Scholarship assistance for Parent and Family Education students are typically awarded once or twice per year and are highly competitive.  To learn more information about application deadlines and eligibility requirements, see "Academic Award Opportunities" and email to famed@umn.edu with questions. Many of the award opportunities listed require students to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

In addition, the Parent and Family Education program has identified potential funding sources outside of the University of Minnesota, including state and private programs designed to support educators. Learn more about them under "External Funding Resources" below. 

As a program, we are committed to providing accessible opportunities for students to receive funding assistance for the cost of tuition, books, professional development opportunities, etc. If you are experiencing financial constraints, please reach out to faculty or your adviser. We are here to help.

Academic Award Opportunities for Parent and Family Education Students

Jean Illsley Clarke Fellowship for Parent Education

This fellowship will be awarded to a family education student with a strong interest in research, teaching, and application of parent educator theories and practices

Ford Foundation for Family Education Award 

This award provides funds for students preparing to be licensed parenting educators and/or who are pursuing the M. Ed. in Family Education and who demonstrate financial need. The Ford Fellowship award is offered once or twice per year (in fall or spring or both) and there are multiple awards of $1,000-$2,000 available for current students. Preference is given to those who live or work in a rural setting, serve diverse populations, are multilingual and/or show financial need. Applicants must be in good academic standing.

Family Education Teacher Preparation Award MN

This award provides assistance for individuals preparing to be educators or teacher educators in the field of family education. There are multiple awards of $1000-$1500 and are offered in the spring for the following fall semester. This award is offered once per year towards the beginning of the spring student teaching placement. 

CEHD Gladys F. Smith Memorial Scholarship

This fund provides scholarship assistance to educators in the St. Paul Public School District #625 who are pursuing graduate studies related to classroom careers. Applicants are encouraged to fill out a current FAFSA if you have not already. Financial aid application information: https://onestop.umn.edu/finances.  You may send questions to the scholarship selection team at edschol@umn.edu or famed@umn.edu for application deadlines and eligibility. This scholarship is usually offered at the beginning of the academic school year and is potentially multiple per year.

The Provost’s Professional Education Diversity Fellowship

This fellowship is intended to assist professional degree programs in promoting a diversity of views, experiences, and ideas through the recruitment and support of academically excellent students with diverse ethnic, racial, economic, and educational backgrounds and experiences. The award is intended for a committed prospective student that will apply for the March 1 application deadline to the Parent and Family Education program with a Fall semester term. The deadline for this fellowship is typically the first week of February.

There are two parts of the application process to complete to be considered for this award. The first part is to complete the steps required by the Provost’s Office. As part of this process, professional programs must officially nominate a student and the student must complete the required documents by the early February deadline.

The second part of the process is to submit an application by the March 1, 2022 deadline to attend the Parent and Family Education program starting in the Fall of the following school year. Please see the Provost’s website for more information or reach out to famed@umn.edu to view the nomination materials and process.

External Funding Resources for Parent and Family Education Students

Carol E. MacPherson Scholarship

This fund provides scholarship assistance to women-identifying students who have a five-year or longer accumulative gap in their post-secondary education, and are seeking undergraduate or graduate degrees (full or half time) from a Minnesota higher education institution. The application deadline is typically in July. The award is offered once a year for new or current students who will be enrolled in the fall and spring semester. More information can be found here. 

Grow Your Own Grant Opportunity 

The Grow Your Own program is a grant opportunity provided by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to increase and diversify Minnesota’s teacher workforce. If you are a prospective or current student seeking the initial teaching licensure and you work in a district, you may be eligible to access funds through the Grow Your Own program to reimburse tuition costs. If considering, you will need to work with your district regarding applying for this opportunity. To learn more information and application deadlines, visit the website or reach out to famed@umn.edu. Grow Your Own applications are typically due in January and awarded in March. 

Minnesota Aspiring Teachers of Color Scholarship Pilot Program

The program provides post-secondary financial assistance to eligible undergraduate and graduate students who are preparing to become teachers, have demonstrated financial need, and belong to racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in the state's teacher workforce. This opportunity is for initial licensure students only and is typically offered in the Spring of the student teaching placement. To learn more, go to the program webpage. 

Utilizing UFARS (Object Code 389) with District ECFE Funds for Staff Tuition and other Reimbursements

Minnesota school districts follow the Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Standards (UFARS) to collect district financial data from all reporting units. District programs, including Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) and Community Education departments, can use UFARS Object Code 389 with ECFE funds to reimburse for staff tuition including, “all expenditures associated with course work for teacher quality training, including tuition, books and materials” and well as, “reimbursements for parental involvement and other reimbursable activities of federal programs.” It is determined by the school district how to use ECFE funds. 

Both initial and additional licensure candidates who work in a district in which there is a need for a licensed Parent Educator qualify. Prospective and current students should work with their school district and ECFE program to negotiate the terms and conditions for tuition reimbursement. For more information contact famed@umn.edu or Mike Brown from MDE at mike.p.brown@state.mn.us. 

Navigating Financial Aid Offers and the Cost of Attendance

Without accurate college cost information in financial aid offers, students may need to calculate college costs themselves to determine affordability. Here are some steps to help:

1. Calculate the total cost of attendance. This total is comprised of two types of key costs:

• Direct costs: Costs colleges typically bill directly—for example, tuition, fees, and on-campus housing and meals.

• Indirect costs: Costs students pay to other parties throughout the academic term—for example, books, academic supplies, off-campus housing and meals, and transportation.

If your financial aid offer doesn’t include information on these key costs, you can find them on the Department of Education’s College Navigator.

2. Add up your gift aid. Gift aid consists of grants and scholarships, which do not have to be repaid. Loans, which must be repaid, are not gift aid.

3. Subtract the gift aid from the total cost of attendance. The remaining amount is the net price—how much you would need to pay out-of-pocket using savings, earnings, or loans.

What financial aid offers do not tell you about the cost of college