There is a huge shortage of nurses across the United States, and the U.S. government has a nursing scholarship program to help alleviate this problem. With the advances in medical science and technology, more people will be living longer and the need for more nurses will continue to grow. This program is a great way to get the financial help some need to get a degree and help alleviate the shortage of nurses in this country.
A nursing scholarship participant must be enrolled in any accredited associate, collegiate, or diploma school of nursing. The class program in the school of nursing chosen, must be accredited by a national nursing or state accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of the US Department of Education. LPN programs, bridge programs, online classes, or RN to BSN programs do not qualify for this program.
The program pays all tuition, book fees, clinical supplies, other eligible fees, and uniforms that are required. A monthly stipend is also awarded to the student. The tuition and all other fees are paid directly to the school, and the monthly stipend is paid to the student. If a student fails a class the scholarship will not pay for a repeated class and payment of that class becomes the obligation of the student. The money paid to and for a student is considered income and is taxable by law. These benefits come with a required obligation of a minimum of 2 years’ service for 1 and 2 years of scholarship, and each additional year of scholarship requires another year of service commitment in a nonprofit care facility.
How To Qualify For The Nursing Scholarship Program
The nursing scholarship program helps needy students get their nursing degrees. The neediest students have top priority. A student must be accepted into a registered 
nursing program before the scholarship is awarded. The student must meet a requirement of the scholarship once their schooling is completed by working at a nonprofit facility that has a shortage of nurses for a period of 2 years. The facility must be an approved nonprofit center, and there are many across the United States. Final approval of the facility the student chooses rests with the Nursing Scholarship Program. A participant will be denied if there are judgment liens from other debt owed to the federal government, the participant has defaulted on other service obligations, or has a current service obligation to the federal or state government. The scholarship is awarded for up to 4 years and is contingent on approval by the Secretary of the program, and must also be requested by the participant at the time of application. If only 1 year was requested, the participant my request additional years by submitting a report that states the student is in good academic standing and a signed contract to the program. If a student submits in writing a request before June 1st of the school year to terminate the contract with the nursing scholarship program, any and all money paid for that year must be repaid. If these requirements for termination of contract are not met, the participant will receive a service commitment equaling the amount of money received.
Post-Graduation Nursing Scholarship Program
The student must meet the required obligation within 6 months of graduating, this includes obtaining a state nursing license and accepting a job in a nonprofit facility. The student then has 3 months from the day of acceptance to start working on a full time basis. If the student does not meet this obligation within the 6 months, the US government will consider this a breach of contract and all monies paid to the student and the school plus interest will be required to be paid back within a 3 year period, starting on the day of default of contract.
A student must work at least 32 hours, and 45 weeks of the year, with a minimum of 26 of those hours involved in direct patient care, to full fill the obligation. With prior approval of the secretary of the nursing scholarship program, a participant can work part time, and the time of the obligation would be extended to match the full time 2 year requirement.
The nursing scholarship program is ideal for those in need, but research into all the requirements and understanding of these requirements is imperative to avoid defaulting on this government contract.
Check out this YouTube video that gives details on finding a nursing scholarship program.
↑ Back to Top