Find Nursing Scholarships
Graduate Student Options
Professional nurses who are either in the midst of pursuing a graduate nursing degree or are actively considering one may find scholarship sources through Federal, college or university and private programs.
Recent efforts have been made to improve the outlook for nurses who choose to pursue a career in an administrative leadership role or one who wishes to become faculty of a nursing program.
Within these areas, nurses may choose to study in such specialties as Oncology, Gerontology, Anesthesia, Critical Care or Trauma, among a variety of others.
Federal Graduate Scholarships
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a segment of the Health Resources and Services Administration, has taken a lead role in upping the ante with regard to scholarship funds available for nurses at all levels of education. Not only does the HHS award scholarships to individuals, but also in 2001 the HHS awarded nearly 100 grants to colleges and universities with prominent nursing programs. The primary goal of these grants was to address the alarming forecasts surrounding the future of nursing in the United States, especially in areas considered "medically underserved."
- Nursing Scholarship Program through the Department of Health and Human Services awards scholarships to undergraduate and graduate nursing students who can commit to serving at least 2 years in a medically underserved region upon graduation. In exchange for their service the HHS pays the cost of tuition including auxiliary costs such as books and lab equipment. Nursing students are also awarded a $1200 per month stipend. Students must be U.S. citizens and enrolled at least half time in an accredited RN program. Nursing students who can prove the most financial need or are from a disadvantage background are given priority with these scholarships. Nearly 200 Nursing Scholarships are awarded annually.
- Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students is a federally funded scholarship program available to students pursuing a variety of health professions at all educational levels, including nursing.
- National Health Service Corps was founded in 1972 to provide a needed link between well-trained health professionals and disadvantaged communities that required such services. The Corps' Scholars program is a loan repayment program designed to cover both graduate and undergraduate nurses student loan repayments as long as he or she provides service to the NHSC in a medically disadvantaged institution.
Nursing Organizations and Associations
Professional organizations that support the interests, education and professional stature of nurses exist across an array of specialties. In most cases, nurses engaged in a graduate program may either be specializing in a particular area of patient care or as administrators or teachers.
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses provides an Educational Advancement Scholarship. The awards are in the amount of $5000 and are offered mostly to graduate students, a quarter of them minorities.
- Nurses Educational Funds sponsors a host of scholarship, grants, and internships solely designed for those nurses seeking funding for graduate nursing programs. The organization was established by and is run by professional nurses. Over a dozen scholarships and endowments are available annually in many different areas of graduate work.
- Oncology Nursing Society provides scholarships to professional nurses moving into advanced degrees in cancer nursing. The organization supports Masters and Ph.D. programs.
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing maintains a comprehensive list of graduate nursing scholarships.
College and Universities
Almost any college or university with a graduate nursing program now offers scholarship or grant money, internships or work-study programs. Thanks to the HHS, nearly 100 popular nursing programs across the country received critically needed federal funds to help build up their nursing programs. Now many students can reap the benefits of more equipment and facility space, highly trained faculty and advanced degrees.
Part of any scholarship discovery must include exploring those programs available from the school to which you are applying.
The University of California at San Francisco's School of Nursing sponsors the Betty Irene Moore Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. This fund is open to nursing candidates who are residents of the San Francisco Bay Area and are interested in pursuing careers in teaching. In return for complete tuition, students must agree to serve no less than 3 years teaching within an accredited nursing institution in the San Francisco Bay area.
