OSPI National Board Conditional Loan

The OPSI conditional loan is awarded to select applicants in Washington state who express written intent to enroll in and complete the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process. The application is based, in part, on a series of essay questions and several federal-and-state required demographic considerations.

It is recommended to save essay responses on a separate document as the online application will timeout after 20 minutes.

Conditional Loan Application

OSPI will begin accepting conditional loan applications for the 2026-2027 National Board assessment cycle around September 2026. Applications are submitted through the NBPTS Support and Development application in the Education Data System.

The application includes functionality that allows approved applicants to upload their Promissory Note directly into the EDS system once their application has been approved.

The online application will close on November 30.

NOTE: The conditional loan is not a scholarship

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the OSPI conditional loan cover?
  • Three initial component purchases: $1,425 toward the $1,900 assessment fee (no more, no less)
  • Loan recipients pay $475 for their first component (candidates may opt to use NBPTS payment plan for this component)
  • Loan recipients pay the $75 annual enrollment fee to NBPTS
What are the requirements for receiving the conditional loan?

Prior to applying for a conditional loan, a candidate must:

  • Verify their own eligibility for NBPTS candidacy
  • Read and accept the loan commitments in the online application
    • Be employed in a Washington state K-12 public school during the 2025-2026 school year
    • Read the NBPTS standards
    • Agree to fully participate in all cohort meetings and complete all registered components
    • When you set up an account in the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), make sure you are assigned to a NBPTS Candidate ID. You will need to provide it when you complete OSPI National Board Conditional Loan Application.
    • When you set up an account in the NBPTS, you must agree to the release of your information to Third‑Party Payers (TPPs) which allows OSPI to confirm eligibility of the National Board Conditional Loan and designate the funding to your account (Third-Party-Payer-Funding-FAQs-For-Candidates.pdf). You can update your Third-Party Release Agreement from the Terms and Agreements page of your account.
  • Upload a letter of support from a building or district administrator (specifying the resources the candidate will be allowed to access e.g., time, money, equipment, expertise, building access on weekends, release time, copier, video camera, help with videotaping, postage, etc.) into their application after click "Save" application button.

Upon receiving a conditional loan, a loan recipient must:

  • Accept the loan through the online application
  • Upload a signed promissory note directly into the EDS system once their application has been approved in an original signed promissory note to OSPI.
  • Register with and fully participate in an OSPI-approved cohort.
    • Cohort participation is required for each component. This includes attending a National Board Foundations course offered through an OSPI-approved cohort or WEA Jump Start
  • Register with NBPTS and pay for one component prior to December 31. Please note that for purposes of the conditional loan, this is earlier than the NBPTS payment deadline. Candidates who have already purchased one component in a previous assessment cycle may still be eligible for loan funding, though the loan cannot cover any more or any less than three component purchases nor retake components or renewal.
  • Please make sure that you selected YES to release your component status to third parties on the NBPTS website. OSPI is considered a Third Party Payers (TPPs) and we must have access to your candidate eligibility and progress status before we are able to make your conditional loan payment. You can change this status under the "change my profile and considerations" option in your profile on the NBPTS website.
How is the conditional loan repaid?
  • Recipients who certify as a NBCT will have the total loan amount ($1,425) deducted from their first NBCT bonus check
  • Recipients who choose to no longer pursue candidacy, exhaust the candidacy window to certify, or certify but are not eligible for the NBCT bonus will be placed on a three-year repayment plan ($50 per month minimum). The loan may also be repaid in full.
  • The conditional loan is interest-free