Scholarships for Nursing School (BSN)

Nursing Professional Development Week just started on June 12th which is a great time to think about your future career in nursing. Have you been thinking recently about going back to school? You probably already have your Associate’s degree and your RN license, but if you are considering going back to school, a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing is often next in the progression. 

One of the many factors that we think about when considering advancing our degree is finances. Though nurses typically make decent money, higher education is very expensive and of course, we all have bills to pay. Sometimes going back to school just isn’t in the budget. However, where there is a will there is a way. One of those ways is through scholarships. 

Many people don’t take advantage of scholarships because they feel the organization would never pick them. Moreover, some don’t even apply because scholarships all have requirements and can take a lot of time. Let’s take a look at some of the common requirements, some resources to find scholarships, and go over a few of our favorites.

Common Scholarship Requirements 

Scholarship requirements vary widely as every organization that offers a scholarship has their own standards on what they feel students should have to submit to qualify to receive their money. However, there are a few that tend to be popular. 

Some common requirements of nursing scholarships include: 

• A minimum GPA
• Seeking a certain degree
• An essay
• Demonstration of financial need
• Full-time status
• Application deadlines

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Resources to Find Scholarships

Scholarships sometimes take a lot of digging to find the ones that are the best match for you. We have gathered some links that have several different scholarship options which are a good jumping-off place. One thing to note is that most of these are specifically for those seeking a BSN, though there might be some others sprinkled in. 

For those thinking about going to nursing school, let’s focus on scholarships out there for getting a BSN nursing degree.

4 Lists of BSN Scholarships

• 34 Awesome RN to BSN Scholarships For Nursing Students (2021)
• BSN Education Nursing Scholarships
• 13 Nursing Scholarships You Can Apply to This Weekend | Simmons Online
• Nursing Scholarships | Johnson & Johnson Nursing

Some of these resources will have overlap, but there are so many scholarships designed for nurses that the best way to give you as many options as possible is to combine multiple resources into one place.

DiversityNursing.com $5,000 Education Award

Why We Love It:

DiversityNursing.com’s scholarship is a drawing every year for $5,000 and applicants that have won it in the past can win it again. We love it because there is no essay required and entering only takes 10-15 minutes!

AfterCollege/AACN $10,000 Scholarship Fund

Why We Love It: 

The AACN Scholarship Fund holds priority for RN’s that are going back to get their BSN and awards $2,500 each quarter. 

“Nurse I Am” Scholarship by Cherokee Uniforms

Why We Love It: 

They award 10 scholarships of $2,000 which increases your chances of receiving the scholarship!

Geraldine “Polly” Bednash Scholarship

Why We Love It:

Geraldine “Polly” Bednash Scholarship is awarded four times per year with two $5,000 scholarships each time which can both cover a lot of tuition for a semester and give you higher chances of being selected.

Apply for Nursing Scholarships

Though scholarships can be overwhelming and take a lot of time and energy to apply, they can allow you to further your education while minimizing financial strain. Additionally, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing can aid in advancing your position and salary, so the time and energy are often worth it in the long run. 

Do you have any tips for applying to scholarships? Let’s share them in the comments below!