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Areas of High Need

K-12 teachers are in very high demand right now, especially in certain subject and geographical areas. We want to connect you with those areas so that you can have the greatest impact as a teacher in Kansas.   

Current areas of high need in Kansas include the following:

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Tuition reimbursement & loan cancellation

Many programs offer tuition reimbursement or loan cancellation. Check out the options below to see what’s available to you.

Federal Perkins Loan Teacher Cancellation

If you have served full-time in a public or nonprofit elementary or school system in the following roles, you may qualify for cancellation (discharge) of up to 100% of a Federal Perkins Loan:

  • Teacher in a school serving students from low-income families
  • Special education teacher, including teachers of infants, toddlers, children, or youth with disabilities
  • Teacher in the fields of mathematics, science, foreign languages, or bilingual education, or in any other field of expertise determined by a state education agency to have a shortage of qualified teachers

Click here for more information

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Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness

While some educators may benefit from the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program is eligible to any full-time staff member. The loan forgiveness amount is determined on an individual basis and is tax-free.  

Learn More Public Service Loan Help Tool
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Teacher Loan Forgiveness

Under the Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) Program, if you teach full time for five complete and consecutive academic years in a low-income school or educational service agency, and meet other qualifications, you may be eligible for forgiveness of up to $17,500 on your Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and your Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans.

If you have a Direct Consolidation Loan or a Federal Consolidation Loan, you may be eligible for forgiveness of the outstanding portion of the consolidation loan that repaid an eligible Direct Subsidized Loan, Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan, or Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan.

Eligibility Requirements

  • You must not have had an outstanding balance on Direct Loans or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans as of Oct. 1, 1998, or on the date that you obtained a Direct Loan or FFEL Program loan after Oct. 1, 1998.

  • You must have been employed as a full-time, highly qualified teacher for five complete and consecutive academic years, and at least one of those years must have been after the 1997–98 academic year.

  • You must have been employed at an elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency that serves low-income students (a “low-income school or educational service agency“).

  • The loan(s) for which you are seeking forgiveness must have been made before the end of your five academic years of qualifying teaching service.

    Click here for more information

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Young children playing with blocks while teacher sits beside them

Kansas Teacher Service Scholarship

This scholarship is a merit-based service obligation program that provides financial assistance to both students in bachelor’s degree programs and currently licensed teachers pursuing endorsement or master’s degrees in hard-to-fill areas, as well as students and teachers planning to teach in an underserved geographic area. Recipients sign agreements to teach one year for each year of scholarship support in Kansas.

Click here for more information

Student Financial Aid

Student financial aid includes grants, scholarships, and loans available through the federal and state government, private corporations, and philanthropic organizations. The Kansas Board of Regents is responsible for the administration of state-funded grants and scholarships. For more information on financial assistance, please contact the financial aid office at the school you wish to attend or contact the Kansas Board of Regents for more information.

Click here for Kansas Board of Regents scholarship & grant information

Additional Resources

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Find in-demand teaching jobs

Explore the positions available right now throughout the state of Kansas.

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