to Center for Anthroposophy in March – April of the following year. The amount for awards made to Antioch students will be forwarded to Antioch.
PLEASE NOTE:
Should any AWSNA loan recipients find themselves no longer meeting the criteria of their loan contract, they are obligated to repay their loan within one year of graduating from their teacher training program or if they withdraw from their teacher training program.
Teacher Education Loan and Currently Practicing Teacher (CPT) Grant Programs Summary from AWSNA
The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to strengthen and support member Waldorf schools and teacher education institutes throughout North America. One aspect of this is providing financial assistance to people training to be teachers in AWSNA-member institutes in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. These programs are made possible by contributions to AWSNA from member schools, and by grants from various foundations.
We are pleased to be able to offer two programs for this purpose:
1. Teacher Education Loan Program.
This loan is for individuals interested in teaching in an AWSNA or Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN)-member, and is applicable for teacher training courses, not foundation courses. Loans are distributed on a yearly basis.
In exchange for receiving the loan, applicants must agree to the following:
- You must be hired as a three-quarter to full-time teacher in an AWSNA or WECAN member school for a total of at least three consecutive academic years within three years after you graduate from the program. For each consecutive year that you teach three-quarter to full-time at an AWSNA or WECAN member school, the loan will be converted to a scholarship by AWSNA, up to the entire loan balance. Any scholarship funds may be taxable income, and the student may wish to consult with an accountant or tax professional. Applicants who begin teaching prior to graduation may have these years of teaching retroactively applied towards the three years of service, as long as one of the three years occurs in the year immediately following graduation.
- Loans are interest-free during study and while teaching in an AWSNA or WECAN member school. If you do not meet the requirements of 1.a., as stated above, or should you fail to complete the teacher training, the loan you received must be repaid in full at 1% interest per month as described in the Teacher Education Fund loan contract. For this reason, you must be in a secure financial position to receive an AWSNA loan should you have to repay it.
2. Currently Practicing Teacher (CPT) Matching Grant Program.
This grant is for individuals already teaching in AWSNA or WECAN member or schools as they pursue their training. AWSNA provides outright grants that are matched by the school at which the applicant is teaching. Grants are distributed on a yearly basis. Where the combined total of AWSNA and school matching grants does not reach 100% of tuition, applicants may also apply for a teacher education loan with the approval of the teacher education institute.
How to Apply for the Loan and Grant Programs
- All applicants (including Antioch students) apply for the loan and/or grant program directly through Center for Anthroposophy. (Please use links in the text above) Your application will be reviewed by the institute and submitted along with other applications for the funds allocated to that institution.
- For CPT grants, the application must be accompanied by a letter from the school where the applicant teaches, specifying the maximum amount of matching funds the school will commit.
- Application deadlines are set by the institute, but are generally set in late May for summer and fall enrollment. Consult your institute for exact dates for application and award notification. Funds are distributed directly to the institute as tuition payments.
- Amount of the loan and grant varies each year and depends on the funding available.
