Are you committed to teaching in Hawaiʻi? You may be eligible for stipends* to cover tuition costs through the Grow Our Own (GOO) Teachers Initiative!

GOO is made possible through a partnership between the Hawaiʻi Department of Education (HIDOE) and the College of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Recipients of GOO funding are required to:

1. Complete one of the following programs to gain teacher licensure through the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board (HTSB):

    • Bachelor’s (BE.d) Elementary Education & Hawaiian Language Immersion
    • Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Elementary Education
    • Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Secondary Education
    • Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT K-12, including BAM)

2. Commit to three (3) years of full-time teaching (grades K-12) in their licensed field in Hawaiʻi Public Schools.

*Stipends reimburse the cost of tuition while enrolled, for courses required for teacher licensure; program courses previously taken are not covered; subject to availability of funds.

Those seeking licensure in special education should refer to the Special Education Stipend opportunity instead.

General Info

GOO applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • Resident of Hawaiʻi
  • Admitted to one of the identified School of Teacher Education Programs.
  • Submit GOO Application by Deadline

All eligible candidates are encouraged to apply for GOO funding. If there are more qualified applicants than available funds, we will use the following priorities to award GOO stipends:

  1. Hawaiʻi Public School Employees (i.e., emergency hire, substitute, educational assistant, etc.) in K-12 school settings
  2. HIDOE Federal Teacher Shortage Areas* (listed below)
  3. College of Education Program Priority:
    • Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Secondary
    • MEdT-Secondary
    • Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Elementary
    • MEdT- Elementary

* HIDOE Federal Teacher Shortage Areas:

Priority given to applicants seeking licensure in:

  • English
  • English as Second Language (ESL)
  • Hawaiian Immersion
  • Hawaiian Knowledge
  • Hawaiian Language
  • Hawaiian Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Special Education*
  • World Languages

*Note: Refer to Special Education Stipend opportunity instead

GOO recipients are eligible for stipends that cover the cost of tuition for courses required for teacher licensure. Program courses that were previously taken will not be covered. Students enrolled in an online program will only be assessed for resident tuition regardless of their residence in a different state or country.

Stipends will cover tuition and fees:

Post-Baccalaureate Secondary Up to 36 credits
MEdT K-12 Up to 34 credits
MEdT Hawaiian Immersion Up to 46 credits
Post-Baccalaureate Elementary Up to 31 credits
BEd Elementary Hawaiian Immersion Up to 54 credits

Please Note:

  • Neighbor island students will also receive travel stipends to cover roundtrip flights that are purchased by the GOO recipients to attend mandatory face-to-face meetings.
  • Repeated courses for any reason (i.e., no pass, withdrawal after the official drop date, etc.) will not be funded.
  • The total amount of the stipends received under the GOO Memorandum of Agreement is considered income by the IRS and is, therefore, reportable. If an individual receives in total more than $600 in a calendar year, the university will report the income on a Form 1099-MISC.
  • GOO recipients are required to sign and return a memo that will be emailed from our GOO Administrator to confirm receipt of issued stipend checks.

Subject to availability of funds.

Program & Application Info

  PBCTE-SECONDARY INFO
Program overview & COURSEWORK See Post-Baccalaureate – Secondary program page
Deadlines
Priority: September 1

Final: October 1

STIPENDS COVERS 36 credits

Neighbor island students will also receive travel stipends to cover roundtrip flights that are purchased by the GOO recipients to attend mandatory face-to-face meetings.

STIPENDS SCHEDULE Tuition stipends are issued each semester after the “drop a course” deadline (see academic calendar for dates). GOO recipients are subject to follow UH Mānoa’s payment deadlines. Please consider tuition stipends as reimbursements, which may take a month or more to process and deliver by mail.
HOW TO APPLY You must apply to both the PBCTE-Secondary Program and GOO by the deadline.

How To Apply – PBCTE Secondary
GOO Application

The GOO application has three parts:

  • Applicant Information
  • Personal Narrative (limit 500 words)
    • Why do you want to become a teacher and why is long-term teaching in Hawaiʻi important to you?
  • Optional Recommendation Form
    • Applicants may consider sending their Principals or Vice Principals a Recommendation Form to submit on their behalf. Priority will be given to those who have a Recommendation Form submitted by their school administration by October 22
  MEDT INFO
Program overview & COURSEWORK See MEdT- program page
Deadlines
(Must be admitted)
Priority: February 1

Final: March 1

STIPENDS COVERS Up to 34 credits

Neighbor island students will also receive travel stipends to cover roundtrip flights that are purchased by the GOO recipients to attend mandatory face-to-face meetings.

STIPENDS SCHEDULE Tuition stipends are issued each semester after the “drop a course” deadline (see academic calendar for dates). GOO recipients are subject to follow UH Mānoa’s payment deadlines. Please consider tuition stipends as reimbursements, which may take a month or more to process and deliver by mail.
HOW TO APPLY Please see instructions on how to apply to the MEdT Program.

If GOO funding is awarded for the 2024-2025 school year, a GOO application will be made available in the Fall 2024 semester to MEdT Fall 2024 Admits. Please contact uhmgoo@hawaii.edu for more information.

  PBCTE-ELEMENTARY INFO
Program overview & COURSEWORK See Post-Baccalaureate – Elementary program page
Deadlines
(Must be admitted)
Priority: September 1

Final: October 1

STIPENDS COVERS 31 credits

Neighbor island students will also receive travel stipends to cover roundtrip flights that are purchased by the GOO recipients to attend mandatory face-to-face meetings.

STIPENDS SCHEDULE Tuition stipends are issued each semester after the “drop a course” deadline (see academic calendar for dates). GOO recipients are subject to follow UH Mānoa’s payment deadlines. Please consider tuition stipends as reimbursements, which may take a month or more to process and deliver by mail.
HOW TO APPLY You must apply to both the PBCTE-Elementary Program and GOO by the deadline.

How To Apply – PBCTE Elementary
GOO Application

The GOO application has three parts:

  • Applicant Information
  • Personal Narrative (limit 500 words)
    • Why do you want to become a teacher and why is long-term teaching in Hawaiʻi important to you?
  • Optional Recommendation Form
    • Applicants may consider sending their Principals or Vice Principals a Recommendation Form to submit on their behalf. Priority will be given to those who have a Recommendation Form submitted by their school administration by October 22

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