The National Health Service Corps is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and offers two types of financial aid to applicants, both of which require at least a two-year commitment after graduation to working in an underserved location. Applicants must be pursuing advanced practice in primary care, such as a family nurse practitioner program. The scholarship option offers funding for tuition and living expenses while you are in school compared with their loan repayment option for after graduation. "Underserved" means a place where there are not enough health care providers to meet the needs of the community. This may mean you will have to move after graduation to a place that is underserved in order to meet the requirements of the scholarship.
The Nurses Educational Fund is for registered nurses who hold a BSN degree and who are seeking higher education in nursing, either a master's or doctoral degree. To be considered for an award, you are not required to be a full-time student in your graduate program. You are required, however, to be a member of a professional nursing organization and have a GPA of 3.6 or better. The NEF offers multiple scholarships every year.
The American Cancer Society offers scholarships to RNs who are seeking advanced practice in oncology at either the master's or doctoral level. Also, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses offers $1,500 per year to students entering the advanced practice critical care specialty. The March of Dimes gives awards to students pursuing mother-baby nursing, and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses offers its awards to nurses studying neonatal advanced practice. There are also a number of scholarships for nurses who are interested in becoming nurse educators, such as the Promise of Nursing Regional Faculty Fellowship.
There are many scholarships designed to assist minority students, but some require the student to be a member in their organization first. The National Black Nurses Association and the National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association both award scholarships to their members, whereas the National Association of Hispanic Nurses does not require membership for the award. The American Indian Graduate Center offers awards to members of nationally recognized tribes, and the American Assembly for Men in Nursing Foundation awards $1,000 to men pursuing advanced practice nursing education.