20 Nursing Scholarships You Should Know About
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Whether you're just now starting your education toward becoming the nurse you want to be, or a career-long nurse seeking career advancement, these are the nursing scholarships that you need to know about before heading off to class.
The cost of education has skyrocketed over the past 20 years, and the cost of becoming a high-level healthcare professional have increased in-kind. Luckily, many new scholarship programs have sprung up to help lighten the load on future nurses by supplementing some of the cost. There is no reason that you shouldn’t spend a little time reviewing some scholarships and submitting applications that highlight your passion for a career as a nurse, and potentially earn some money to contribute to your hefty education costs. I think we can agree that even an extra $500.00 toward that 5-figure tuition cost can make a difference. We’re going to break down several reasons as to why you should consider a career as a Registered Nurse, why you should consider filling out applications, the best way to fill out scholarship offerings, and the best scholarships to apply to.
Why Students Should Consider a Career in Nursing
If you’re a student pursuing scholarship opportunities and evaluating future careers, you might be asking yourself why you should potentially pursue a career in nursing. We’ve highlighted some of the top reasons you should consider a career in nursing and fill out some of the scholarships we’ve listed below.
1.) Rising Demand for Healthcare Professionals
The healthcare industry is one of the most in-demand job markets in today’s competitive job marketplace. Employers are trying to find talent that can help meet the rising demand of healthcare professionals in the industry. The healthcare industry is experiencing a challenging time as the baby boomer generation slowly fades out of the workforce. Not only does the healthcare have to combat the number of employees that are no longer coming into work each day because they are transitioning into retirement, but those same employees now need care in rising numbers that have never been seen before.
The baby boomer generation is one of the largest population generations that we’ve ever seen, which means that hospitals and healthcare facilities need to constantly hire new healthcare professionals that can help care for each new patient. The good news with this spike in demand is that there seems to be no sign of slowing down for the foreseeable future. The healthcare industry predicts that it will be adding roughly 4 million jobs by 2026. The healthcare industry has always been one of the largest employment sectors for the United States, and with the increase in demand for healthcare professionals in the future, the size of the employment sub-section will only grow.
This rising demand means that the future is bright for those students who want to pursue a career where their job prospects will be solid throughout the duration of their career span. Compared to other industries that tend to have cyclical trends, the healthcare industry is relatively stable. The healthcare industry is like the nutrition industry, everyone needs it at some point or another.
2.) Steady Job Growth
Registered Nurses are going to see massive growth over the next two decades in the healthcare industry. As the healthcare industry continues to grow, Registered Nurses are needed for both their expertise in caregiving and their ability to perform many different functions in the healthcare industry. Some roles in the healthcare industry are highly specialized, meaning they can only do one or two things well. Registered Nurses, on the other hand, can perform a variety of different tasks and are extremely versatile in a healthcare environment. This versatility makes hiring a Registered Nurse more attractive than some other healthcare roles that are specialized.
In addition, Registered Nurses are receiving more training than ever before. When a healthcare professional receives more training and education throughout their career, they are able to provide better and more efficient care. When healthcare professionals can receive more training and education, they also develop more skills. All of these things combined make for an attractive candidate who can do a variety of different functions in different settings. This is important for those healthcare professionals who want to have steady job prospects throughout their career, in addition to having the ability to experience job growth.
The job growth for Registered Nurses is expected to rise at an unprecedented rate. Rough expectations for job growth for Registered Nurses is roughly 4,150,000 jobs by 2033. If you’re looking for a career where you don’t have to worry about whether or not you have a job when you wake up, then you can rest assured knowing that pursuing an education as a Registered Nurse is a reliable bet.
3.) Career Growth Opportunities
As we’ve covered earlier, Registered Nurses are receiving more training and education while they are in school than ever before. This means that future RNs have more skills and talents to provide future employers than previous nursing generations. The more skills that a healthcare professional has, the more value they can ultimately provide their employer over time. When a Registered Nurse can provide more value over time, they can hold a variety of roles and have a greater impact — which translates to career growth opportunities at every turn.
