Raoul Teilhet Scholarship

Through this benefit of membership, the CFT has helped hundreds of students reach their higher education goals by awarding them Raoul Teilhet Scholarships.

Applications are now open for the 2026 continuing college student application.

The CFT offers scholarships to high school seniors and continuing college students who are children or dependents of CFT members in good standing. Students enrolled in four-year courses of study are eligible for $3000 scholarships; those enrolled in two-year programs are eligible for $1000.

The Raoul Teilhet Scholarship program began in 1997 when delegates to the CFT Convention voted to establish scholarships to assist children and dependents of members with the cost of higher education. The program was named after inspirational CFT President Raoul Teilhet, who served the organization as president from 1968 to 1985. Convention delegates extended eligibility to continuing college students in 2003.

Applications are now open for continuing college students

Welcome student applicants! Here you will find information about scholarship eligibility and the link to our online application portal. Please read each section carefully and plan ahead to allow enough time to complete your application. The application period for each CFT Raoul Teilhet Scholarship is open for six months.

ELIGIBILITY

• A High School applicant must be a high school senior applying, and a Continuing College applicant must have graduated high school and completed on full semester of college with 12 units of credit
• The applicant’s parent or guardian must be a member in good standing of an AFT local union in California.
• The applicant must be listed as a dependent on their parent’s or guardian’s tax return.
• Award selection is based on academic achievement, special talents and skills, participation in extracurricular activities, community service, financial need, and a 500-word essay on a social issue of the applicant’s choice.
• Scholarships are awarded for any one year of higher education: High school seniors who received Raoul Teilhet Scholarships are not eligible for another scholarship as continuing college students. Continuing college students who received a Raoul Teilhet Scholarships are not eligible to apply again.
• The CFT accepts only online applications.

APPLICATIONS & DEADLINES

When you click on the application link online, you will be asked you to create a log-in for our application portal. Please keep track of your username and password. Once you have a log-in, you may work on your application at any time until you complete it and submit it.

We recommend that you allow four weeks to complete your application. It requires you to complete several sections and write an essay. In addition, the application requires other individuals to respond to your requests and you cannot control the timeliness of their responses. Please start your application early and plan your time accordingly to allow for successful completion.