MSN Scholarships
There are lots of scholarships dedicated to graduate level study. Many of those are sponsored by a national corporation or service organization and then managed by universities on a local basis. For that reason a lot of schools have a searchable scholarship database where you can check on available scholarships for which you qualify. Then there are organizations that have established graduate level healthcare or nursing scholarships and chose to go through the awards process themselves. Additionally there are organizations with state or local chapters that provide individual scholarships on an annual basis.
- March of Dimes awards several $5,000 scholarships annually to nurses who are in a graduate program for maternal or neonatal care. Applicants must be members of one of several professional organizations such as the American College of Nurse-Midwives in order to qualify for the award.
- Nurses Educational Funds Inc. oversees and awards several endowed scholarships for graduate students in nursing. Applicants must be a member of a professional nurses association, a registered nurse, and enrolled in an NLNCA or CCNE accredited graduate level program.
- Emergency Nurses Association awards scholarships annually to undergraduate and graduate students in nursing. Applicants must have been a member of the Association for twelve months prior to applying for the scholarship. Most of the graduate awards are for $5,000.
- U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that has a scholarship program for undergraduate or graduate students in nursing. The scholarship covers tuition and fees, books and laboratory costs, and provides a monthly living stipend. In return, graduates agree to work for two years in a geographic area that has critical healthcare needs.
- National Student Nurses Association awards $125,000 in scholarships to students in undergraduate or graduate nursing programs, although the applicant must be enrolled in a program that will be granting the first nursing degree. The MSN program for non-nursing bachelor’s degree students would meet the criteria.
- Health Professions Education Foundation has a loan repayment program that will retire student loans of up to $20,000 in return for a two year commitment to practice in an area that lacks adequate health care services in California. Applicants may include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse-midwives.
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing co-sponsors a scholarship program geared to graduate students who are pursuing a Nurse Educator degree with the goal of teaching in the nursing field.
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses has a scholarship program for members of the organization who are enrolled in courses or a graduate program to expand their knowledge of nursing and their capabilities in the field.
- Army Nurse Corps Association is an organization originally established for veterans and retired service nurses. They are not affiliated with any branch of the U.S. military. Their scholarships are available to undergraduate or graduate nursing students who plan to enter the Arm, who are veterans of the U.S. Army, who are currently enlisted or who are family members of Army veterans.
- American Cancer Society has several grants and scholarship programs. One of them is for graduate scholarships in cancer nursing. Students in a Clinical Nurse Specialist MSN program with the goal of oncology nursing are qualified applicants for this program.
