Scholarships & Grants

• The John Albert Gay Scholarship Endowment ► This scholarship is made possible by an endowment given by Dr. and Mrs. R. A. Gay (Florence Vaughan). This scholarship assists a graduate student majoring in special education. Preference is given to those specializing in the area of the emotionally disturbed child. Student must demonstrate financial need. (FAFSA).
• TeachVirginia Tuition Assistance Information ► From TeachVirginia Educator Career Center: With the critical shortage of special educators in Virginia, there has never been a better time to seek financial assistance for a career in special education.
• The Frank Kill Knecht Memorial Scholarship Endowment ► The Frank Hill Knecht Memorial Scholarship Endowment was established in 1982 in memory of Frank Hill Knecht, an alumna and retired ODU staff member by his sister, Lena Rosa Conley. The recipient will be an undergraduate or graduate student majoring in education, preferably special education. The student will possess motivation and demonstrate financial need. Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid for more information. Find basic information in the Scholarships listing.
• The Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Vision Impairment ► Funding of students admitted to the consortium will be dependent on available funding and contingent on the student's compliance with consortium requirements. Funding amounts will vary by semester.

• Teach Grant►: Through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, Congress created the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program that provides grants to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.
• ACSD Consortium for Endorsement in Adapted Curriculum► The Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Special Education Adapted Curriculum (ACSD) is comprised of six state-approved teacher preparation programs in special education: adapted curriculum K-12. Participating universities are George Mason University; Virginia Commonwealth University; Norfolk State University; Radford University; James Madison University; and Old Dominion University. The consortium's primary goal is to prepare teachers across the commonwealth to be highly skilled and effective in teaching learners with severe and multiple disabilities. The program is designed to accelerate the training for teachers with newly-issued provisional licenses and to increase the number of fully endorsed teachers by providing training to full-time pre-service personnel. All courses are online and tuition assistance is available.
• Commonwealth Special Education Endorsement Programs ►The purpose of The Commonwealth Special Education Endorsement Program (CSEEP) is to provide a path to full licensure eligibility in special education: general curriculum K-12 for teachers in Virginia who hold provisional licenses. All courses are online and tuition assistance is available.
• Paraprofessional Preparation for Extraordinary Teaching Grant ► The Paraprofessional Preparation for Extraordinary Teaching (PPET) program provides the coursework necessary for individuals with bachelor's degrees from regionally accredited universities to become eligible for a Virginia teaching license in special education: general curriculum K-12. Teachers with special education: general curriculum K-12 teaching licenses are in high demand and serve students with mild to moderate disabilities. All courses are online and tuition discounts are available for individuals working in Virginia Public Schools.

• Master's Students ► Several graduate assistantships are available to students in the master's programs in in speech-language pathology. The assistantships come with a semester stipend. No tuition is included. Duties include providing administrative support and faculty support for teaching or research.
• Doctoral Students ► Four doctoral student assistantships are available to students in the special education doctoral program. The assistantships typically support graduate teaching assistants for the program.

Both master's degree and doctoral students, may email aperrott@odu.edu for more information.