NC S684

Expands the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program to allow students pursuing any area of teaching licensure to be eligible, removing the previous restriction to only STEM and special education areas.

Prioritizes applicants who have completed associate degree programs with a concentration in teacher education as a selection criterion for forgivable loans.

Creates accelerated loan forgiveness for recipients who earned an associate degree from a community college in partnership with a participating institution and teach in the community college's administrative area.

Creates accelerated loan forgiveness for recipients who teach in schools located in Tier One development areas, allowing one year of service to equal loan forgiveness instead of requiring two years.

Becomes effective July 1, 2021, and applies to forgivable loans awarded to a new cohort beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year.