Online Resources & Scholarships for Nurse Practitioner Students
With a projected job growth of 44.5% between 2022 and 2032, the demand for nurse practitioners in the U.S. remains sizzling hot. That’s why there may never be a better time than now for RNs to get the education they need and make the move into advanced nursing care by becoming a nurse practitioner. Taking on an NP degree or certificate program, however, requires a major commitment of time, energy, and money. That’s where EduMed comes in. From scholarship opportunities and application advice to online funding resources, we’ve compiled plenty of valuable information below to help you pay for your nurse practitioner program.
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A Nurse Practitioner’s Deep Dive into Scholarships and Grants
There are tons of great financial aid resources for nurse practitioner students out there, including loans, fellowships and assistantships, employer tuition reimbursement programs, and more. But none are better than scholarships and grants. That’s because there’s no requirement to pay scholarships and grants back, making them essentially “free money” for your education.
There are two basic categories of NP scholarships to search for: school-sponsored and external. The biggest benefit of school-sponsored scholarships is that there is often less competition for them compared to external scholarship opportunities. They’re also among the easiest to find: just contact your program’s financial aid office.
External scholarships are those offered by a number of outside sponsors, not exclusive to a particular school or program. These awards may be highly-competitive and/or limited to applicants in a specific group (financial need, minority, residents of a particular state or local area, etc.), so it’s important to review eligibility requirements carefully before applying. The following external scholarships provide just a small example of what’s available currently to nurse practitioner students:
Advancing Nurse Leadership in Post-Acute Care Scholarship
Sponsored by the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing, this award is available to RNs currently working in post-acute care who are seeking a BSN or higher degree (including those in NP degree programs). The award is paid directly to the recipient’s nursing school to cover their education expenses. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
Amount: $5,000
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American Association of Nurse Practitioners Scholarships
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the preeminent professional association of nurse practitioners in the United States and a major source of scholarship opportunities for NP students. Eligibility is open to students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have completed at least one semester of their master’s or doctoral degree nursing programs.
Amount: $2,500 to $5,000
Caroline E. Holt Nursing Scholarship
Sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Caroline E. Holt Nursing Scholarship makes annual one-time awards to three students currently enrolled or accepted in an accredited U.S.-based school of nursing. Neither DAR membership nor sponsorship by a DAR chapter is required. However, applicants must be able to demonstrate financial need.
Amount: $2,500
ENA Foundation Academic Scholarship
The charitable wing of the Emergency Nurses Association, the ENA Foundation sponsors several scholarships for emergency nurses pursuing graduate degrees (including nurse practitioner master’s degrees) in ACEN and CCNE accredited programs. Eligibility additionally requires current ENA membership and a minimum 3.0 GPA. Students who are more than six months beyond all formal coursework and comprehensive examinations are ineligible.
Amount: $1,000-$10,000
March of Dimes Graduate Nursing Scholarships
The March of Dimes offers two scholarships annually to graduate nursing students pursuing a degree in maternal or infant health nursing. The awards are highly competitive and determined using a scoring system with awardees demonstrating a strong commitment to the improvement of maternal and infant health outcomes and advancement of health equity for all families.
Amount: $10,000
NAPNAP Foundation Empowering Professional Diversity Scholarship
The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) Foundation offers this scholarship supporting pediatric NP degree students from a historically marginalized community background or one that is underrepresented in pediatric nursing. Applicants must be enrolled full-time or part-time in a PNP program and have a minimum 3.0 GPA, and be a NAPNAP member. Other NAPNAP Foundation scholarships may be available at different times throughout the year.
Amount: $3,000
NEF Scholarship
Nurses Educational Funds, Inc., offers over 1,400 scholarships to full-time and part-time master’s and doctoral students in professionally accredited advanced nursing degree programs (including those for nurse practitioners). Applicant must be a U.S citizen or legal resident with a minimum 3.6 GPA who has completed at least 12 graded credits in their graduate program.
Amount: Varies by specific scholarship and recipient’s financial need.
NHSC Scholarship Program
The National Health Service Corps, a department of the Federal government’s Health Resources & Services Administration, awards scholarships to students pursuing a degree or other eligible training toward becoming a primary care health professional, including a nurse practitioner. Awardees must commit to providing primary care services in a Health Professional Shortage Area for a period equaling the number of years for which they receive scholarship benefits (minimum of two years).
Amount: Full-tuition, fees, other qualifying costs, and monthly stipend to help pay for living and other expenses while in school.
Oncology Nursing Foundation Master’s Scholarship
The Oncology Nursing Foundation awards several one-time scholarships annually to current RNs committed to the practice of oncology nursing and pursuing a master’s degree in a relevant field (including nurse practitioner programs). Awards are scored considering a number of factors including the submitted letter of recommendation and answer to the application essay question.
