It is a great time to pursue a career in nursing, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS). Employment in the field is projected to grow 9 percent (compared to the national average of 4 percent) through the year 2030.
JUMP TO NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS
Large numbers of current licensed practical, vocational nurses, and nurse practitioners continually retire on an annual basis, making room for new job prospects for those graduating in the field. On top of this, there is an extreme need for travelling nurses due to a current shortage of nurses, and nursing exhaustion. According to Fierce Healthcare, more than one-third of U.S. nurses planned to leave their jobs in 2022.
What's more is that as baby boomers age, the need for nurses and healthcare professionals is expected to continually increase, especially in residential health care facilities and in specialties such as geriatric care and in-home health care environments. Just as there are many types of nurses, there are different paths you can take to make your nursing career dream a reality.
You can pursue a bachelor's degree in the Science of Nursing, an accredited nursing program at a hospital, or an associate degree program. There are also online nursing degree programs, too. Whatever path you decide upon, Fastweb has the scholarships for nursing students and financial aid resources you need to get your nursing school scholarships and make your nursing career happen.
Award Amount: Varies The ENA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship is available to undergraduate nursing students. You must be a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, be attending an NLN or AACN accredited school, and have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be eligible for this award. Non-RN or EMS students do not have to be ENA members, but are required to submit a letter of reference from a current ENA member.
Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: $1,500 The Smith Award is available to EMS, nursing, and allied health students. To be eligible, you must post a selfie or photo to any of your social media platforms that includes the hashtags #PlatinumEdScholarships and #FutureHealthcareProvider.
Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: Varies The WOCN Society Accredited Nursing Program Education Scholarship is available to students who are pursuing an education in wound, ostomy, and continence nursing care. You must be accepted into a WOCN Society Accredited nursing program to be considered for this award.
Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: Full-Tuition The Nurse Corps Scholarship Program is open to students who are accepted or enrolled in a nursing degree program. Recipients of this award must commit to working at a critical shortage facility after graduation.
Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: $5,000 The DiversityNursing.com Education Award is available to undergraduate and graduate students. You must be enrolled in an accredited School of Nursing in a professional registered nurse program to be eligible for this award.
Available to: Graduate Students
Award Amount: $5,000 The Nursing Economic$ Foundation Scholarship is available to students pursuing a Masters or Doctor of nursing science or PhD in nursing with a research component. You must be a registered nurse to be eligible for this award.
Available to: High School Seniors & College Students
Award Amount: $500 - $1,000 The Mometrix Nursing Scholarship is available to high school seniors and college. Selection is based on a short summary of your background and college plans.
Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: $1,000 The TravelNurseSource.com Scholarship is available to nursing students. You must be at least 18 years of age and have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to be eligible for this award. A 500 - to 1,000 - word personal essay is also required.
Available to: Undergraduate Students
Award Amount: $500 The PHHC Nursing Scholarship is available to undergraduate nursing students. You must be a resident of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Delaware to be eligible for this award.
Available to: Active Nurses
Award Amount: $1,000 The Academy of Neonatal Nursing Ingrid Josefin Ridky Academic Scholarship is available to students who are pursuing academic advancement in neonatal nursing. You must be a member of the Academy of Neonatal Nursing in good standing, for at least one year, have a minimum of two years of neonatal practice experience with at least one of these years completed in the past 18 months, be enrolled in a nursing academic degree program or a neonatal postgraduate program, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and be a professionally active neonatal nurse to be eligible for this award.
Available to: High School Senior through Graduate Students
Award Amount: $1,000 The AvaCare Medical Scholarship is available to high school senior, undergraduate, and graduate students who are pursuing a degree in a medical field. You must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be eligible for this award. Additionally, you must submit a written, video, or image submission describing or representing an act of kindness which you find inspirational. Preference will be given to students with a physical disability.
Available to: Undergraduate Students
Award Amount: Varies The Good Samaritan Scholars Program is open to undergraduate and graduate students residing in Texas. You must be accepted into or have an application pending to a nursing program, and be currently working or planning to work in the Texas healthcare system to be eligible for this award.
Available to: Undergraduate Students
Award Amount: Varies The HRSA Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students is available to students who are from a disadvantaged background as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You must be attending a participating school of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing or a related allied health field to be considered for this award.
2024 Nursing Scholarships
ENA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship
Deadline: 4/26/24Award Amount: Varies The ENA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship is available to undergraduate nursing students. You must be a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, be attending an NLN or AACN accredited school, and have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be eligible for this award. Non-RN or EMS students do not have to be ENA members, but are required to submit a letter of reference from a current ENA member.
Smith Award
Deadline: 5/1/24Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: $1,500 The Smith Award is available to EMS, nursing, and allied health students. To be eligible, you must post a selfie or photo to any of your social media platforms that includes the hashtags #PlatinumEdScholarships and #FutureHealthcareProvider.
WOCN Accredited Educational Scholarship
Deadline: 5/1/24Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: Varies The WOCN Society Accredited Nursing Program Education Scholarship is available to students who are pursuing an education in wound, ostomy, and continence nursing care. You must be accepted into a WOCN Society Accredited nursing program to be considered for this award.
Nurse Corps Scholarship Program
Deadline: 5/2/24Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: Full-Tuition The Nurse Corps Scholarship Program is open to students who are accepted or enrolled in a nursing degree program. Recipients of this award must commit to working at a critical shortage facility after graduation.
DiversityNursing.com Education Award
Deadline: 5/12/24Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: $5,000 The DiversityNursing.com Education Award is available to undergraduate and graduate students. You must be enrolled in an accredited School of Nursing in a professional registered nurse program to be eligible for this award.