Compared to other industries where careers tend to be stagnant or get boring over time, the healthcare industry is constantly growing. This constant growth means that there is always upward mobility opportunities for those healthcare professionals who go above and beyond, and are willing to take the next step in providing leadership and guidance for the next generation to follow. The healthcare industry likes to identify professionals who are perfect for this opportunity based on their previous experience. Since Registered Nurses have extensive experience interacting with and providing direct care to patients, these healthcare professionals are a natural fit for providing guidance and leadership in the healthcare industry.
There are plenty of jobs that Registered Nurses can pursue after they decide to transition out of their role, and pursue new opportunities in the healthcare industry. If you’re a student wondering whether or not you’re going to have career growth opportunities as a Registered Nurse, then you can rest assured knowing that there are going to be plenty of growth opportunities available to you.
4.) Earning Potential
Registered Nurses also have some of the best-earning potentials amongst new graduates and healthcare professionals. Registered Nurses have experienced wage growth each year over the last several years. The average salary for Registered Nurses is $66,640 per year. Because the demand for healthcare professionals isn’t slowing down any time soon, the healthcare industry is doing all that they can to attract and retain Registered Nurses. One way that they are attracting new graduates to open positions is through sign-on bonuses. Sign-on bonuses are an extra check given to healthcare professionals when they sign a contract to become a new employee.
Sign-on bonuses can range from a few hundred dollars to over $10,000. The sign-on bonus isn’t the only earning potential that Registered Nurses can earn. They can also earn year-end bonuses, profit sharing, stock options, and more. In addition, RNs receive some of the most comprehensive benefits packages offered to healthcare professionals. Because RNs have some of the best-earning potential amongst all healthcare professionals, as a student you don’t have to worry about getting buried underneath student loans and struggling to find a well-paying job. With the scholarships listed on our top nursing scholarships you should know about, you can reduce some of that future worry as well.
5.) Low Unemployment Rate
As we’ve mentioned earlier, Registered Nurses are always in high demand. That demand is only going to climb for the foreseeable future. The demand for Registered Nurses means that there is a low unemployment rate. The current unemployment rate for Registered Nurses fluctuatates between 1 to 2%. A natural rate of unemployment is roughly 4.5 percent to 5 percent. This essentially means that as workers leave jobs, there is a healthy rate of individuals earning a job in the same time frame.
In other words, the unemployment rate for Registered Nurses is incredibly low. Essentially, once a nurse graduates from school, they have a relatively easy time finding a new job opportunity.
Why Students Should Complete Scholarship Applications
It might seem like a waste of time to spend your free time filling out applications for scholarships, but the reality is that it can pay off big time. There are a few glaring reasons as to why you should consider completing scholarship applications when you’re getting ready to go to school or want to reduce some of the financial burden you’re going to be facing in your upcoming semesters.
1.) Cost of Education
Students need to do all they can to ensure that their focus when going to school is on their schoolwork, and not the mounting education expenses. Scholarships help alleviate some of those concerns.
The rising cost of education is something that every single student is attempting to deal with. As the cost of education continues to rise, scholarships offer an opportunity for students to pursue an education with reduced financial burden and offer additional opportunities for professionals to go back to school to work towards a new career goal. According to the CollegeBoard, the cost of education steadily rose from $7,560 per year from a public four-year institution in 2008 to $10,230 per year in 2018.
The cost of a private school rose from $28,000 in 2008 to $35,830 per year in 2018. The increase in tuition doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon, and students should do all they can to fill out as many scholarships as they can to potentially earn money that will assist them with their education expenses.
If you’re a student you should take every opportunity you can to reduce the burden you’ll face when pursuing a nursing degree, and fill out all of the scholarships you can.
2.) Scholarship Requirements Are Similar
It might seem like a tall task to complete a ton of scholarship applications, but the good news is that they are all very similar. A lot of scholarships ask for the same requirements when you’re filling them out. For instance, a lot of scholarships ask for a copy of an unofficial or official transcript, a resume, a little bit about who you are, and an essay on a topic. The good news, is that the essays are often very similar. This means that you don’t have to write an original essay every single time you fill out an application if they have the same topic choice.
In some cases, the scholarship provider might even have several different topics that you can choose from, and you might have already written an essay about that topic.
