Skip to navigation menu

Skip to main content

Office of Financial Aid
Teachers College, Columbia University
Scholarships & Grants > Institutional Scholarships

Site Navigation

Scholarships & Grants

Institutional Scholarships

Each year, Teachers College awards over $7 million of its own funds and $2 million of endowed funds to new and continuing students. There are over 300 endowed funds provided by the generosity of donors. The majority are specific to a particular program and provide tuition funding for eligible part- and full-time students in some of TC's degree programs. Typically, program faculty make the award decisions at the time of admission, but the process is rolling. Depending on the fund, new and/or continuing students are eligible.

All students must apply for scholarship in order to be considered for institutional scholarships. Types of scholarships and grants available at TC are:
  • General Scholarships
  • Minority Student Scholarships
  • International Student Scholarships
  • Endowed Scholarships
  • Fellowships
  • Graduate Assistantships (administrative, teaching, research)
International students are eligible for all sources of scholarship aid, except where restrictions exist, i.e. minority scholarship. (Minority scholarships are available only to eligible, federally recognized U.S. ethnic minorities.)

Application Process
NOTE: If you have recently completed an application for admission, you have likely completed a scholarship application. The scholarship application is part of the admissions application. You are not required to complete the scholarship application, though we encourage you to do so. Applying for scholarships at TC will not affect your admission decision.

Because the scholarship application is part of the admissions application, you will do both things at once. Therefore, you should adhere to the application deadlines established by the Office of Admission. Please read on for further details.
  • As a new student, in order to be considered for scholarship at Teachers College, you must complete the scholarship section of your application for admission. While completing your application for admission, you will be asked if you are interested in receiving scholarships at TC. If you click "Yes," you will be prompted to answer a series of merit-based questions. This serves as your scholarship application. Students only need to apply for scholarship one time per degree program. The requirement will roll over from one year to the next.
  • If you are a continuing student with a scholarship application already on file, you will be eligible for the remainder of your current program; there is no need to complete another scholarship application.
  • If you have not completed a scholarship application at any time or if you answered "No" to the question about scholarship on your admissions application and now wish to be considered for scholarships, please contact our office for further directions.
  • If you deferred admission but already completed a scholarship application, there is no need to complete another scholarship application. If you want to verify that a scholarship application is on file for you, please contact our office.
Generally, program faculty nominate new students for scholarship(s) based on the admission and degree applications of the new students. For continuing students, Teachers College academic records are evaluated during the awarding process. To receive priority consideration for scholarships, new students must complete their admissions application by the priority deadlines. Endowed scholarships are provided through the generosity of donors' contributions. Many of these are in support of students in particular programs. Faculty committees select the award recipients based upon criteria designated by the donor.

Important: Please ensure that the answers you put on your scholarship application are full and complete before you click "Submit." After you click "Submit," you cannot return to the application. Leaving the questions blank will not make you totally ineligible for scholarship, though your scholarship application may lack additional details that would be important in the awarding process. This is why you must ensure that the questions have been answered in full before you submit the application.

Award letters are currently being sent to admitted students.2012-2013 award letters (for Spring 2013 and Summer 2013 admits) go out Monday nights at 8 pm. 2013-2014 award letters go out Tuesday nights and Tuesday nights at 8 pm. Please monitor both your general inbox and your spam folder. Because our scholarship decisions are made on a rolling basis, we will continue sending these letters throughout the spring and summer.

If you have not yet activated your TC G-mail account, your award letter will go to the e-mail address you used when you completed the application for admission. Please monitor both your general inbox and your spam folder.

Conditions Apply
Please read on to learn of the terms and conditions associated with your scholarship.
  • Completing a scholarship application does not guarantee that you will be awarded. Scholarships are highly competitive at Teachers College.
  • Scholarship points are not transferable from one academic year to the next and the awards are not renewable.
  • In most cases, you are able to adjust your scholarship award(s) to disburse in a way that better matches your enrollment for the year. You must specify the semester and the amount that pertains to your request to the Office of Financial Aid.
  • If you have been awarded a scholarship or a stipend, click here to view the terms and conditions.
  • If you have been offered the Policy and Research Fellowship, click here to view the terms and conditions.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities
In addition to the scholarships listed above, you should consider applying for additional scholarships through organizations affiliated with Teachers College. Please note that these scholarships have separate applications and requirements to which you must adhere. See below to learn more.