Nursing Economic$ Foundation Scholarship
Deadline: 5/15/24Available to: Graduate Students
Award Amount: $5,000 The Nursing Economic$ Foundation Scholarship is available to students pursuing a Masters or Doctor of nursing science or PhD in nursing with a research component. You must be a registered nurse to be eligible for this award.
Mometrix Nursing Scholarship
Deadline: 5/24/24Available to: High School Seniors & College Students
Award Amount: $500 - $1,000 The Mometrix Nursing Scholarship is available to high school seniors and college. Selection is based on a short summary of your background and college plans.
TravelNurseSource.com Scholarship
Deadline: 6/1/24Available to: Undergraduate & Graduate Students
Award Amount: $1,000 The TravelNurseSource.com Scholarship is available to nursing students. You must be at least 18 years of age and have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to be eligible for this award. A 500 - to 1,000 - word personal essay is also required.
PHHC Nursing Scholarship
Deadline: 6/30/24Available to: Undergraduate Students
Award Amount: $500 The PHHC Nursing Scholarship is available to undergraduate nursing students. You must be a resident of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Delaware to be eligible for this award.
Academy of Neonatal Nursing Ingrid Josefin Ridky Academic Scholarship
Deadline: 8/1/24Available to: Active Nurses
Award Amount: $1,000 The Academy of Neonatal Nursing Ingrid Josefin Ridky Academic Scholarship is available to students who are pursuing academic advancement in neonatal nursing. You must be a member of the Academy of Neonatal Nursing in good standing, for at least one year, have a minimum of two years of neonatal practice experience with at least one of these years completed in the past 18 months, be enrolled in a nursing academic degree program or a neonatal postgraduate program, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and be a professionally active neonatal nurse to be eligible for this award.
AvaCare Medical Scholarship
Deadline: 12/15/24Available to: High School Senior through Graduate Students
Award Amount: $1,000 The AvaCare Medical Scholarship is available to high school senior, undergraduate, and graduate students who are pursuing a degree in a medical field. You must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be eligible for this award. Additionally, you must submit a written, video, or image submission describing or representing an act of kindness which you find inspirational. Preference will be given to students with a physical disability.
Good Samaritan Scholars Program
Deadline: VariesAvailable to: Undergraduate Students
Award Amount: Varies The Good Samaritan Scholars Program is open to undergraduate and graduate students residing in Texas. You must be accepted into or have an application pending to a nursing program, and be currently working or planning to work in the Texas healthcare system to be eligible for this award.
HRSA Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students
Deadline: VariesAvailable to: Undergraduate Students
Award Amount: Varies The HRSA Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students is available to students who are from a disadvantaged background as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You must be attending a participating school of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing or a related allied health field to be considered for this award.
How to Win a Nursing Scholarship
Winning a nursing scholarship is not too different from winning other types of scholarships. Students that are majoring in nursing should strive to get involved in community service. Volunteering in your community is a great way to showcase your compassion, care, and dedication to the greater good. Some nursing volunteer ideas within your community could include: • Homeless Shelters • Nursing Homes • Hospitals • Animal Shelters There are many national-level healthcare related causes looking for volunteers, too. Below are just a few organizations that could benefit from student nurse help: • American Heart Association • American Red Cross • The Medical Reserve Corps • Action for Healthy Kids • Project HOPE Your volunteer service can be highlighted on any essays required for nursing scholarship applications. It is important for you to keep a list of each community service and/or volunteer event you participate in. Gaining hands-on experience is another way you can boost your odds of winning a nursing scholarship; consider finding and applying for a healthcare internship. Be sure to reference all your nursing internships and volunteer experiences on your scholarship applications. Having served is a great way to make your scholarship application stand out. Remember the more scholarships you apply for the more chances you have to win. Do not fall for the idea that you can submit one scholarship application and win a full-tuition scholarship—while this can happen, the odds are slim. Winning scholarships takes creating a consistent habit of applying for scholarships.How to Pay for your nursing degree
There are many organizations that have created scholarship funds, just for nurses. Many state hospitals offer college tuition reimbursement to their employees. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resource and Services Administration is a federal-level example of a program that awards nursing scholarships and grants. Joining the military is another smart way to pay for your nursing degree. Three military branches, the U.S. Navy, Army, and Air Force offer active duty and reserve duty nursing roles, according to Nursing 2022. • Navy Nurse Corps • Army Nurse Corps • Air Force Nursing It is possible to have your nursing degree paid for in full while serving active duty. Military.com adds, “... the military pays up to 100% of college tuition while you serve on active duty, the military also offers the GI Bill (about $36,000) to use for college up to 10 years after leaving the service.” It is important to note that if you choose to work as a nurse for any government organization at the local, state, or federal levels, you may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, according to StudentAid.gov. This should not be your first plan of action to pay for your nursing degree. Consider scholarships and grants as the primary way to pay for your nursing degree. To qualify for financial aid, you will need to complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).What You Should Know About Pursing a Degree in Nursing
Nursing is part of the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) career fields—meaning your college course load will be heavy. But the rewards of being a nurse will pay off in your career, as you will touch many lives. Expect to take courses in chemistry, microbiology, physiology, psychology, and human anatomy, just to name a few. Ask any student majoring in nursing and you will likely hear it takes a lot of studying and a determined spirit to earn that nursing degree.You Might Also Like
Shawna Newman
Managing Editor, Contributing Writer
Shawna Newman is the Managing Editor and a writer at Fastweb. She has over 10 years of experience in higher education. Her direct work with college admissions teams, financial aid officers, college deans, ...
