Online Health Science Degrees with Financial Aid

A Look at Online Health Science Degrees with Financial Aid

Convenience is a major factor in deciding to enroll in an online degree program. There are a number of online health science programs out there on all degree levels, many featuring 100% online content. Cost is also a consideration, so it’s important to find a program with the right combination of affordable tuition and financial aid options. Qualifying health science students have access to an array of funding types including in-house and external scholarships and grants, work-study jobs, employer tuition reimbursement plans, assistantships, and fellowships (for graduate students), VA benefits (for veterans), and more. Student loans from public and private sources are also available.

We’ve profiled three online health science degree programs with financial aid below. They’ll give you a foundational understanding of how distance learning and financial aid work for online health science students.

Answering Your Questions About Health Science Degrees and Financial Aid

Now that you’ve read the program profiles, you probably still have questions about how financial aid works in online health science degree programs. To help, here are the answers to four frequently asked questions from prospective health science students.

What salary is too high for financial aid?

That will depend on the specific aid you’re considering. Aid types based on financial need each have their own criteria for applicant or family income. Regarding need-based federal financial aid (Pell Grants, Federal Work-Study, Direct Subsidized Loans, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants), there is no set income cut-off. A number of factors, including family income, family size and the student’s year in school among others, are considered to determine need-based aid eligibility. For details, visit the Federal Student Aid’s How Financial Aid is Calculated website.

What is the most financial aid a student can get?

There’s really no set ceiling for how much financial aid a student can obtain from all sources, but each aid type (scholarship, grant, loan, etc.), has its own formula for calculating the top limit. In terms of Federal Student Aid, each aid type designates a maximum amount. Examples of top amounts for the 2024-2025 academic year include $7,395 for Pell Grants (undergraduates only), $3,500 to $5,500 for Direct Subsidized Loans (undergraduates only), and $5,500 to $7,500 for undergrads and $20,500 for grad students for Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Top figures for private loans can reach over $100,000 for undergraduates and up to $300,000 for graduate students.

Do medical students get FAFSA?

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the application form used by all students seeking any type of federal financial aid (scholarships, grants, federal work-study, and federal student loans). That includes health science majors on all degree levels. FAFSA is also used by many states and colleges in determining their own financial aid awards. Federal financial aid is awarded on a first come, first served basis, so it’s to your benefit to submit your FAFSA at your earliest opportunity.

What is the 150 percent rule for financial aid?

The 150% rule concerns limitations for completion of an education program for students to remain eligible for Direct Subsidized Loans and other forms of federal financial aid. Details can be confusing. In general terms, once a first-time borrower has earned 150% of the credits needed for their degree (as determined by the published length of a program), they are not eligible for additional federal financial aid. To confuse matters further, the rule was amended to cut the limitation to 100%. That amendment was to take effect in July 2024, but a court injunction stopped its implementation. So, at least for now, the 150% rule remains in place. Details on the current state of the rule can be found here.

Common Funding Options for Health Science Students

We’ve mentioned several different types of financial aid for students in the health sciences. To provide a bit more detail, here are descriptions of four of the most common of those financial aid types. We’ve also included examples of current scholarships available to health science students.

Federal Student Aid

The real heavyweight in the world of college financial aid in the U.S. is the federal government. Through its massive Federal Student Aid program, it offers a wide range of funding options that include grants, work-study jobs, and (the most popular by far) federal student loans. Regardless of degree level, as an online health science student, you’ll have access to all of these resources if you qualify. To see if you do, you’ll have to fill out and submit the FAFSA.

Institutional Aid

The second biggest financial aid resource (behind federal aid) is your school. Funding opportunities of all kinds, both school-sponsored and external, are commonly available. With the ever-increasing cost of a college education, as well as the rising level of competition between schools, you can expect the financial aid office at your school to bend over backward to help you put together the best education funding package possible for your online health science degree program.

Payment Plans

Another way that colleges help make earning a degree doable is by offering tuition payment plans to students with difficulty paying their entire tuition upfront. Most of these plans allow students to make monthly installment payments throughout the term. Others defer any payment until after completion of the entire degree program. In either case, most plans are interest free, but you will likely pay an upfront enrollment fee and penalties for late or returned payments.

Scholarships & Grants

At the top of your financial aid shopping list should be scholarships and grants. Scholarships and grants are essentially “free money” for paying for your college education because you don’t have to pay them back. There are lots of great ones to consider, too, including those we’ve listed as examples below. Eligibility varies by program, and most scholarships (especially the big ones) are highly competitive. Consider each carefully before taking the time and effort to apply.

Examples:

Basil L. King Memorial Scholarship Foundation

• Amount: Varies
• Scholarships are awarded to students pursuing degrees in health sciences at both two-year and four-year schools. Applicants must be a resident of St. Lucie County in Florida and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (or 2.5 or higher with documented extenuating circumstances).

Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Scholarships

• Amount: Varies
• The MGMA sponsors several scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students in degree programs relevant to medical practice management (business, healthcare, and public administration, and related fields). MGMA membership is required and there are additional requirements by specific scholarship.

NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP)

• Amount: Up to $20,000 per year
• Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, this program is available to full-time undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds committed to careers in behavioral, biomedical, and social science research. Applicants must have a minimum 3.3 GPA or rank in the top five percent of their class. Recipients agree to two paid service obligations including a 10-week summer internship and one year of full-time employment with the NIH upon graduation.

Robert F. Lawson Fund for Careers that Care

• Amount: $1,000
• Open to low-income high school seniors and college undergraduate students pursuing a career in healthcare, education, government, social work, or other field leading to careers that help other people.

WHCE Undergraduate Scholarship

• Amount: $2,500
• Sponsored by Women Healthcare Executives of Northern California, this scholarship is available to third-year female undergraduate students residing in the San Francisco Bay Area who are pursuing a health-related career.