Teacher Eligibility FAQ
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Application Process and Timing
No, all students will use the same application. It will have an option for applicants to indicate a parent is a teacher. The application will require additional information and documentation for teacher verification for students who apply under this provision.
You will not resubmit the application for you to move your application to the 2025-26 school year. To change from the traditional Oklahoma’s Promise eligibility track to the teacher eligibility track, you must fill out a change of status form (external link). Please understand that this change must be completed before Dec. 31 of the student’s senior year, and it cannot be changed after that date.
To change from the traditional Oklahoma’s Promise eligibility track to the teacher eligibility track, you must fill out a change of status form (external link). Please understand that this change must be completed before Dec. 31 of the student’s senior year, and it cannot be changed after that date.
Who Qualifies as a Teacher?
At the time an application is submitted, the parent must have completed 10 years as a full-time, certified public school teacher in Oklahoma. Those years do not have to be consecutive. The parent’s employment record will be checked each year when the child is enrolled in college to confirm the parent is still a full-time, certified public school teacher in Oklahoma.
Yes, the parent must remain teaching after their child is enrolled. The parent’s employment record will be checked each year when the child is enrolled in college to confirm the parent is still a full-time, certified public school teacher in Oklahoma.
The parent must currently hold a standard or alternative standard certification issued by OSDE as a teacher in a classroom subject and must have held such certification for at least 10 years at the time the application is submitted. These 10 years do not have to be consecutive. Examples of qualifying classroom subjects include, but are not limited to, arts, elementary or early childhood education, languages, mathematics, physical education, reading, sciences, social studies, etc..
Teachers who hold a standard or alternative standard certification can count those years toward their 10 years of service prior to applying for Oklahoma’s Promise. However, teachers with emergency certification or provisional certifications may not count those years toward the 10-year service record
To verify the employment and certification requirements, the teacher must submit their employment and certification history to the Oklahoma’s Promise office for their student to get enrolled in the program. These records can be found using the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s (OSDE) SSO website for educators. All information on this website and teacher records is managed by OSDE..
No. The parent must be actively employed as a full-time teacher at an Oklahoma public school district.
The children of school employees who hold valid Oklahoma certification in other roles may qualify for the teacher eligibility track if, as of the application date, the parent holds current standard or alternative standard Oklahoma teacher certification (in a classroom subject area), is employed by an Oklahoma public school district, and has accumulated at least 10 years of service in both certification (in a classroom subject area) and district employment. The 10 years need not be consecutive or performed in the same district. Reach out to okpromise@osrhe.edu for more details if you are unsure if your child will qualify.
Children of school administrators are not eligible for the scholarship under the teacher eligibility track, regardless of any teaching certifications these administrators might hold. However, if one parent is an eligible certified classroom teacher and the other is a school administrator, the child remains eligible for the scholarship through the qualifying teacher parent.
If the stepparent is a permanent legal guardian, the student could be eligible for the scholarship.
Career technology teachers may qualify if they currently teach K-12 students for a public K-12 school or public career technology center and have at least 10 years prior. Career technology teachers must also meet all other requirements of the program, including the 10 years of teaching and being fully certified to teach by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Financial Eligibility for the Teacher Eligibility Track
The household income needs to be under 700% of the federal poverty level. This level changes annually and is based on household size. The current federal poverty level information can be found by viewing the 2026 Oklahoma’s Promise Teacher Eligibility Track Income Limits (PDF, 146k).
The custodial parent’s household income will be used, regardless of which parent is the teacher. In the event that the noncustodial parent is the teacher, employment records from the Oklahoma State Department of Education will need to be submitted for the teacher parent.
Household size is set using federal guidelines (external link). Household size can include the following: the individual, their spouse (if they are married or remarried), dependent children, and other dependents. Dependents may only be counted if they live with the individual now and the individual provides more than half of their support. Dependent children may qualify even if they live separate from the family because of college enrollment.
Family income is checked at the time the student initially enrolls in the program and again each year the student is enrolled in college.
You have the option to move the student’s application to the 2025-26 school year under the teacher eligibility track. You will not resubmit the application, You will need to submit a change of status form (external link). Please understand that this change must be completed before Dec. 31 of the student’s senior year, and it cannot be changed after that date.
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The application is at OKcollegestart.org — Oklahoma's free college planning tool.