Future Teacher Scholarship Program

Merit-based scholarships to students dedicated to entering the language education profession

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Dedicated to addressing a critical national shortage by bolstering the pipeline of future language educators, this award provides merit-based scholarships to graduating high school seniors, current undergraduate or graduate students, at either a 2-year or 4-year institution who are committed to pursuing the language teaching profession.

Supporting Future Language Educators

Launched in 2019, the Future Teacher Scholarship Program provides high school seniors and undergraduate recipients with an award of $1,500 per academic year. Scholarships may be renewed up to three times following the initial award, for a cumulative total of $6,000 per recipient.

Starting in 2026, graduate students pursuing certification in language teaching are also eligible to apply. Graduate students enrolled in a Master’s degree program leading to certification, or in another graduate certification program will be awarded $500 for two academic years or completion of the program, whichever comes first.

Teacher Scholars also receive complimentary ACTFL membership—which includes access to the ACTFL Mentoring Program aimed at early-career language educators—during their participation in the program as well as for one year following graduation and entry into the teaching field.

Due to the urgent shortage currently in this field, deferrals will not be permitted and awardees who intend to renew their scholarships must do so in consecutive years.

Eligibility 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).

Applicants may not be related to any ACTFL staff member.

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 Guidelines

  1. Complete all required fields of the online application form below.
  2. Upload a copy of your current transcript.
    1. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Write and upload a personal essay not to exceed 250 words that answers the prompt: "Teaching a world language means..."
  5. 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?
    1. Teachers must submit letters of recommendation directly to ACTFL via email at scholarships@actfl.org. Only one letter will be accepted per applicant.
    2. 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.

We invite you to review the evaluation rubric our selection committee uses to choose recipients. Should you have any questions about this program or the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Information Sheet for Scholarship Recipients View the Rubric

Applications will close on May 29, 2026.

  • I am a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident attending secondary school in the United States or a U.S. territory.
  • I have been accepted and am planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution, leading to credentialing as a language educator, or am currently pursuing said degree.
  • I have taken at least two years of the same language at my high school, or post-secondary institution OR can present documentation of proficiency results from an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) test or the ACTFL Assessment of Performance Toward Proficiency (AAPPL).
  • I have maintained a 3.0 or higher GPA overall (on a 4.0 scale).
  • I am not related to any ACTFL staff member.
  • All information on my application is true to the best of my knowledge.
Agreement: 

Use a personal account (like gmail or yahoo) and NOT a school account

Address:

If applicable

Anticipated High School Graduation Date:

If final transcript is not available at the time of application, please submit the most recent version. We will follow up with you after graduation to confirm.

Answer the question: "Teaching a world language means..." (Include your full name in your filename.)

My Activities:

Please check the box describing any activities you have completed in your target language. Be sure to include experiences that occur both in and outside of the traditional language classroom.

To select multiple items, hold the CTRL key while clicking on your activities.

Please check the box describing any teaching activities you have completed—in your target language or in English.

To select multiple items, hold the CTRL key while clicking on your activities.

Use this space to provide any additional commentary or explanation regarding your language and/or teaching activities above.

Recommendation:

In order for your application to be considered complete, a language teacher who was your instructor must send a letter of recommendation directly to scholarships@actfl.org via email no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 29, 2026.

The letter must 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?

Only one letter will be accepted. If you have not studied a language in high school but have met the eligibility requirements by presenting proficiency documentation from an ACTFL 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.

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