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AP Summer Institute Scholarships

Each year, College Board awards scholarships and fee waivers for qualifying teachers to attend an AP Summer Institute (APSI). We also award fee waivers to teachers who are required to attend an AP Capstone professional learning event.

These scholarships and fee waivers are offered to teachers at schools without funding for professional learning, and who meet the specific requirements described below. Scholarship applications open each year in mid-December and close in mid-February the following year.

Scholarship Types

For more information, please see the FAQs below. For additional questions, please contact the following:

For AP Fellows and AP Rural Fellows programs: [email protected]
For AP Capstone fee waivers: https://form.collegeboard.org/f/ap-services-for-educators-contact

FAQ

What do the AP Summer Institute scholarships cover?

College Board APSI scholarships cover the cost of tuition at a College Board–endorsed APSI fitting the criteria of the scholarship. After APSI sessions start, APSIs invoice College Board directly for the cost of tuition and lab fees (if applicable). College Board then pays the tuition cost directly to the APSI.

The AP Fellows and AP Rural Fellows scholarships also come with a reimbursement component when the attended APSI is in-person/on-site. Any remaining scholarship funds, after tuition has been paid to the APSI, are sent directly to the teacher to defray the cost of travel and expenses for in-person/on-site sessions.

The AP Capstone Summer Professional Learning fee waivers cover the cost of tuition only to an AP Capstone summer training event.

NOTES:

Only College Board–endorsed APSIs are covered by the scholarships or fee waivers. The AP Annual Conference, Pre-AP classes, one-day workshops, and other workshops are not covered.
Scholarships and fee waivers only cover the cost of tuition; all other APSI costs including but not limited to tuition cost above scholarship amount, lodging, and food, are the responsibility of the scholarship recipient and should be billed to the scholarship recipient, not College Board.
Scholarships and fee waivers are not renewable or transferable and can only be used for an APSI in the year they are awarded.

Important information regarding reimbursements: APSIs may be offered both in-person and online. Reimbursement components to scholarships, when applicable, will depend on the type of APSI you attend and tuition cost:

Online APSI session with $0 cost tuition—no reimbursement. We ask that you contact College Board to let us know that you will not be using your scholarship at all so that it can be awarded to another teacher who is struggling to pay a tuition cost.
Online APSI session with a tuition cost—College Board will pay the tuition cost directly to the APSI. No reimbursement funds will be sent to the scholarship recipient.
In-person APSI session (held at a school campus or conference center, requiring travel)—College Board will pay the tuition cost directly to the APSI and reimbursement funds will be sent to the scholarship recipient to help cover out-of-pocket expenses for travel.

Where and when are the AP Summer Institutes held?

AP Summer Institute dates and locations are posted on AP Central. Search for a session near you.

As a reminder, College Board does not own or manage any of the APSIs. Each APSI works independently, and each handles their own session schedules and registration. College Board updates this list as APSIs share new session dates with us, but we have no control of when or if a specific APSI will offer a specific session. If you do not see one matching your specific criteria, you may need to widen your search to a different time frame or location.

Please be sure to contact the APSI of your choice directly for any specific questions regarding registration or schedule.

I'm not sure if my schedule will allow me to attend an AP Summer Institute. Should I still apply for the scholarship?

We encourage you to determine your schedule before applying. However, if you are awarded a scholarship, you will have approximately two weeks after notification to formally accept it. If you find that you're unable to attend, you can decline the award.

My school only misses the AP Summer Institute scholarship demographic criteria by a few percentage points. Should I still apply?

Applications that do not exactly meet the demographic criteria will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the number of fully qualified applications we receive, and how many scholarships we have available to award, we may expand selections to include applications that only meet one criterion or come close. Therefore, you may want to apply if your school comes close to meeting the criteria.

I teach at a school outside the United States. Am I eligible for an AP Summer Institute scholarship?

Because the scholarship criteria are applicable to U.S. schools only, teachers at non-U.S. schools are not eligible for APSI scholarships.

I teach at a school that is in a U.S. territory. Am I eligible for an AP Summer Institute scholarship?

Teachers at schools located in the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are eligible for AP Fellows and AP Capstone fee waivers.

Where can I find out if my school is classified as "rural" by the NCES?