This allows you to save crucial time and give you the opportunity to fill out more applications than just a handful. There are a bunch of other ways you can save time when you’re filling out applications by saving the documents you need in one folder so that you can easily submit them with each application. This way, you don’t have to request them from your institution every single time or try to find them and spend countless minutes trying to identify where you’ve stored everything.
The Best Way To Fill Out Scholarship Applications
There are several things you can do to ensure that you’re filling out nursing scholarship applications quickly and efficiently. Follow the steps above to ensure that you’re maximizing your chances to receive scholarship aid for your educational endeavors.
1.) Plan In Advance
We’ve all had those times where we waited until the last minute to start doing something. Unfortunately, scholarship applications are the last thing that you want to postpone. Scholarship applications all have different deadlines, and you don’t want to wait until the last minute to start them only to realize that you’re missing one of the requirements to submit. Instead, you want to stay apprised about all of the scholarship applications you plan on filling out and get them done over time.
If you’re using a scholarship database to evaluate what scholarships you could potentially apply to, you should look for a filter option to sort by date due. If no submission date is required, then you are going to be forced to read the scholarship information to find out more information as to when the scholarship is due.
When you’re planning your scholarship applications in advance, it’s always a good idea to plan to do a couple to several a day as opposed to one lump sum like we’ve mentioned earlier. The last thing you want to do is get burnout from completing scholarship applications. Instead, break it up into several chunks and complete them in smaller batches. After a while, you’ll get into a routine and filling out scholarship applications will become like second nature to you.
2.) Put Your Best Foot Forward
When you’re filling out scholarship applications, after a while it can feel tedious. Over time, you’ll realize that the quality of your applications and essays begins to suffer. This is another aspect of planning your scholarship applications in advance, because the quality really depends on how often you’re submitting applications. If you’re forcing yourself to submit ten a day, you’ll grow so tired of submitting applications and your quality will suffer. If you’re spanning them out over a period of time, you can invest more time into each one.
When you invest more time into each application, you can ensure that you’re putting your best foot forward to stand out as the most outstanding scholarship candidate.
3.) Fill Out As Many As You Can
Scholarships are a great way for you to earn money based on the work that you’ve already put in — so why not do all that you can to get rewarded for it? You don’t need to be some stellar athlete or accomplished a ton of things in your past to win scholarships. Oftentimes, it’s the individuals who demonstrate their passion for their future career, and their interest in serving others in the healthcare industry that will ultimately sway scholarship providers into choosing you.
The reality of filling out scholarships is that the scholarship submission process is a numbers game. The more applications you submit, the greater likelihood you have of winning scholarship awards from a variety of sources. Don’t be afraid to fill out scholarship offers with lower aid offerings. Many individuals and prospective students will ignore these scholarships because they feel like the amount of time they take to fill out the scholarship will be wasted if they only receive a small award. Take the time to fill out as many scholarships as you can to increase the number of chances you’re going to earn aid. The best advice you can get when it comes to scholarships is to find as many that you qualify for and apply to them all. These programs can be highly competitive, so avoid cutting any corners when it comes to the application process.
4.) Ask For Letters of Recommendation Early
As we mentioned earlier, some scholarships will ask for letters of recommendation from your teachers, friends, or managers. Jump through the extra hoops to get the letters of recommendation from the people that will represent you best and put your personal statements through several revisions prior to submission.
Nursing Scholarships
1. A.T. Anderson Memorial Scholarship
Amount:$1,000/$2,000 undergraduate/graduate respectively.
Eligibility: Eligible to those pursing degrees in mathematics, medical sciences, physical science, technology, science, engineering, or natural resources. Eligible candidates must be full-time students at an accredited four-year college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Applicants must be enrolled members of a federally or state-recognized American Indian Tribe, Alaskan Native Village, or be a Native Hawaiian. They must also be AISES members at the time of application.
Requirements: The scholarship requires candidates to submit their transcripts, an essay of up to 1,500 words addressing their education and career goals, why they chose to study in their field, and their motivations, and their current resume. Two letters of recommendation are required along with a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) or proof of tribal enrollment.
2. AfterCollege/AACN Scholarship Fund
Amount: $10,000
Eligibility: Available to students pursing a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in nursing with special consideration to those looking to become a nurse educator, those completing an RN-to-BSN program, or an RN-to-MSN program. Applicants must be enrolled at the time of application, not just accepted.
