For more information on funding your graduate studies, please start with the program-specific information below. Further opportunities for both DNP and PhD students are located below the program-specific information.
DNP Students
The School of Nursing annually awards scholarships to students in the DNP programs. Scholarship amounts are limited and vary depending on the source of funding and student’s attendance status (full-time or part-time). See below for more DNP scholarship opportunities.
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Who should apply?
Continuing students currently in the DNP program and applicants to the DNP programs may apply for scholarships.
How to apply
The application process for DNP scholarships takes place once a year in the late fall/early winter. To apply, students must complete the online DNP Scholarship Application form through the Campus Scholarship Application webpage.
Scholarships are awarded for one academic year(fall/spring), therefore students must submit a scholarship application each year. Students who wish to have financial need considered as part of their criteria must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is available online at: www.fafsa.ed.gov.
The online application for current DNP, Psych Mental Health Certificate students, and current applicants to these programs is typically available in early-December. To begin applying for scholarships, please click here. Sign in with your NetID and complete the brief General Application. Following that, you will fill out the School of Nursing Application. The School of Nursing Application will only show up during the application cycle. All questions must be answered in order to submit the application. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Completed applications should be received on or before the stated deadline in order to be considered for support.
When are awards offered?
Scholarship awards will be made late summer. Awards are made through the WISH System.
Other Information
Many other agencies and organizations offer resources to help fund your doctoral education. This may particularly be true within your specialty area of practice/research.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing maintains a list of funding sources for nursing education.
Nurse Faculty Loan Program
The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing has been awarded funding from the Nurse Reinvestment Act to provide special loans to graduate students who intend to become nursing faculty. For more details and the application, click here.
PhD Students
The School of Nursing is committed to funding full-time students admitted into the PhD program. Several forms of financial aid are available for graduate students: traineeships, fellowships, research and teaching assistantships, and other sources. Graduate students that have a project assistantship (PA), a teaching assistantship (TA), or a research assistantship (RA) of at least a 33.33% appointment for Fall or Spring term are eligible to receive remission of full tuition. Some fellowships that are at least 33.33% also qualify for remission of non-resident tuition. Funding decisions are made once a year in the spring semester for the following academic year. Continuing and newly admitted students are encouraged to apply for funding. See below for more PhD funding information.
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University Assistantships
Doctoral students have priority for project, teaching and research assistantships administered by the School of Nursing. Project and research assistantships are funded by faculty research grants and by School of Nursing gift funds. Application for project, research and teaching assistantships is made through the School of Nursing every spring.
University Fellowships
Graduate Research Scholars (formerly known as Advanced Opportunity Fellowships) are awarded for qualified minority or economically disadvantaged nonminority students. To be considered, eligible applicants should contact scholarships@nursing.wisc.edu.
The Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship is given to a student (WI residents given priority) who shows excellence in their area of research. Application is made through the School of Nursing in the spring, with other assistantship applications.
National Research Service Awards
Students in the PhD program are strongly encouraged to apply for a federal pre-doctoral fellowship through the National Research Service Award (NRSA) program. These NIH awards are quite prestigious and strengthen applications for future funding from the agency. The Office of Nursing Research & Sponsored Programs has detailed information about NRSA submission and will help you and your faculty mentor with the submission process.
Student Research Funding
Scholarships are available to fund expenses related to research work while in the program. A call for applications is put out through the School of Nursing each fall. Various amounts and criteria are used for these scholarship awards. Generous endowments from the Eckburg, Shapiro, Heideman and Johnson funds support awards ranging from $1,000.00 up to $5,000.00 each year.
Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP)
The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing has been awarded funding from the Nurse Reinvestment Act to provide special loans to graduate students who intend to become nursing faculty. For more details and the application, click here.
Other Information
Many other agencies and organizations offer resources to help fund your doctoral education. This may particularly be true within your specialty area of practice / research. For example, the American Cancer Society offers Doctoral Degree Nurse Scholarships that provide $15,000 year toward PhD training expenses.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing maintains a list of funding sources for nursing education.
Students in the PhD program have been successful in competing for federal National Research Service Awards (NRSA) which are individual predoctoral fellowships. More information can be found here, at the NIH website.
(For more information contact the particular organizations web site)
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
AACN has an extensive list of funding resources for graduate students. This includes grants and scholarships from Johnson & Johnson, International Education Financial Aid, Nurses Educational fund and many, many more. The site also offers information on loan forgiveness programs.
American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
Connecting nurse practitioners to the financial support they need, check out the AANP site to view opportunities for grants, scholarships, awards, and more!
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP)
Post-doc research fellowships, career training fellowships and current student fellowships covering a wide variety of areas including public health, global health, health economics, prevention, minority health
Nursing Scholarships This is a searchable scholarship database created specifically for nursing students. The scholarships listed here are provided by various nursing associations, educational institutions, foundations, for-profit/non-profit organizations, etc.
