Scholarships now available for future Hoosier educators

Indiana high school seniors and college students planning to pursue a career in teaching can now apply for a Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship, according to State Rep. Beau Baird (R-Greencastle).

Baird said this renewable scholarship, established in 2016 through legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly, pays $10,000 per year for up to four academic years for students who commit to teaching in Indiana for at least five years.

"Strong schools start with strong teachers," Baird said. "This scholarship is a great way to help our best and brightest students stay in Indiana and build rewarding careers in the classroom."

Scholarships will be awarded to high school and college students who have graduated or will graduate from an Indiana accredited high school or non-accredited nonpublic high school. Applicants must also rank in the top 20% of their high school graduating class, have a top 20% ACT or SAT score, or have a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

The 2026-2027 application is available online at scholartrack.che.in.gov through Feb. 28. Applicants will be notified of their scholarship status by April 2026. For questions, email the Indiana Commission for Higher Education at NextTeacher@che.in.gov.

In 2023, Baird supported a law that increased the scholarship award amount from $7,500 to $10,000 and removed the annual 200-recipient cap. Last year, more than a thousand students applied for the scholarship, a new record, with nearly 300 scholarships awarded.

To learn more about the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship, visit in.gov/che.