  • Fulbright Program: The Fulbright program is the largest US international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake advanced research and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. Sponsored by the US Department of State, the Fulbright program was established by the US Congress to "enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." In 2007, approximately six thousand grants were awarded, at a cost of more than $262 million, to U.S. students, teachers, professionals, and scholars to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research in more than 155 countries, and to their foreign counterparts to engage in similar activities in the United States. Click here for more information.
  • Riady Scholars Fund: Prospective Masters Degree Students who are citizens of Indonesia and other countries within Southeast Asia and have a commitment to teaching, education management, or educational policy are eligible to apply for the new Riady Scholars Fund. The Riady family supports education worldwide, contributes to Teachers College's Annual Fund, and manages the largest private education foundation in Southeast Asia, covering nearly 40,000 students. The family has also contributed $1 million to the Columbia University Global Center in Beijing. The Fund will provide tuition and room and board for qualified recipients, for an annual fellowship of $70,000 per year. Click here for more information.
  • QUIERE (Quality Universally Inclusive Early Responsive Education) Scholars: The Integrated Early Childhood Education Masters Program at Teachers College, Columbia University invites applications for scholarships made available through a new personnel preparation grant federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education. QUIERE scholars (teachers funded through QUIERE) will be prepared as dually certified early childhood and early childhood special educators. They also will address the critical needs of infants, toddlers, and young children with disabilities and their families, particularly those of immigrant backgrounds. Click here for more information.
  • Gates Millennium Scholars: The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential by (1) reducing financial barriers for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with high academic and leadership promise who have significant financial need, (2) increasing the representation of these target groups in the disciplines of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health, and the sciences, where these groups are severely underrepresented (3) developing a diversified cadre of future leaders for America by facilitating successful completion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, and (4) providing seamless support from undergraduate through doctoral programs for students selected as Gates Millennium Scholars entering target disciplines. Click here for more information.
  • JFEW Fellowship: The Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women (JFEW) is a private, nonsectarian organization that provides scholarships to women with financial need living in the New York City area. This scholarship is granted to women who intend to pursue teaching careers in mathematics or science in New York City public schools (two students per academic year). JFEW recipients are selected by a faculty committee at Teachers College and, if awarded, receive a scholarship in the amount of (at least) $42,000. Upon graduation, recipients must commit to teaching in a New York City public school for at least two years and be a New York City resident, or live within 50 miles of New York City. Students eligible for JFEW consideration will be contacted by the Office of Financial Aid before the start of the appropriate Fall semester. Please contact our office for more information.
  • Arthur Zankel Urban Fellowship: The Arthur Zankel Urban Fellowship is a financial aid award in the amount of $10,000 per academic year for Teachers College students to work with disadvantaged inner-city youth. The Zankel Fellowship is made possible by a gift from the estate of Arthur Zankel, who was an esteemed trustee of Teachers College. The Zankel Urban Fellows carry on Mr. Zankel’s legacy of passion for education by contributing their expertise to programs serving disadvantaged inner-city youth. All questions regarding the Zankel Fellowship should be directed to the Office of School and Community Partnerships. Please click here for more information.
  • Lemann Fellowship: The Lemann Fellowship at Teachers College, Columbia University, is an extension of the commitment and generosity of the Lemann Foundation to foster educational service and exchange between Brazil and the Teachers College educational community. Applicants who are current or former residents of Brazil, who have demonstrated interest in social change in Brazil, and intend to use their master's degree from Teachers College to further those interests will be successful candidates for the Lemann Fellowship fund. This newly created fund will provide full tuition, plus partial room and board, annually, for qualified master's degree candidates. Contact our office for more information.
  • Abby M. O'Neill Fellowship: This fellowship is for students interested in one of TC's many dual-certification master's degree programs. The Abby M. O'Neill Fellowships are designed to award $35,000 in tuition assistance to selected recipients who will best embody the new wave of outstanding individuals committed to teaching in New York City. This fellowship was made possible by the gracious gift from trustee Abby O'Neill. In addition to providing funding to committed teacher certification students, the fellowship will provide mentoring experiences to increase the recipients' future opportunities and options. If you are interested, please submit a Fellowship Personal Statement to Enrollment Services at enrollmentservices@tc.columbia.edu. The Fellowship Personal Statement is in addition to the statement of purpose you submit in the general TC online application process. In the statement, you should use two to three double-spaced pages to address your academic goals, your interest in high-demand areas of teaching in NYC, and the role of a teacher in challenging, high-need public schools. You must also have a completed scholarship application on file in addition to a completed admissions application.
  • City Year: City Year, an education-focused nonprofit organization operating in more than 20 US cities, has established a "give a year" partnership with Teachers College. The partnership highlights the visions and values of both organizations integrating the power of knowledge and service in addressing social problems. Each participant will be eligible to receive a scholarship from Teachers College. The award will be in the amount equal to 25% of tuition for up to three City Year corps, alumni, or staff members per year, renewable in subsequent years. Participants will have their application fee waived. Space permitting, TC will allow the students to defer enrollment by one year if they decide to stay with City Year for additional time before beginning their studies. To learn more about City Year, click here.
  • Cohort programs at TC also offer scholarship funding to some of the students who are offered admission into those programs. Please click here for more information about the cohort programs and their benefits.
Please visit the Student Employment section of our website for information on graduate assistantships and Federal Work-Study. You may also click here for information on federal student aid, such as federal student loans and the Federal TEACH Grant. For information regarding Grant-In-Aid for doctoral students, please click here.