Without a doubt, it’s not easy paying for your education. For student nurses, demanding courses mean stressful practical and academic elements. Furthermore, a BSN is costly. But, a career in nursing can be tremendously satisfying as you will be making a difference in people’s lives. However, becoming a licensed nurse involves many years of study, which can be an expensive path. Many prospective nursing students drop the idea of pursuing this career only because they cannot afford the high costs associated with nursing school. This is where nursing student scholarships come in.
Various organizations offer generous nursing student scholarships with the aim of defraying some of the tuition costs. They hope to make a nursing degree more affordable and encourage more individuals to pursue this noble profession.
What to Look For
Nursing student scholarships come in a wide range of award amounts. Some may be one-time awards, while others may be recurring awards. Regardless of the amount or type, every scholarship helps to lower the cost of your nursing tuition. Besides, you can apply to multiple scholarships too. There’s no limit to the number of nursing student scholarships you can apply to and no limit to the amount of money you win.
The only condition is that you must meet the eligibility requirements of that particular opportunity. These requirements can vary widely so make sure you check before putting together your application. If you don’t meet the strict criteria, your application won’t be considered.
Nursing Scholarships Worth Your Time to Apply
1. Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association General Scholarships
Amount: $20,000
Deadline: January
All nursing students currently enrolled in a state-approved undergraduate or graduate nursing program can apply for the FNSNA general scholarship. Students must be US citizens and enrolled or accepted into an accredited nursing program to qualify for this award.
The association offers up to $10,000 every academic year to award winners. The funds are transferred directly to the recipient’s school to be used towards the costs of tuition, books, and academic fees only.
Application forms for the FNSNA scholarship can be found online. Along with the form, all applications must also submit an enrollment certification form, transcript, and financial aid certification form.
2. DAR Caroline E. Holt Nursing Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: Visit the Site
DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) offers several awards to sponsor nursing and medical school students.
The Caroline E. Holt Nursing Scholarship is meant specifically for nursing students. Every year, 3 nursing students receive a one-time award. To qualify, you must demonstrate financial need. You must also be accepted or currently enrolled in an accredited nursing school.
3. DAR–Lena Ferguson Scholarship
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: Visit the Site
Also funded by Daughters of the American Revolution, the Lena Ferguson Scholarship is a specific nursing student scholarship. Only students who graduated from District of Columbia Public Schools and who have been accepted or are currently enrolled in a Nursing program at the University of the District of Columbia may apply for this one-time award.
Other qualifying requirements include a minimum GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale.
4. TravelNurseSource Future U.S. Nurse Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: June 1 and November 1
Travel Nurse Source offers two scholarships every year – one for the fall semester and one for the spring semester. The fall semester award is open to undergrad, master, and Ph.D. nursing students while the spring semester award is open only to undergrad nursing students. The funds are transferred directly to the school to be applied toward tuition.
You must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher to qualify for this award. Along with your application, you will have to submit a 30-second to 2-minute self-made video. This video must highlight two main aspects – what inspired you to pursue a career in nursing and how this scholarship money will help you accomplish your goals.
5. Nurses Make a Difference Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: August 1
The Nurses Make a Difference Scholarship is sponsored by Cascade Health Solutions. The organization awards an annual scholarship to high school seniors accepted into a nursing program or current undergraduate students enrolled in a nursing program. Only applicants with a minimum 3.0 GPA qualify for this award.
The scholarship is awarded through an essay contest. The organization sets a new prompt every year. The essays are evaluated based on relevance to the prompt, quality, and thoughtfulness.
6. Army Nurse Corps Association (ANCA) Education Fund
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: March 31
7. NHSC Scholarship Program
Amount: Varies
Deadline: April
Tips For Winning Nursing School Student Scholarships
Scholarships for nursing school students are highly competitive with applications coming in from across the United States. Students understand how much these scholarships can benefit them and put in a great deal of effort to put together outstanding applications. You’ll need to pull out all the stops in order to beat this competition and win those valuable awards.
These tips will help:
- Start looking for scholarships early. The earlier you start, the more time you’ll have to put together an outstanding application.
- Put a lot of thought and effort into your personal statement and essay. These are the two components of your application that will help you stand out from the competition.
- Don’t go only after the big scholarships and ignore the small ones. The bigger the scholarship, the higher the competition. Smaller awards tend to have less competition and are easy to win. Apply to a mix of big and small scholarships. Every dollar earned through these awards is that much less you’ll have to borrow towards nursing school.
- Get your recommendation letters and transcripts well in advance. You’ll need them so don’t wait until the last minute. You’ll have plenty of other things to do at that time.
As we mentioned, these are only some of the scholarships available for nursing students. Use our FREE scholarship search tool to see what other scholarships are out there for you. And, if savings, scholarships, and federal aid aren’t enough to fund your semester, consider looking for a private student loan. Use our Student Loan Finder tool to quickly find and compare loans from reputed lenders.