Requirements: Applicants must submit their current transcripts and an essay of 250 words maximum about their goals and aspirations in the future. Only scholarship finalists are required to submit letters of recommendations, published articles, and awards/honors to the selection committee.
3. Bachelor's in Nursing Degree Scholarship
Amount: $3,000 - $5,000
Eligibility: Eligible candidates for this nursing scholarship must be enrolled in a bachelor of nursing degree program at an NLN or CCNE accredited nursing school, and must also be in their senior year.
Requirements: Since the application is now closed, there seems to be no information available at this time as to what exactly is required. It's assumed that you'll need multiple reference letters, transcripts, and an essay of some kind. Once again, this is speculation until the scholarship opens back up next year.
4. Master's Scholarship
Amount: $5,000
Eligibility: Candidates for this nursing scholarship must be a currently enrolled in a nursing master's degree program at an NLN or CCNE accredited nursing school. Candidates must exhibit a commitment to oncology nursing and individuals must also be currently licensed registered nurses, or those who are not currently licensed RNs but have a bachelor's in another field.
Requirements: Since the application is now closed, there seems to be no information available at this time as to what exactly is required. It's assumed that you'll need multiple reference letters, transcripts, and an essay of some kind. Once again, this is speculation until the scholarship opens back up next year.
5. NBNA Scholarship Program
Amount: $1,000 - $6,000
Eligibility: Eligible candidates for this nursing scholarship must be a member of NBNA and a member of a local chapter, if one exists within a 50 mile radius. Candidates must be currently enrolled in a nursing program, in good academic standing, and have at least 1 year remaining.
Requirements: Candidates must submit their official transcripts, a 2-page written essay, two letters of recommendation, a clear professional headshot, and other, optional, elements like participation in nurse activities or involvement in the African American Community.
6. Ann Olson Memorial Doctoral Scholarship
Amount: $5,000 - $7,500
Eligibility: Eligible candidates must be current RNs who exhibit a commitment to oncology nursing as well as enrolled in, or applying to, a doctorate-level nursing program. Candidates must also have a current registered nurse license and commitment to oncology nursing in the future.
Requirements: Two professional reference letters are required, one of which must address the candidate's ability to manage doctoral-level coursework. At the end of each scholarship period, recipients must also write a summary of the educational activities in which they were involved.
7. Barbara Rhomberg Nursing Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled in a full-time undergraduate nursing program working toward an associate's or bachelor's degree. Must be a non-traditional student, meaning that they did not immediately continue their education after high school. Must have a 3 year gap between high school and college.
Requirements: Applicants must include two letters of recommendation, a 500-word essay describing your passion for becoming a nurse, your non-traditional path, and your future plans and goals, and an enrollment verification form.
8. FNSNA Scholarship Program
Amount: $1,000 - $7,500
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in an accredited nursing program leading to an associate's, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree are eligible applicants.
Requirements: Applicants must include recently college and nursing school transcripts (no minimum GPA is listed). Members of the NSNA must provide proof of membership. Registered nurses currently enrolled in bachelor's programs and LPNs/LVNs in programs leading to registered nurse licensure must provide a copy of their license to be considered.
9. March of Dimes Graduate Nursing Scholarship
Amount: $5,000
Eligibility: Eligible applicants must be registered nurses currently enrolled in a graduate program in maternal-child nursing. They must also be a member of one of the following organizations: the Associations of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, or the National Association of Neonatal Nurses.
Requirements: Rather than the traditional requirements such as letters of recommendation, the March of Dimes Graduate Nursing Scholarship requires a resume-style application. An example can be found here.
10. Mary Opal Wolanin Scholarship
Amount: $500.00
Eligibility: This nursing scholarship is available to both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergrads must be enrolled at a nationally accredited university program and intend to work in a gerontology or geriatric setting in the future. Graduate students must also been enrolled at an accredited university as well as currently carrying at least 6 credit hours.
Requirements: Two letters of recommendation, transcripts with a minimum GPA of 3.0, and a statement of the candidates educational and professional goals in the future are required for the application. The statement must not exceed 300 words.