Army Nurse Corps Association Scholarship
Financial assistance is offered to nursing students enrolled in an accredited baccalaureate and graduate nursing/nurse anesthesia program. Recipients must plan to enter the Army, Army National Guard or Army Reserve.
Deborah E. Trautman Future Nurse Leader Scholarship
This scholarship is designed to recognize graduate nursing students who aspire to leadership positions in academic nursing. In addition to the monetary scholarship sent directly to students, scholarship recipients will participate in a one-on-one leadership development experience with Dr. Trautman at AACN’s headquarters in Washington, DC. Up to $1,500 of the scholarship award will be used to cover travel expenses for the three-day leadership development program. Award Amount: $2,000 + $1,500 for the leadership development program = $3,500 total Application Deadline: October 30
EDUMED Scholarships & Resources for Black Students
Scholarships and grants from nonprofits, professional associations, schools, and other sources play a critical role in making higher education more accessible and ensuring all students have the opportunity to achieve their higher education and career goals. This guide provides a list of scholarship award programs for the Black community, gives tips on how to make your scholarship application shine, and offers additional resources that provide support to Black students from enrollment through graduation and beyond.
Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin (GHC-SCW) Pre-Professional Medical Diversity Scholarship
The GHC-SCW Pre-Professional Medical Diversity Scholarship seeks to award financial grants to underrepresented students; specifically, for students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Hispanic/Latinx who are currently enrolled in medical school (including residency), physician assistant, and nurse practitioner programs in Wisconsin. The scholarship awards $5,000 grants to each of three selected scholars. The funds will be distributed in September. Scholars will be selected through an online application process due by June 15. In addition to the monetary scholarship, each scholar chosen will be awarded the opportunity for an on-site shadowing experience at GHC during the fall semester. Click the scholarship name above for the 2022 flier and application form.
March of Dimes
Every year the March of Dimes provides millions of dollars in grants and scholarships. We support community programs and education for professionals. Our aim is to prevent birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program
Will pay for 60% of your unpaid nursing education debt over two years, with an option to extend to a third year for an additional 25% of the original balance. In exchange, you work for a minimum of two years in one of the thousands of Critical Shortage Facilities across the country.
Nurse Practitioner Scholarships and Grants
Earning an advanced nursing education requires a significant investment of time and money. To help, NursePractitionerSchools.com created a list of 25 nurse practitioner scholarships available to qualifying students, organized by eligibility conditions, such as region, demographic group, and NP specialization.
NurseJournal
The idea of financing a nursing education can be intimidating for students, and lack of access to helpful resources often deters them from pursuing their dream careers. Scholarships and grants can make the world of a difference in a future nurse’s path. Because of this, the team at NurseJournal.org gathered a list of more than 50 incredible scholarships and grants for nursing students.
NurseThink
The NurseThink-AACN Scholarship supports students enrolled in master’s and doctoral nursing programs at AACN member institutions who have a desire to become future nurse faculty. The scholarship is open to all students who are members of the Graduate Nursing Student Academy. To apply, students must complete an online application, provide demographic information and details on their academic achievement, and submit a short essay outlining their plans to teach after graduation.
Nurses Educational Funds, Inc (NEF) Scholarship
Offering more than 1,000 scholarships for advanced degrees in nursing, NEF scholarships are offered to doctoral students enrolled full or part time in an accredited nursing program who have completed at least 12 credit hours of the program and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.6. Information on the application process can be found at: http://www.n-e-f.org/index.php/apply.html.
Nurses Foundation of Racine Scholarship – The Nurses Foundation of Racine is offering scholarships for nursing students who reside in Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth Counties. Applicants must be enrolled in a nursing program with at least one semester of the nursing curriculum completed.
Nurses Foundation of Wisconsin (NFW) Research Grants
Nurses Foundation of Wisconsin(NFW) Scholarship
The Nurses Foundation of Wisconsin, Inc. (NFW) awards scholarship money annually to Registered Nurses in Wisconsin who are continuing their education to obtain a baccalaureate or advanced degree in nursing.
Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)
ONS provides scholarships to registered nurses who are interested in and committed to oncology nursing to continue their education by pursuing a master’s degree in nursing. Masters degree scholarships are awarded annually at $3,000 each. Doctoral scholarships awarded at $3,000 and $5,000 annually. Please note that applications for the ONCC awards are available after May of each year. Applications for ONS Foundation scholarships, cancer public-education projects, career development awards, after June of each year.
Contact Us
Judy Christensen
Position title: Recruitment & Awards Specialist
Email:
judy.christensen
Phone: 608-262-9611
