Free high school teaching degrees in Victoria under government scholarship plan

People will be able to study teaching degrees for free in Victoria under a $93.2 million scholarship program.

The scholarships will be available to all students who enrol in secondary school teaching degrees in 2024 and 2025, with final payments if they then work in Victorian government schools for two years after they graduate – supporting around 4000 future teachers each year, the state government claims.

The total scholarship for students who complete their studies and then choose to work in state secondary schools will be $18,000 for a four-year undergraduate program or $9000 for two years of postgraduate study.

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Other initiatives will include $50,000 bonuses for teachers - whether local, interstate, or international - who take up hard-to-fill positions in state schools, such as those in rural and remote areas.

The government will also expand its Career Start initiative to offer graduate teachers mentoring and further development in their first year.

And a $13.9 million trial for employment-based degrees will launch in 2025, which will allow people to study teaching while doing paid work at a school.

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The total suite of new measures comes with a $229.8 million price tag.

"This will mean one less barrier for Victorians thinking of a career in teaching," Premier Daniel Andrews said.

Education Minister Natalie Hutchins said the number of registered teachers in Victoria had increased by nearly 5000 between 2020 and 2022.