11. Nurse Corps Scholarship Program
Amount: $1,330/month
Eligibility: Graduate students applying to this nursing scholarship must be majoring in gerontology or geriatric nursing and be carrying at least 6 credit hours. Undergraduates can either be full or part-time students as long as they're in a nationally accredited nursing program in the U.S., but must intend on working in gerontology or geriatrics post-graduation.
Requirements: Two letters of recommendation, transcripts with a minimum GPA of 3.0, and a statement of professional & educational goals, emphasizing the student's goals as they relate to gerontology or geriatrics.
12. Genesis Health Services Foundation Nursing Scholarship
Amount: $10,000
Eligibility: Candidates must be current students, in good academic standing, and attending an accredited school in Iowa or Illinois in pursuit of a bachelor's program in nursing. They must also be resident within the Genesis Health System, so the scholarship is limited to those living in Clinton, Des Moines, Jackson, Louisa, Muscatine, or Scott Counties in Iowa, Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, or Whiteside Counties in Illinois. Cumulative high school GPA must be 3.0 or higher, and college GPA must be 2.5 or higher.
Requirements: This type of scholarship is somewhat rare as the terms say you must pay back the scholarship (loan) unless you work 2 years in the Genesis Health System. Working for them for 1 year will grant you 50% of the loan forgiven.
13. Future Nurse Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Eligibility: Candidates must be a full time student in an accredited university or institution and pursuing a degree in nursing or a specialty of nursing. Candidates must have already completed 30 credit hours and be in good academic standing.
Requirements: Candidates must submit their most recent transcripts (can be unofficial), provide a one-page essay describing where they have been, what motivates them, and their ultimate goals. Candidates must also submit an updated resume, and have a cumulative gpa of 3.3 or higher.
14. ExceptionalNurse.com Scholarship
Amount: Varies
Eligibility: Applicants must have a documented disability who have already been admitted to a college or university program on a full-time schedule.
Requirements: Applicants must complete and sign a scholarship application form. Applicants must provide three letters of recommendations as part of their application,
15. American Red Cross Jane Delano Student Nurse Scholarship
Amount: $3,000
Eligibility: This scholarship is available for those nursing students who have volunteered or contributed service to the American Red Cross Unit or are employees of the American Red Cross Unit.
Requirements: Students and applicants must be in good academic standing in a nursing program, with an equivalent of one year of completed college credits. Candidates and applicants must also have served as a red cross volunteer or been an employee in the last five years.
16. The Promise of Nursing Scholarship Program
Amount: $1,000 to $7,500
Eligibility: Applicants must currently be attending a state approved school of nursing that falls within the Promise of Nursing states.
Requirements: Applicants must be pre-nursing students who are taking courses to get into a nursing program. Applicants must be taking more than six credit hour per semester, involved in local student nursing organizations or community health activities, established a financial need, and have documented academic achievement.
17. Hurst Review AACN Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Eligibility: The scholarship is available to those students who are currently enrolled in member AACN schools.
Requirements: Applicants must be currently pursuing a degree in member AACN schools.
18. TravelNurseSource Future US Nurse Scholarship
Amount: $2,000
Eligibility: The scholarship is available to those students who are first-time undergrads and have completed at least one semester in a US Nursing Program.
Requirements: Applicants must currently be a legal US resident, be at least 18 years of age, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
19. College Success Scholarship By Study.com
Amount: $1,000
Eligibility: Applicants must be high school seniors, or currently enrolled undergrad or graduate students.
Requirements: Applicants must currently be enrolled or have been accepted into an accredited college, university, or planning on going to school next year. Applicants must be a permanent US resident or a US citizen. For those students who are currently enrolled in a university or college, they must have a minimum of 30 semester credits or 45 quarter hours still to be completed. Applicants must also be willing to provide a digital photograph and short quote if selected by the selection committee.
20. Nursing.org’s Nurse First Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Eligibility: Students must be currently enrolled in any level of nursing education.
Requirements: Applicants must currently be 18 years or older at the time of submitting the application. Applicants must submit a 500 to 1,000 word essay, be actively enrolled in an accredited nursing program, and have a minimum GPA of 3.5. 
( Article / Content Updated 2019 )