ICTM Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Overview
The Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) awards its Scholarships in Mathematics Education annually each October. ICTM has been supporting college students pursuing math teaching careers since 1989. A listing of previous recipients is available on the ICTM website, with current winners shown at the bottom of the scholarship page.

Awards
Up to three scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded to help defray recipients’ educational expenses. Scholarship recipients also receive a complimentary one-year ICTM membership, free registration to the ICTM annual conference, and an ICTM board mentor. Donations to the scholarship fund help sustain this program for future candidates.

Eligibility for the 2025–2026 Scholarship
To qualify, applicants must meet all of the following:
- Be enrolled as a junior or senior at an accredited Illinois college or university during Spring 2026, with a graduation date of May 2026 or later.
- Be pursuing their first bachelor’s degree and intend to teach in Illinois after graduation.
- Be one of the following majors: mathematics education; mathematics with an education minor; early childhood education; or elementary education.
- Hold an overall GPA of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, calculated from all colleges attended.

Required Documents (submit digital copies via the ICTM Scholarship Submission Portal)
1. A completed ICTM scholarship application form, which must include:
- Applicant information
- Two essays, each 200–300 words
- A fully completed lesson planning form
2. Transcripts from all colleges attended.
3. Two letters of recommendation from mathematics or mathematics-methods instructors (high school or college). Each letter must describe the writer’s relationship to the applicant and evaluate the applicant’s potential as a mathematics teacher.
4. Verification of enrollment in a teacher education program (for example: a letter from your advisor, registration documents, or a transcript notation).

Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be reviewed and scored by a reader committee using the following rubric:
- Application information: 5 points (completeness, GPA, clarity)
- Activities: 10 points (relevance of work, leadership, and extracurricular activities to mathematics and/or teaching)
- Essay #1: 10 points (writing quality, projected contribution to mathematics teaching, enthusiasm for the subject and profession)
- Essay #2: 10 points (writing quality and completeness/quality of the response to the prompt)
- Lesson Planning Form: 15 points (clarity and suitability of objectives/goals, student engagement strategies, assessment of student understanding, and coherent lesson flow including introduction and closure)

Deadlines and Submission
- Applications must be submitted by May 8, 2026.
- A fillable PDF version of the 2025–2026 application is available for download on the ICTM website. Once you have collected all required materials listed above, upload them through the ICTM Scholarship Submission Portal before the deadline.

Questions
Direct application questions to scholarships@ictm.org.