Health Professions Students Seeking Scholarships

Students who are pursuing healthcare careers and intend to work in rural, tribal, and other underserved areas may be eligible for scholarships, loans, and forgivable loans. Talk with the college/university financial aid office about what scholarships are available for health professions students. Additionally, local healthcare facilities may offer scholarships, loan forgiveness, and loan repayment programs for students who want to return and work in the area.

Federal programs for students are shown below.

National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program (NHSC SP)
Sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration, this program provides loan repayment assistance for students pursuing eligible primary care health professions training in exchange for a service commitment in an approved site in a high-need urban, rural, or frontier community. NHSC SP website NHSC SP fact sheet NHSC SP application guidance
Disciplines
Medicine Dentistry Physician assistant Nurse practitioner Certified nurse midwife
Eligibility
U.S. Citizen or U.S. National Full-time students at accredited schools Free from any other service obligation
Service Requirement
1 year service commitment per scholarship year (or partial scholarship year) 2 year minimum and 4 year maximum
Scholarship Amount
Pays for tuition, education-related expenses, and a monthly stipend.

Nurse Corps Scholarship Program (Nurse Corps SP)
Sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration, this program provides scholarships for nursing students who agree to work in eligible healthcare facilities with a shortage of nurses. Nurse Corps SP website Nurse Corps SP application guidance
Disciplines
Students in diploma, associate, baccalaureate, and graduate nursing programs
Eligibility
U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, and lawful permanent residents Enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an accredited professional nursing degree program Preference is given based on financial need
Service Requirement
2 years of full-time service at an eligible Critical Shortage Facility located in, designated as, or serving a mental health or primary care HPSA with a score of 14 or higher
Scholarship Amount
Scholarship will cover tuition, required fees, books, clinical supplies, laboratory expenses, and a stipend for monthly living expenses.

Other federal student programs:

Indian Health Service Pre-Graduate Scholarship Program – Provides scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native students to enroll in courses leading to a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-podiatry, and other subjects needed by the Indian health programs.
Indian Health Service Preparatory Scholarship – Provides scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native students who are enrolled in undergraduate or preparatory courses in preparation for entry to health profession schools.
Indian Health Service Health Professions Scholarship Program – Provides scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native students enrolled in a wide range of health professions degree programs.
Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program – Provides scholarships for Native Hawaiians enrolled as healthcare professions students in any state or territory, and who agree to work for at least 2 years at an eligible service setting in Hawaii after graduation.

Looking for state-specific opportunities?

Rural health professions scholarships are offered in many states. Follow these steps to search RHIhub:

Visit RHIhub's scholarships funding by type page
Choose narrow by geography
Choose the appropriate state and click OK
If needed, you can narrow down even more by choosing narrow by topic
Then choose the appropriate topic, such as behavioral health workforce or nurses, and click OK

Last Updated: 1/10/2022
Last Reviewed: 1/10/2022