In order to be considered for admission to the Teach For America corps, you must satisfy three prerequisites: bachelor’s degree; a minimum cumulative GPA; and be a citizen, national/legal resident, or eligible Employment Authorization Document (EAD) holder. Learn more about each eligibility prerequisite on our Application Process page. Application Process
Can I apply to the corps if I won’t graduate by June?Teach For America requires that all applicants possess a bachelor's degree by the start of our summer training program (between early and mid-June), which varies depending on your assigned region. Having a bachelor’s degree by the first day of the summer training is a requirement because corps members teach summer school in a public school system during this time. Corps members are also placed in teaching positions in their assigned region throughout the spring and summer. If you've completed all of your coursework for your undergraduate degree but are still waiting to have your degree conferred, normally we can work with you to get the necessary documentation from your school to verify that you are eligible. If you still have coursework to complete after June, you should wait until the following application season to apply.
Can I apply before my senior year?Yes! College juniors can apply early. As an early admissions applicant, you’ll be evaluated on the same criteria as any other applicant. We encourage you to apply when you believe your application will be the strongest, whether that is as a junior or as a senior.
Am I eligible to apply early to the corps?You can learn more about early admission on our Application Process page.
If you are not yet eligible to apply to Teach For America, you can learn more about internships and opportunities to get involved with our mission now. on our Internships & Fellowships page.
Can I apply to the corps if I have a conflict that interferes with the summer training dates?Summer training, which generally includes a week-long regional induction, five-week intensive training institute, and a week-long regional orientation, is mandatory. As a general rule of thumb, once you begin induction, you can expect to have weekday commitments from that day forward until the beginning of the school year. If you have a conflict that is earlier in the summer, you may want to preference regions with later training dates. If you know now that your conflict would require you to miss more than one day of each region’s training schedule, then you will not be able to join the corps. Please consider applying for a future corps instead.
I'm not a recent graduate. Should I apply?We welcome people of all backgrounds, ages, and experiences to apply to the corps. As long as you are a US citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, or have an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) from an eligible category (note: not all EAD holders are eligible) and have a bachelor's degree with at least a 2.50 cumulative undergraduate GPA, you are eligible to apply to Teach For America. In the event that your cumulative undergraduate GPA falls below a 2.50, we do offer a waiver to the minimum undergraduate GPA requirement for those applicants who have a graduate degree with at least a 3.50 GPA. While some of our corps members join immediately after completing their undergraduate degrees, a significant percentage of corps members are not directly out of college and have often completed graduate degrees or had experiences in other careers.
Please keep in mind that there are additional qualities we are looking for in our applicants beyond these three base requirements. We seek goal-oriented individuals with the leadership skills necessary to excel as teachers during their two-year commitments and to influence long-term change beyond the two years. Ideal candidates also possess a desire and ability to work in diverse coalitions and continuously seek to improve and learn. They should also have a deep conviction to expand opportunities and change inequitable systems.
Can I reapply to TFA if I have already applied in the past?Candidates may only apply to Teach For America once during an admissions year but are welcome to reapply during subsequent admissions years. For example, candidates who apply for the 2024 corps will not be eligible to reapply at a later deadline during the 2024-2025 school year. However, they may reapply for the 2025 corps, beginning August 2024.
Teach For America reserves the right to use any and all information submitted in previous applications when making admissions decisions.
What if my GPA is below 2.50?Due to school districts and hiring requirements, Teach For America requires that all applicants maintain an undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 both at the time of application and at graduation. Admitted candidates whose final average falls below 2.50 will forego their positions in Teach For America. Graduate GPAs cannot be used or averaged in with undergraduate GPAs, nor can additional undergraduate courses completed after the date of graduation. If your cumulative undergraduate GPA was below a 2.50 but you have a graduate degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher, you can look into our GPA Prerequisite Waiver.
The 2.50 minimum GPA is mandated by the school districts and credentialing programs with which we work, and we have no way of working around this requirement. If this is prevents for you applying to Teach For America, we encourage you, on your own, to explore individual school districts to determine whether or not your GPA will prevent you from teaching in a school district in which you are interested.
What is a GPA Prerequisite Waiver and am I eligible to use one?For some applicants with an undergraduate GPA less than 2.50, a GPA prerequisite waiver is an option.
If you struggled in undergrad, you may be eligible for a waiver if you earned a graduate degree with a GPA of 3.50 or higher on a 4.00 scale. You do not need to apply for the waiver. As you fill out the application with an undergraduate GPA lower than 2.50, you will see a warning message that you are not eligible to apply.
Simply continue the application if your graduate school transcripts show a final cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher. You’ll receive the same level of review by the selection committee as other candidates. If you are invited to an interview, you’ll be required to submit an official transcript from every undergraduate and graduate university you have attended.
Please note that receiving this waiver will limit your potential placement regions. You must be willing to relocate to one of these areas if admitted to the corps.
You will only be eligible to teach in the following regions:
While Teach For America does not distinguish between accreditation types, it is possible our university and/or certification partners may have more specific requirements.
If you suspect your degree-granting institution may not meet certain accreditation requirements, you are encouraged to research the certification requirements for the school district where you are interested in teaching to learn more.
