Fee Assistance

Are You Eligible for Financial Assistance?

Several federal, state or school district funds have been created to help offset the cost of the $2,500 fee. Support may also be available through the National Board Scholarship Program.To begin exploring your options, visit the State and Local Information page for contact information in your state.

Special low-interest loans are available to members of the National Education Association (NEA).

Financial Assistance for Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will reimburse eligible veterans up to $2,000 for National Board Certification assessment fees.  The VA will also reimburse a portion of retake fees if candidates do not achieve certification on the first attempt.

To receive this benefit, veterans must be eligible for the VA’s Montgomery G.I. Bill – Active Duty, the Veterans Educational Assistance Program or Dependents’ Education Assistance programs.  The VA will provide reimbursement once a candidate submits an application for reimbursement along with a copy of his or her score report and a receipt showing the amount paid for the exam. Candidates who received scores starting November 2003 are eligible to apply.

For additional information, download the application for VA benefits, or call 1-888-GI-BILL-1. 

Financial Assistance for Military Spouse Career Advancement

The Department of Defense (DoD) will provide funding of $2,500 for first-time candidates and $350 per retake entry/exercise for National Board Certification for military spouses through the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) Program. Spouses of Active Duty service members of the Department of Defense and activated members of the National Guard and Reserve Components are eligible.

To take advantage of this funding opportunity, the military spouse should:

1. Visit nbpts.org to submit the application for National Board Certification. (Note that MyCAA does not cover the cost of the nonrefundable application processing charge that is required at the time of application submission.) You will need your candidate ID for the MyCAA application.
2. Visit the MyCAA web site to establish an account. Once the account is established, MyCAA will verify spouse eligibility. Once eligibility is verified, the spouse should:
   • a) create a MyCAA Career and Training Plan, and
   • b) apply for MyCAA Financial Assistance.
3. Once approved, fax the funding authorization to NBPTS Customer Support at: 1-888-811-3514.

A spouse can contact a Military OneSource Career and Education consultant at 1-800-342-9647 with questions about developing and implementing their career and training plans successfully. With a $6,000/person limit, MyCAA is a great alternative funding opportunity for eligible candidates in states where funding for National Board Certification has been reduced due to budgetary restrictions. See complete information regarding MyCAA.