Any good scholarships out there to apply for?

manna, BSN, RN · May 3, 2004

Maybe check and see if your school has any nursing specific scholarships? The two scholarships I was awarded are given out by my school. There's another one I have a good chance of receiving as well, that's given out by the state (in return for an agreement to work within the state for 2 years after graduation)

RedSox33RN · May 3, 2004

I looked at the ones at Discover Nursing, but didn't find any that I really wanted to apply for. Most were of the $100 and $500 variety, but it seems one had to jump through hoops to apply. I didn't feel like writing any essay and the like. I was going to apply for the Tylenol scholarship, which is for people in nursing/medical field, but..............once again, I didn't feel like writing an essay. Plus a lot of those national scholarships I think would be so hard to get - almost like playing the lottery. :chuckle Someone does have to get them, but.....................

I did receive a $20K Transfer scholarship through the school I will be attending. I didn't even know about it, but I guess all transfer students are automatically eligible. I was shocked, and very happy, but I don't know how much of it I will use. It is $2500 per semester, and since I'm only going for my ADN right now, I'd only use $10K of it. Plus you have to take at least 12 credits, and the one thing I was trying to do was get all my pre-req's done so I wouldn't have to take a full course load, so I may not be able to use any of it.

The Women's Club in my little town offers a scholarship each year of $750, which I applied for. It hardly ever gets used, so I think my chances of that are about 99%. It is just for women going back to school after being at home, or trying a second career. Just up my alley!

I think there are a lot of them out there, but some are much more time-consuming to apply for then others. I also think that being May now, many deadlines are drawing near, or have passed. Don't let that deter you. Try your state's board of education website also. I found quite a bit through them. Also, even if you are not attending a state-funded school, look on their websites. The scholarships they list are not always just for their students, but for students anywhere in that state. It's worth a shot.

elkpark · May 3, 2004

If, as your user name suggests, you're in the state of North Carolina, there are nurse-specific scholarship programs offered by the state. I got money from the state when I went to grad school, and was able to work it off after I graduated rather than pay it back.

If you're in some other state, that state may also have a nursing scholarship program -- the states have been trying to boost nursing numbers for quite some time now, but every state is different ...

Tony35NYC · May 4, 2004

Hi,

Forget about finding scholarships on discovernursing.com and fastweb.com. Their $500 scholarships and all their rules and restrictions aren't worth the effort. If the organizations listed on either of those websites were seriously committed to assisting nursing students they could and would do better than those scholarships they're offering.

A really good place to look for real scholarships is your nursing program office. They sometimes have information about nursing-specific scholarships that the financial aid office doesn't have. The financial aid office is also a good place to get information about general scholarships. They may want you to fill out the FAFSA before you can apply for scholarships but its worth it because even if you don't qualify for need-based aid you might still get merit-based funding even if your GPA isn't so hot. If the financial aid office refers you to the fastweb website (as my college now does), don't waste your time.

I don't recommend the nursing loan forgiveness program that states usually offer because I've heard they often send people to some God-forsaken place to work after they're done with school. Florida's department of health used to have a really nice nursing scholarship program but that was another casualty of budget cuts after the 9/11 incident. Check with your state department of education and department of health to see if they are offering any scholarships (as opposed to loan forgiveness arrangements).

If you recently did the SAT and you got decent scores, you can use the College Board's CSS profiling service to expand your chances of picking up a university scholarship. Or try a scholarship search on Pertersons.com

FutureNurse2005 · May 4, 2004

I have no idea what scholarships are available in the US, but I've been told to apply for anything and everything. You cant win unless you apply!

Good luck!

elkpark · May 10, 2004

I don't recommend the nursing loan forgiveness program that states usually offer because I've heard they often send people to some God-forsaken place to work after they're done with school.

I'm not picking an argument or anything, but, just to clarify, I got funding from the Health, Science, and Mathematics scholarship program run by the state of NC, and the conditions for working off the loan were that I could work (as an RN) anywhere in the state, for anyone I chose, except a private doctor's office or a private-for-profit hospital. I took the job I would have taken anyway, got the salary and benefits I would have gotten anyway, and "worked off" two years of financial assistance in two years of employment. It was a v. nice deal.

I would definitely recommend looking closely at all the requirements and obligations, but don't be too quick to overlook any of your possible sources of funding ...

Any *good* scholarships out there to apply for?

Any good scholarships out there to apply for?