Overview of Nursing Scholarships

As one of the largest profession in providing health care, nursing is expected to beam up and increase its population seven years from now. It is said that nursing is to become the second largest provider of new jobs in all types of occupations. True enough, the demand for more nurses has increase every year, prompting the country to hire nurses not only from the cities in the United States but also from nearby countries. The need for more nursing graduates is increasing primarily because of the rising population of both the children and the elderly in the US who need long-term care from professional health care providers.

The heartrending fact, however, is despite the projected increase in the number of needed nurses in the country, only few students are able to have the said degree because of the lack of funds or resources to help them finish their studies. The American youth are caring, responsible, sympathetic, and loving -- the perfect people to become the country's future nurses. Unfortunately, most of them are not able to enroll for a nursing course, let alone finish an equivalent degree. Nursing is a wonderful profession because it enables the graduates to obtain high-paying jobs in a comfortable work environment. Because of this fact, nursing has become an expensive course for a student whose parents earn only a meager salary.

Nursing Scholarships in the United States

It is a good thing that there are people and institutions in the United States that understand the plight of many high school graduates and current college students. These noble organizations have opened their doors to students and helped them achieve their dreams of becoming full-fledged nurses. Today, there are a lot of organizations that offer nursing students who are in need financially but have the desire to study nursing in a college or a university. Some of these organizations are sponsored by private corporations, while others are backed by the government or by non-government groups.

Health Resources and Services Administration
The Health Resources and Services Administration or HRSA of the US Department of Health and Human Services is the government's primary bureau that is directed in helping people to gain access of the improved health care services of the department. As part of their mission, HRSA has designed a scholarship program for aspiring nursing students. The Nursing Scholarship Program of the HRSA will help cover the tuition, miscellaneous fees for books, laboratory and clinical supplies and expenses, and other academic payments in exchange for the student's servitude of two years at a particular hospital or clinic. To be able to qualify for a scholarship, the applicant should be a US citizen, is enrolled either as full or part-time student in an accredited college or university, and should be free from service commitments, Federal judgment liens, and any debt. To learn more about the scholarship grant and apply online, one can visit the HRSA website: http://www.hrsa.gov/

State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana
The State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) has a nursing scholarship program that provides educational funds for student who have been approved in colleges and universities in the said state. To qualify, an applicant must be accepted in a nursing school as a full-time or part-time student. He or she must also be a resident of Indiana and a US citizen. In addition, the student should submit a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. To be able to maintain the scholarship grant, he or she must meet the GPA that is required by the university. The student will receive a $5,000 fund annually, however, the amount can still be affected by other grants that he has applied for. The SSACI Program, just like other scholarships, requires their graduates to serve at least two years in an Indiana hospital or clinic after their graduation.

Moreover, for those looking for nursing scholarships, they can visit their local HRSA offices to inquire about the openings for the scholarship grants. On the other hand, they can also find scholarship grants in the Web by keying in the name of their state plus the phrase "nursing scholarship," in the search boxes of the search engines. They can also visit scholarship listing websites where they can acquire information about the various nursing scholarship grants that caters to the segmented groups in the society.

Qualifying for a Nursing Scholarship

As mentioned, nursing is the most prominent profession and course today; therefore, it is expected that there is a tight competition among aspirants to qualify for a scholarship. Searching for a scholarship is fairly easy since there are a multitude of organizations that provide financial assistance to qualified students. However, applying for these scholarships is a completely different story.

Most scholarships don't provide grants for nothing. Most of them require the nursing graduates to spend at least two years as volunteer nurses to clinics and hospitals in their respective states. Being a volunteer, however, is the organizations way to teach the people that they've helped to give back to the community the blessings that they have received.

Aside from the willingness to become a volunteer, students should also prove that they are really financially lacking. Some scholarships require income tax returns of the applicant's parents or even his if he is already working. Another requirement is that the students should have at least a GPA of 2.0 or perhaps meet the average established by the schools where they enrolled. In general, the scholarship organizations have forms that a student has to complete and submit, so it is recommended to visit the organizations offices or websites to have a copy of the application forms.