Use the National Center for Education Statistics website to search for your school. In the "School Details" section, check the designation for "Locale."

Public school search: https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/

Private school search: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/

If the NCES does not have your school’s information, we suggest reaching out to your principal or school administration to find the most accurate information to report on your application.

NOTE: All islands of Hawaii, except Oahu, will be considered “rural” regardless of the NCES data.

I'd like to attend an AP Summer Institute out of the United States. Is this covered by an AP Summer Institute Scholarship?

You may use the funds provided through either an AP Fellows or AP Rural Fellows scholarship toward the cost of attending a College Board–endorsed APSI outside the U.S.

I received an AP Summer Institute scholarship last year. Am I eligible for another scholarship this year?

You are only eligible for a scholarship in a different AP subject than the one for which you received a scholarship for last year or in the last three years. For example, if you received a College Board APSI scholarship for an AP English Language and Composition APSI in the last three years, you cannot receive a College Board APSI scholarship for an AP English Language and Composition APSI this year. However, you are eligible for a scholarship for AP English Literature and Composition or another AP subject.

Where can I find the percentages of low-income and traditionally underrepresented students in my school?

Use the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) website to search for your school. Your school's entry will show the total number of students by race/ethnicity, and the numbers of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch.

Public school search: https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/

Private school search: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/

If the NCES does not have your school’s information, we suggest reaching out to your Principal or school administration to find the most accurate information to report on your application.

Where can I find my school's College Board code?

You can use the link below to search for your school's College Board code:

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/k-12-school-code-search.

I applied for an AP Summer Institute scholarship. When will I find out whether or not I received it?

Applicants for APSI scholarships and fee waivers will be notified via email, using the email they provided in their application, by the end of March.

Why do I need to submit my W-9 when applying for an AP Summer Institute scholarship?

You must submit a valid W-9 for College Board to release your scholarship funds and process your tuition payment. The value of your scholarship is subject to income tax and will be reported on Form 1099. For more information, visit: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc421.

APSI scholarship payments, made by College Board on behalf of teachers attending an APSI, are not “qualified scholarship” exempt from tax under IRC section 117 because recipients are not students enrolled at a qualified education institution as degree candidates. Under the Internal Revenue Code, the APSI scholarship payments are “prizes” or “awards” that are required to be reported on Form 1099. You may want to consult with your tax advisor as to whether any APSI expenses are deductible against the scholarship income.

I was awarded an AP Summer Institute scholarship and completed my letter of commitment, now what?

Register for an AP Summer Institute as soon as you receive scholarship award confirmation email since registrations fill up quickly. You must register as a College Board APSI Scholarship recipient. Select the scholarship option when registering for your APSI or contact the APSI directly to let them know that you have received a scholarship, and that your tuition, (up to your scholarship amount), will be paid for by College Board. The confirmation email you received from College Board can serve as proof, if needed or requested by your APSI.

You do not need to let College Board know which APSI you are planning to attend. The AP Summer Institutes bill College Board directly after sessions start. If you received an AP Fellows or AP Rural Fellows scholarship, any funds remaining, after your tuition is paid, will be sent to the address on your W-9 45 business days after payment to your APSI is sent if you attended an in-person/on-site APSI.

NOTES:

Invoices cannot be sent to College Board until after the APSI session starts.
No money can be released until your APSI sends College Board an invoice for the cost of tuition.
College Board has no control over when invoices are sent to us. All APSIs have been given a final due date of October 15th to submit their invoices.

There isn't a place on my AP Summer Institute registration form to indicate that I am a scholarship recipient. What do I do?

Please contact the APSI directly and share that you were recently awarded a College Board AP Summer Institute scholarship. You may need to use your confirmation email as proof of your scholarship. APSI staff should be able to walk you through the process of registering as a scholarship recipient.

Do not register if there is no option to register as a scholarship recipient.

I will not have an AP class next fall, or I am changing careers/leaving my school. Can I transfer my AP Summer Institute scholarship to a colleague?

Because scholarships and fee waivers are awarded based on your personal and professional information in addition to your school's profile, they are not transferable or renewable and can only be used for an APSI in the year they are awarded.

My state has offered to pay for my AP Summer Institute. Can I apply for the scholarship to help cover any additional expenses I may incur?