Can I apply to the corps if I'm not a U.S. Citizen, national, permanent resident, or DACA recipient?Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, lawful permanent residents, or have an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) through one of the following categories which does not require employer sponsorship: A02, A03, A05, A10, A11, A12, A16, A19, A20, C08, C09, C10, C14, C18, C19, C21, C25, C31, C33.
You are not eligible to apply if you are in the United States with a student visa, exchange visa, work visa, or tourist visa.
When thinking about when to apply, you should carefully consider the timeline associated with each deadline. You should ensure you’re available to attend the interviews and able to make the decision to commit to the corps by the confirmation deadline.
Is there an advantage to applying at an earlier deadline?Regions are filled on a first-come, first-served basis based on regional selections at each application deadline. Given this, some regions may be closed to new corps members by the time someone applies at a later deadline. Applying earlier may be advantageous if you have a particular region you would like to teach in. There are additional advantages to applying to the first or second deadline. You'll have more time to take certification exams and complete your pre-work in advance of summer training. This additional time can also be very helpful as you plan for the transition into the corps and a potential move to a new community.
What does the application process look like?Teach For America's application process includes an online application and interview. There are several steps that happen in between the time you submit the online application and the time you may be invited to the interview. The entire process takes about 4-6 weeks, from start to finish Complete an Online Application (~1 Hour) The timing varies for each applicant, but you may be able to complete the application in as little as one hour. The application consists of a series of background questions, a resume upload, short answer responses, and the chance to tell us which regions you would like to apply to. TFA Reviews Your Online Application (1 Week) It takes about a week for us to review all applications after each application deadline. The information you provide in the online application will help us gain a more thorough understanding of who you are, your unique strengths, and motivations for joining the corps. Having this full picture will help us decide if you should move on to the final interview. Prepare for Interview & Submit Additional Materials (2 Weeks) If you are invited to the interview, you will be notified about one week after the application deadline. You will then have about two weeks to prepare for the interview and submit required materials such as college transcripts and letters of recommendation. These materials provide us with additional examples of your leadership and accomplishments before you head into the interview. During your interview, you’ll teach a five-minute lesson, participate in a case activity, and discuss your accomplishments and interest in joining the corps with an interviewer. Finalize your Regional Selections and Submit Your Preferred Subject Areas (~2 Weeks) After your interview, you’ll be asked to finalize your regional selections from your initial application. As a reminder, your location preferences have no impact on your chance of acceptance. In addition to finalizing your regional selections, you will have the chance to tell us the subject areas that you are most excited to teach in your region if you are admitted. Receive An Admissions Decision & Accept or Decline Your Offer (10 Days) Teach For America will evaluate your full application after you finalize your regional selections and submit your subject area preferences. Our admissions process is holistic, meaning we look at all the information you’ve provided when evaluating your candidacy. We’ll take everything from your initial application, to your sample lesson, and to your interview into consideration. When you receive your admissions decision you will also be notified about your region and subject placement. If you’ve received an offer to join the corps, you’ll have roughly two weeks to make your decision about accepting your offer to become a corps member
Why do I need to provide so much information during the admissions process?Our application process is designed to help you prepare for the rigor of our program, and to help us select the most qualified candidates. We look for a number of specific traits that are common among our most successful corps members. In order to give you the best opportunity to demonstrate these traits, we ask all applicants to provide multiple examples of their skills, experiences, aspirations, and leadership, including transcripts, written responses, and letters of recommendation. The interview also gives you an opportunity to expand on the examples you provided in your application, and fill in any gaps. Having multiple examples of your leadership experiences, and accomplishments from different sources gives us a holistic picture of who you are, and how your strengths might play out in the classroom.
Do you require additional application information?Teach For America may require additional information from applicants before determining whether to invite them to an interview. Teach For America reserves the right to collect information from applicants at a later date and use this information in admissions decisions. Failure to respond to requests for more information is grounds for non-admission or dismissal.
Is a background check required for my application?If admitted to the corps, you are expected to submit to any and all background checks required by school districts, charter schools, other employers, Teach For America, and other relevant agencies. Teach For America reserves the right to deny admission to or dismiss any corps member who has been involved in a criminal proceeding other than minor traffic violations, regardless of the outcome. Teach For America is not responsible for finding alternative placements for corps members who cannot be hired or who are fired by their assigned school districts because of their criminal records or involvement in criminal proceedings, or who are deemed ineligible by Teach For America due to criminal history. In addition, Teach For America reserves the right to inform the school district in which the corps member is teaching or planning to teach of the corps member’s conviction records or ongoing involvement in criminal proceedings. If, through background checks conducted or commissioned by a state, district, or Teach For America, it is found that an applicant or a corps member did not disclose their involvement in a criminal proceeding in the application as required and described therein, this may be treated as falsification or misrepresentation, which are grounds for dismissal from the corps. If a background check conducted or reviewed by Teach For America yields a criminal record that would preclude an applicant or corps member from service, the applicant or corps member will be notified of the finding and have the opportunity to review and challenge the factual accuracy of the record before action is taken to exclude the applicant or corps member from the position. In such cases, details on the process for obtaining and challenging the results of the background check will be included in the notification of findings.
Will I receive feedback on my application?Given the volume of applications Teach For America receives, we are unable to provide individual feedback about admissions decisions to applicants who are not accepted at any stage of the application process.