Nursing Scholarships
- AfterCollege/American Association of Colleges of Nurses
- American Association of Colleges of Nurses- Geraldine “Polly” Bednash Scholarship
- DiversityNursing
- Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association
- Nurse.org
America is in high demand for caring, intelligent, and driven nurses. Nursing is a challenging and rewarding career path. It is also an expensive career path to pursue, with the best option being to start with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. These five nursing scholarships are designed to help future nurses overcome the financial obstacles to obtaining their career goals.
1. AfterCollege/American Association of Colleges of Nurses
The program AfterCollege and the American Association of Colleges of Nurses (AACN) have teamed up to financially assist nursing students. Once per quarter, they provide one student with $2500. Quarterly application deadlines are March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31. Anyone enrolled in a nursing bachelor’s degree is eligible (as well as those enrolled in nursing graduate degrees), but chances are greater for students enrolled in accelerated programs and students participating in an RN (Registered Nurse) to BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) track.
2. American Association of Colleges of Nurses- Geraldine “Polly” Bednash Scholarship
In addition to joining forces with AfterCollege, the AACN offers the Geraldine “Polly” Bednash Scholarship. AACN awards two students $5000 each, four times per year. Application deadlines are January 31, April 30, July 31, and October 31. This scholarship is merit-based, so eligible applicants must hold a GPA of 3.2 or higher. Applicants’ schools must be CastleBranch affiliates.
3. DiversityNursing
DiversityNursing strives to financially assist future nurses from a wide variety of backgrounds and with a diverse range iofidentities. It offers one $5000 scholarship per year. Since both full-time and part-time students are eligible, this is a great scholarship option for students who are unable to attend school full-time due to other obligations, such as work and family needs and commitments. The application deadline is May 6th.
4. Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association
The Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association is one of the most comprehensive providers of nursing education financial support. Their General Scholarship Program and The Promise of Nursing Program combined offer several scholarships each year for undergraduate nursing students. The amounts range from $1000 to $7500. Each scholarship has unique requirements and distinct deadlines. Some of them are tailored to specific specialization areas, so this is a great resource for students to use for building their career foundations.
5. Nurse.org
Nurse.org is a general online resource center for nursing students and professionals. Part of the resources it provides are three scholarships for nursing students. The $1000 Healthcare Leaders Scholarship is both essay and merit-based. The $1000 Nurses First Scholarship is a bit more academically competitive. The three $500 Bridging Your Career Scholarships are specifically for male students, aimed at increasing nursing diversity. Each scholarship has unique deadlines and qualifications, offering assistance opportunities for a wide variety of students at every step of the educational process.
The best part about these five nursing scholarships is that they offer help for all types of students. Awards are granted all throughout the year. These organizations are truly concerned with making the educational process more attainable in order to most positively grow the professional nursing community.
