Service Requirement

The post-enrollment service requirement for the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program (USTP) begins after you are no longer enrolled at least half time at any institution. While you are enrolled at an institution at least half time (even if no longer receiving the USTP award), you will not start verifying your service but will need to be placed in an in-school deferment. If enrolled at least half time, you may need to complete the USTP Enrollment Verification Form.

All recipients will first enter a twelve-month grace period. During the grace period, we will request you complete an exit interview. Then we will send an e-mail requesting you complete a USTP Employment Verification Form and submit a letter from your county board confirming your full-time teaching contract in math, science, special education or elementary education. It is your responsibility to submit the appropriate forms in a timely manner to meet your obligation or you will enter repayment. If you sign a contract with a county board before we contact you, you may go ahead and complete the USTP Employment Verification Form and submit.

We will verify your employment and place your scholarship/loan in deferment until you have completed one year of teaching. After successful verification of one year of teaching, we will cancel one year of your scholarship/loan obligation and defer for another academic year, after which you would need to submit documentation again. After five years of teaching, the USTP service obligation will be complete, and the award will remain a scholarship. It is important you keep your contact information up to date for you to receive all our communications.

In addition to the completed USTP Employment Verification Form, you will need to submit a letter from your county board of education, on letterhead, confirming your full-time contract to teach in the fields of math, science, special education or special education.  You can securely upload the documentation through your WVSAM account.

If you receive a billing statement from Heartland ECSI, your scholarship has converted to a loan. If you are enrolled at least half time or teaching in an eligible field at a public school in West Virginia, do not pay the bill yet, but immediately contact our office at underwoodsmith@wvhepc.edu or 304-558-4618 so your records may be reviewed to determine if you can still submit documentation or must pay back the funds.

It’s possible there was an issue with your documentation, and we may need additional or different documents. Contact our office at underwoodsmith@wvhepc.edu or 304-558-4618 to find out what is still required from you.

Your account at Heartland ECSI will enter repayment twelve months after you dropped below half-time enrollment status. One month after the grace period ends, your first payment is due.

You must pay back your scholarship/loan, plus interest and fees, if you have not submitted documents verifying you are under contract with a county board of education public education program in West Virginia to teach in the fields of math, science, elementary education or special education, or are no longer enrolled at least half time. This is true no matter what your circumstances – even if you don’t finish school or your education doesn’t meet your expectations. If you are teaching in an eligible field in West Virginia, you should not have to pay it back if you provide the employment documentation in a timely manner, regardless of whether you finished your program or not.

Heartland ECSI will send you communications about repayment. You may also set up an online account at https://heartland.ecsi.net/.