Born of our mission to serve the Waldorf movement, Sunbridge institute is keenly interested in helping our students be able to begin and complete their Waldorf teacher education studies. This includes helping you manage the responsibility of your program tuition.

Our finance office works proactively with you—and, if applicable, with the school at which you work—to make you aware of all available options for financing your Waldorf teacher training. In addition, financial aid packages that reduce tuition costs by up to one third—and in some cases, depending on your financial situation and work status, by up to 40% or more—are available to those who qualify.

Financing options include:

• Sunbridge Scholarship Grant: Open to students enrolled in our Early Childhood, Elementary, or High School Teacher Education diploma programs and Elementary Music or World Languages & Cultures certificate programs, Sunbridge scholarships are awarded based on students’ needs and our available funds.

  Eligibility is determined by an impartial scale, with personal circumstances also taken into consideration. To be as responsive as we can, our application includes questions designed to give our Scholarship Committee as complete a picture as possible of each applicant’s financial circumstances, taking into consideration income level, household and personal expenses, student loans, Parent Plus loans, and other criteria. Importantly, to create predictability for your planning, as long as your financial picture remains constant across the length of your program studies, we strive to maintain consistency in your award levels. Scholarship applications must be submitted each year.

• Sunbridge Third-Year Grant: Beginning with the Early Childhood, Elementary, and High School Teacher Education Classes of 2027, and going forward, a Third-Year Grant has been established to help reduce tuition obligation for the final term of students graduating from these diploma programs. The awarding of this grant—which totals $1,000 for Early Childhood and Elementary program students and $700 for High School students (amounts are pro-rated for Completion Track and transfer students)—is split between a tuition credit and a payment made post-graduation. Students must complete all requirements for graduation within 12 months of their original cohort’s graduation date in order to receive the full grant amount. These grants are non-need-based and are applicable to all eligible diploma program graduates.

• Volume discount: A 10% discount is applied to each person’s tuition (and your school’s contribution, if any) when two or more teachers from your school are enrolled in any Sunbridge teacher education program during the same academic year.

• Canadian dollar discount: A 10% discount is applied to your tuition when paid with CAD. This discount may be combined with our volume discount. Discounts are applied after any financial aid has been awarded.

• Sunbridge Diversity Fund Scholarships: These non-need-based scholarships are available to students enrolled in our Early Childhood, Elementary, and High School teacher education diploma programs who identify as BIPOC. Scholarship amounts are dependent on available funds. Applications are carried over from year-to-year and do not need to be re-submitted.

• Sunbridge students working at Waldorf schools: Several funding options exist for those Sunbridge teacher education students who work at AWSNA-member schools. These include:
  • AWSNA Loans & Loans-to-Grants (see below for typical amounts)
  • Title funds from your district
  • Teacher professional development support from your school. If you are currently working or considering working at an AWSNA-member school, please consult with your school’s business office to learn what kind of support may be available to you.

• Waldorf Alumni Grant: Each year, AWSNA provides grant support ($1,000 in recent years) for 2-3 Waldorf school alums who are pursuing their teacher education at Sunbridge.

• Payment plans: Generous payment plans and deferral options are available which allow you to budget monthly tuition payments across the entire year and to defer your final payments for up to 18 months after graduation.