Nursing Scholarships: Where to Find Them and How to Qualify

Nurse Corps Scholarship Program

The Nurse Corps Scholarship Program, run by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), pays for nursing school in exchange for service after you graduate. Details and the current stipend amount are posted on the HRSA Nurse Corps Scholarship page. It covers full tuition and required school fees, plus books, clinical supplies, and uniforms, and pays a monthly stipend of about $1,642 for the 2026-2027 academic year to help with living costs while you study.

In exchange, you commit to a minimum of two years of full-time work, or the part-time equivalent, at a health care facility with a documented critical shortage of nurses after you finish your program. HRSA maintains the list of qualifying facilities, which tend to be community health centers, rural hospitals, and other sites serving underserved populations. This is a strong option if you already plan to work in a shortage area, since you get paid training toward a job you would take anyway.

Association and Foundation Scholarships

Several nursing organizations fund their own scholarship programs on top of the federal Nurse Corps award. The American Nurses Foundation runs annual scholarship cycles for nursing students at different stages, from undergraduate through advanced practice programs. The American Nurses Foundation -backed Discover Nursing campaign, backed by Johnson & Johnson, maintains a searchable directory of nursing scholarships from dozens of sponsors, which is a faster way to find smaller, discipline-specific awards than searching one association at a time.

Specialty nursing organizations, tied to fields like oncology, pediatrics, critical care, or mental health nursing, frequently run their own scholarships for students planning to specialize in that area. If you already know your intended specialty, search that specialty's national professional association directly, since these awards get far fewer applicants than general nursing scholarships.

Hospital and Health System Programs

Many hospital systems and health networks fund scholarships or tuition assistance tied to a future employment commitment, similar in structure to the federal Nurse Corps program but run by the employer instead of the government. These often come with a shorter or more flexible commitment than the federal program, but coverage amounts and terms vary a lot by employer. Ask your target hospital system's HR or nursing recruitment office whether they offer a scholarship-for-service program before you commit to a private loan for nursing school.

How to Apply

• Apply for the Nurse Corps Scholarship through HRSA's grants portal during its annual application cycle, and confirm current stipend amounts and the shortage facility list directly with HRSA before you rely on any figure for budgeting.

• Search the Discover Nursing directory by your specific nursing program level (LPN, ADN, BSN, MSN, or doctoral) to filter out awards you do not qualify for yet.

• Contact your nursing school's financial aid office directly. Many schools hold their own donor-funded nursing scholarships that never appear in national databases.