Scholarship funds will only be released if an APSI directly bills College Board for your tuition. We do not provide scholarships solely for additional expenses. A stipulation of the scholarship requires that teachers are not eligible for funding from their state or district—this rule is intended to ensure that teachers most in need receive funding.

Is my AP Summer Institute scholarship deferrable or transferable?

Because scholarships and fee waivers are awarded based on your personal and professional information in addition to your school's profile, they are not transferable or deferrable and can only be used for an APSI in the year they are awarded.

What do I do if I need to cancel my AP Summer Institute registration?

If you need to cancel your registration with your APSI, be sure to do so in accordance with that APSI's cancellation policy and obtain confirmation from the APSI of the cancellation.

If you fail to follow the cancellation policy or fail to get confirmation, the APSI will charge College Board for your tuition which means you will not be able to apply your scholarship at any other APSI and you will be held responsible for paying taxes on the tuition cost of the canceled APSI session.

When will I receive my AP Summer Institute scholarship payment?

After your APSI sends College Board an invoice, the tuition payment for your AP Summer Institute will be sent directly to the AP Summer Institute you attended (you, your school, or your district should not be making any tuition payments to your APSI unless tuition cost exceeds your scholarship amount).

If you received an AP Fellows or AP Rural Fellows scholarship, we will send the remaining funds (to be used as reimbursement for travel and expenses) to the address on your W-9 45 days after payment to the APSI has been sent if you attended an in-person/on-site APSI.

NOTE:

APSIs can only send an invoice after the APSI session has started.
No money will be released for either tuition or reimbursement until College Board receives an invoice directly from the APSI after the APSI has started.
College Board cannot control when invoices are sent. All APSIs have been given a final due date of October 15th to submit their invoices. (Please contact your APSI directly with any questions regarding when your invoice will be sent).

Important information regarding reimbursements: APSIs may be offered both in-person and online. Reimbursement components to scholarships, when applicable, will depend on the type of APSI you attend and tuition cost:

Online APSI session with $0 cost tuition—no reimbursement. We ask that you contact College Board to let us know that you will not be using your scholarship at all so that it can be awarded to another teacher who is struggling to pay a tuition cost.
Online APSI session with a tuition cost—College Board will pay the tuition cost directly to the APSI. No reimbursement funds will be sent to the scholarship recipient.
In-person APSI session (held at a school campus or conference center, requiring travel)—College Board will pay the tuition cost directly to the APSI and reimbursement funds will be sent to the scholarship recipient to help cover out-of-pocket expenses for travel.

When will I receive my AP Summer Institute reimbursement?

No reimbursement funds are sent prior to an APSI starting. After an APSI has started, APSIs are allowed to send an invoice to College Board for the cost of your tuition (you, your school, or your district should not be making any tuition payments to your APSI unless tuition cost exceeds your scholarship amount).

College Board has no control over when APSIs send us their invoices. While most are sent in July, August and September all APSIs have until October 15th to do so (please contact your APSI directly if you have any questions regarding when your invoice will be sent). Once we receive the invoice, College Board will process the invoice and send payment for tuition to the APSI within 30 business days.

If you were awarded an AP Fellows or AP Rural Fellows scholarship, any remaining funds from your scholarship, after your tuition cost is paid, will be sent to you, via the address on your W-9, 45 days after payment to the APSI has been sent if you attended an in-person/on-site APSI.

NOTE:

APSIs can only send an invoice after the APSI session has started.
No money will be released for either tuition or reimbursement until College Board receives an invoice directly from the APSI after the APSI has started.
College Board cannot control when invoices are sent. All APSIs have been given a due date of October 15th to submit their invoices. (Please contact your APSI directly with any questions regarding when your invoice will be sent).

Online APSI session with $0 cost tuition—no reimbursement. We ask that you contact College Board to let us know that you will not be using your scholarship at all so that it can be awarded to another teacher who is struggling to pay a tuition cost.
Online APSI session with a tuition cost—College Board will pay the tuition cost directly to the APSI. No reimbursement funds will be sent to the scholarship recipient.
In-person APSI session (held at a school campus or conference center, requiring travel)—College Board will pay the tuition cost directly to the APSI and reimbursement funds will be sent to the scholarship recipient to help cover out-of-pocket expenses for travel.