Teach the Future Fellowship program

If you are a Victorian resident and enrolling in an accredited undergraduate secondary or specialist school teaching degree in 2026 you could be eligible for a Teach the Future Fellowship (TFF).

Participants in the TFF program must be studying degrees which qualify them to teach in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, English as an Additional Language (EAL), and/or special education.

There are 200 fellowships available in 2026. The Department of Education will prioritise participants:

• with an ATAR of 85 or above
• studying an in-demand subject
• studying secondary, specialist, dual primary-secondary, secondary-specialist or primary-specialist undergraduate teaching
• studying at Victorian-based ITE providers
• who have lived in rural and regional areas over the past 5 years.

What is included in these Fellowships?

These fellowships offer $10,000 across a 4-year (FTE) initial teacher education (ITE) program.

This includes a payment of $8,000 in the first year of a teaching degree and $2,000 upon completion of their Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) in their fellowship subject specialism at an eligible school

Successful applicants who apply in Semester 1 2026 will receive their first payment in the second half of 2026.

The fellowship will also provide non-financial supports like networking opportunities and mentoring to help you get a head start in your teaching career.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for TFF, an applicant must meet all 5 criteria:

1. Victorian or designated border community resident domestic student. For the purposes of the TFF, this is defined as:
   • an Australian citizen
   • an Australian permanent resident
   • a New Zealand citizen living in Victoria, or
   • an Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder.
2. Place of primary residence is in Victoria or a designated border community during completion of their eligible ITE degree.
3. Enrolled in a secondary, specialist, dual primary-secondary, secondary-specialist or primary-specialist undergraduate ITE degree accredited by the VIT, or an equivalent regulatory State or Territory authority and recognised by the VIT, with a first census date between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2026.
4. Commencing their first year of study of a secondary or specialist school ITE degree in 2026.
5. Undertaking the eligible ITE degree at a minimum of 50% study load (equivalent full-time study load – EFTSL) at the time of assessment.

Next steps

TFF Program Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions will be published soon.

If you require any additional information or have queries you can contact us on: teach.the.future.fellowships@education.vic.gov.au

For past STS participants

The Secondary Teaching Scholarship (STS) is now closed. It only applied to students who were enrolled and took part in 2024 or 2025. For more information about the employment part of STS, please visit the STS program webpage.