Costs & Financial Aid

Through the support of many generous donors, the College of Nursing is able to provide a variety of scholarship opportunities to students in a declared Nursing major (BSN, MEPN, DNP or PhD).

The application for scholarships for the following academic year will be available in early January of each year through Scholarship Universe. Nursing application closes June 1 of each year and decisions are made throughout the summer, with notifications to selected recipients via UA email beginning early August.

Recipients of some awards may be required to submit a thank you as a condition to receive the scholarship; failure to do so may result in revocation of the award.

Scholarship Requirements

Consideration for a College of Nursing scholarship requires all students to complete the following:

• Be admitted to a College of Nursing program (BSN, MEPN, DNP, or PhD)
• File a free application for Federal student aid: FAFSA
  • Students are not required to accept any loans, grants or other types of Federal Aid that may be offered.
  • International students are not required to complete this application.
  • Students need to be aware of FAFSA application open and close dates.
• Register with Scholarship Universe. Scholarship Universe provides access to UA scholarships as well as scholarships from sources outside of the University and College. 
  • Scholarship Universe matches students to eligible scholarships based on their responses in the profile section of the application.
  • Nursing scholarships will require completion of an additional application specific to the College of Nursing.

Applications are provided in January to continuing students for the specific grant or loan program if the institution continues to receive funding. Information will be provided to newly admitted students with acceptance documents.

Loan programs and grants may be available:

Arizona Nursing Inclusive Excellence (ANIE): The ANIE program provides academic enrichment opportunities to students from backgrounds that are under-represented in nursing, in order to reduce barriers to higher education and increase the diversity of the nursing workforce. This program offers Pre-Nursing, BSN, DNP and PhD student stipends and programmatic support to improve academic and professional success as nurse scientists and clinical leaders.
University of Arizona Fellows Program:The UA Graduate College offers this fellowship to the highest-ranked incoming doctoral students to engage and develop interdisciplinary scholars, artists, and practitioners who will be our next generation of leader and to promote collaborative innovation on campus and throughout our broader communities. Fellows receive a competitive financial package, professional development programming, mentoring and community engagement opportunities.
Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP): The NFLP is a loan forgiveness program created to improve the nurse faculty workforce. It provides support for doctoral students who plan to assume a nursing faculty position within 12 months of graduation from their doctoral program.
The Behavioral Health Workforce Education Training (BHWET) Program: The BHWET supports traineeships in interprofessional teams for select Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) DNP students with scholarships of $28,352 to defray educational expenses associated with pursuing the PMHNP training option. Students must do a 6-month clinical rotation in a rural or medically underserved area. For more details, contact Kelly McLain at kmclain@arizona.edu.
Nursing Student Loan Program (NSL): The NSL program provides up to $7,899/year in student loans for students with unmet financial need and required academic qualifications in the BSN, MEPN, DNP, and PhD program. Applications are accepted year-round and can be obtained by contacting the Office of Student & Academic Affairs (jdmolina@arizona.edu). 
Bonnie Daniels Loan Program: The Bonnie Daniels Loan is administered by the College of Nursing and provides up to $5000 in loan funds per semester, with an overall total amount of $20,000, for a qualifying Nursing student. To be eligible, a student must be a U.S. citizen, be enrolled either full-time or part-time, be in good academic standing and show financial need as determined by the College of Nursing. Applications are accepted year-round and can be obtained by contacting the Office of Student & Academic Affairs (jdmolina@arizona.edu).
 

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the US Health and Human Services (HHS) departments offer various scholarship and loan repayment programs. Please note that the College of Nursing does not facilitate any of these programs. Please visit the site of the program indicated for more information and refer all questions to that entity.

• Faculty Loan Repayment: The Health Resources & Service Administration repays loans to those interested in pursuing a career as a faculty member at a health professions school.
• Indian Health Service (IHS) Loan Repayment: The Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program provides health care professionals with a unique opportunity to practice within an interdisciplinary health care team environment while receiving loan repayment for their qualified education loans.
• Indian Health Service (IHS) Health Professions Scholarship: Indian Health Service Health Professions Scholarship program provides financial aid to qualified American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate and graduate-level students. In order to be a recipient of this benefit program, the individual must be a member of a federally recognized Tribe and enrolled in an eligible health profession degree program. In exchange for financial aid, scholarship recipients agree to fulfill a service commitment in full-time clinical practice upon completion of their academic or post-graduate clinical training. In addition, the applicant must meet certain requirements.
• National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship and Loan Repayment: The National Health Service Corps awards scholarships and loan repayment to primary care providers in eligible disciplines dedicated to work in areas of the United States with limited access to care. Becoming a member of the NHSC requires a commitment of at least two years at an NHSC-approved site, located in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). If awarded a scholarship, NHSC pays tuition, eligible fees, other reasonable educational costs, and a living stipend.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment: The National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. The LRPs counteract financial pressure by repaying up to $50,000 annually of a researcher's qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research. 
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship: The National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) offers competitive scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research. The program offers: scholarship support, paid research training at the NIH during the summer and paid employment and training at the NIH after graduation.
• Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship: Funded by the Health Resources & Service Administration (HRSA).  With a goal of improving the health of Native Hawaiians, HRSA provides scholarships to Native Hawaiians pursuing careers in primary and behavioral health disciplines. In return for service the program pays tuition, related school costs, and a monthly stipend. Recipients are required to provide a year’s service/employment in a medically underserved area within the state of Hawaii immediately after graduation/licensure for every year of funding received. Individuals must serve a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years.
• Nurse Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment: If accepted into the Health Resources & Service Administration Nurse Corps, the individual will be provided with loan repayment or a scholarship in exchange for a minimum commitment of two years of service at a facility experiencing a critical shortage of nurses. Nurse Corps members help those in need, without the burden of debt. The member will also receive competitive pay and benefits from their employer in addition to their award.
• State Loan Repayment: The State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) varies from state to state/territory. Funding is provided by the Health Resources & Service Administration (HRSA). Contact the state or territory program office for more information on the individual entities' program requirements.

• UA Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid Resources
• Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)

The aim of the IMPACT Scholarship Program is to increase the number and diversity of family nurse practitioner (FNP), psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP), and certified nurse wife (CNM) students trained with University of Arizona - College of Nursing (UACON) community healthcare partners in Southern Arizona. The students will receive immersive education and training preparing them to provide primary care services, mental health and substance use disorder care, and maternal health care to the diverse populations in the rural, border, and medically underserved communities in Southern Arizona. The project will deploy immersive managed practice adaptable clinical training (IMPACT) starting in the spring semester 2024.

• ANEW-IMPACT Application 2024
• Article: UArizona Nursing Receives $2.6M Grant to Support Doctor of Nursing Practice Students' Clinical Placements
• Article: UArizona College of Nursing receives $2.6M HRSA grant to support Doctor of Nursing Practice students' clinical placements