Amount: $5,000
TYLENOL Future Care Scholarships
The TYLENOL Future Care Scholarship program offers ten $10,000 and 25 $5,000 one-time scholarships annually to graduate students and college seniors enrolling in graduate programs in the medical field (including NP programs) at U.S.-based accredited non-profit colleges and universities. Selections are made considering the applicant’s college GPA, academic records, community involvement/volunteer service, and application essay content.
Amount: $10,000 and $5,000
Steps to Success on Nurse Practitioner Scholarship Applications
When pursuing scholarship awards, it’s important to remember that you’re in competition with other applicants. For this reason, it’s critical to develop a strategy for choosing and applying for scholarships that maximizes your chances of winning. To get you started, here are five important keys to landing the scholarships you want:
Key #1: Beef up your experience and volunteer work.
Competitive scholarships are often awarded on a points system based on a number of factors. Among the factors typically considered are professional nursing work experience (often in a specific area of practice within the nursing field) and participation in community service and other volunteer activities. Invest some time in beefing up your work experience and volunteer accomplishments before applying for scholarships.
Key #2: Create an impactful personal statement.
It’s likely that fellow scholarship applicants have impressive backgrounds similar to yours in terms of GPA on earlier college coursework, work and volunteer experience, resume/CV, letters of recommendation, etc. One of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition then is to submit an exceptional personal statement. Don’t skimp on the time and effort you invest in its content and be sure that you review your statement carefully for spelling and grammatical errors before sending it in.
Key #3: Get your application in early.
The adage that “the early bird catches the worm” applies when it comes to scholarship applications. Scholarship committees typically review applications as they come in and, whether explicitly or not, they tend to give greater consideration to early submissions. With that in mind, get your application in ASAP. One caveat: never send in a scholarship application that is not complete and checked in detail for errors.
Key #4: Choose the writers of your letters of recommendation wisely.
The quality of your letters of recommendation may make-or-break your odds at winning a scholarship you want.
Be sure you have a clear understanding of who the scholarship committee wishes to hear from and what exactly they want to know. Then, choose your letter writers carefully and make sure that they also clearly understand what selection committee is looking for. Make sure you check in with your recommenders to ensure that they get their letters written and in before the deadline.
Key #5: Consider local scholarships.
Big, national level scholarships with impressive award amounts are great, but those scholarships usually come with lots and lots of applicants. Lots of applicants means lots of competition, so you don’t want to discount those regional and local scholarships. They may have smaller award amounts, but they also come with less competition resulting in a better chance of your winning them. Remember, you’re not limited to the number of scholarships you can win, and those smaller wins can really add up.
See Also: Resources for Securing Funding as a Nurse Practitioner Student
As we said, scholarships and grants are great, but if you’re like the vast majority of nurse practitioner students, you’ll be looking to additional sources of financial assistance in paying for your degree or certificate program. Listed below are several online resources you can tap into to help you in your funding search.
American Nurses Association: Tuition Discounts for Nurses
American Nurses Association page that lists colleges and universities offering tuition discounts to nursing students who are ANA members, including many that offer discounts to nurse practitioner students pursuing their degree online.
Federal Student Aid
The U.S. Department of Education’s website for all forms of federally-offered college student financial aid. Resources available to qualifying nurse practitioner students include Grad PLUS and Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and loan repayment and loan forgiveness plans.
Find the Online MSN Degree Programs that Offer Financial Aid
EduMed’s own guide to nursing master’s programs, including those that prepare graduates to become nurse practitioners. The guide offers information on current online MSN programs, financial aid resources to help pay for those programs, and more.
Guide to the Most Affordable Online Nurse Practitioner Programs
Financial aid isn’t the only way to lower the cost of your nurse practitioner program. This guide will introduce you to online nurse practitioner programs featuring exceptionally affordable price tags. Readers will also find valuable tips on how to lower the cost of their nurse practitioner educations.
Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program
The Indian Health Service offers up to $50,000 in loan repayment benefits to health care professionals (NPs included) who agree to fulfill a two-year service commitment at a qualifying health facility serving Native American and/or Alaskan Native communities.
NHSC Loan Repayment Program
The Federal government’s National Health Service Corps offers student loan repayment assistance to clinical practitioners in a number of roles, including nurse practitioners. Assistance is given in return for a minimum of two years of practice at an NHSC-approved site in a Health Professional Shortage Area.
Sallie Mae Graduate School Loan for Health Professions
There are numerous private lenders that provide student loans, and one of the biggest is Sallie Mae. This organization’s primary purpose is offering and servicing loans and savings programs for higher education. This site provides current information on its loans for students in graduate health professions programs.
Scholarships and Resources for MSN Students
Another of our own guides, this one featuring a list of over 25 in-house and external scholarships and grants available to master of science in nursing students. Also included are links to 20 useful online resources that help MSN students succeed during and after their degree studies.
