Individuals of African American descent or Blacks living in the US who are enrolled or accepted in nursing programs are eligible for several funding opportunities to support their journey into the nursing field. Curated in this blog post are the best black nurse scholarships and if you fall into the criteria, then go ahead and apply to receive the awards.
There is a shortage of black nurses in the US, often referred to as the underrepresented group in the nursing profession. There are many reasons for this shortage and financial constraint is one of them and you already know, that nursing is an expensive field of study to delve into. So, it is not common to find people, blacks included, who couldn’t go to nursing school because they could not afford it.
To solve this issue and provide unrestricted access to nursing education, scholarships, and grants are provided by governments and other agencies which include hospitals and nursing organizations. These scholarships and grants, often termed “financial aid” do not have to be repaid, unlike a student loan.
But to ensure that the financial aid gets to the deserving students, there are set requirements and eligibility criteria that applicants must fulfill. There are also nursing scholarships that are directed towards a specific population like black nurse scholarships curated here and nursing scholarships for minorities which I published recently.
Aside from scholarships, there are also other ways you can go to nursing school for free, exploring other options will be beneficial to you as you will not have to worry so much about finance while studying.
Now, about the shortage of African American nurses in the US and lack of finance being one of the causes, specific scholarships are offered to current and aspiring black nurses as a counter to this issue. Offering financial aid specifically for black nurses will remove the financial barrier that restricts them from going to nursing school and inevitably increase the number of blacks in the profession.
In addition to the black nurse scholarships curated here, you can also apply for government grants for nursing school and scholarships for minorities in healthcare as well as other scholarships whose requirements you meet and then direct the fund or award towards their nursing education. The more scholarships you can apply for, the better as you have a higher chance of receiving more funds. This way you will complete and earn your nursing degree with little to no student debt.
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Best Black Nurse Scholarships
Suppose you are a Black or African-American aspiring to become a nurse or already in a nursing program. In that case, the scholarships curated here are specifically for you to apply for and receive funding to support your career. In as much as the scholarships are for black nursing students, each of them has varying requirements which you have to review carefully before applying.
The following are the black nurse scholarships:
- Evelyn Paige Parker Scholarship Fund
- Black Nurses Association of the Greater Washington, DC Area, Inc. Scholarships
- Central Florida Black Nurses Association of Orlando, Inc. Scholarships
- Kyanna Black Nurses Scholarship
- The Colorado Council of Black Nurses (CCBN) Scholarship Program
- Gateway to Success Minority Nursing Scholarship
- NBNA Scholarship Program
- Chapman Urban Scholars Program Fund
- National Medical Fellowships Scholarships and Awards
- The Cleveland Council of Black Nurses (CCBN) Nursing Scholarship Program
- William K. Schubert Minority Nursing Scholarship
- Marmie Garland Scholarship Fund
1. Evelyn Paige Parker Scholarship Fund
First on our list of best black nurse scholarships is the Evelyn Paige Parker Scholarship Fund established in 2004 by the Pittsburgh Black Nurses In Action to attract African-American nurses to the Pittsburgh area. The scholarship is awarded annually and the amount varies from year to year.
To be considered for the Evelyn Paige Parker Scholarship Fund, you must have completed, at least, one full year of nursing school or be enrolled in a nursing second-degree program, be in good academic standing at the time of application with at least a 3.0 GPA, and must currently be taking at least 6 credit hours per semester. The scholarship application is online.
2. Black Nurses Association of the Greater Washington, DC Area, Inc. Scholarships
The above-named association provides four scholarships annually to African-American licensed nurses and student nurses who are residents of the District of Columbia and adjacent counties of the State of Maryland. Each of the scholarships has its specific requirements, application deadline, and reward amount.
3. Central Florida Black Nurses Association of Orlando, Inc. Scholarships
For the past 40 years, the Central Florida Black Nurses Association of Orlando (CFBNA) has been offering scholarships to assist students pursuing a nursing degree. To apply, you must be a member of CFBNA, a resident of Orange, Seminole, Lake, or Osceola County, accepted or currently enrolled in an accredited nursing program, demonstrate financial need, a minimum of 2.5 GPA, and proof of participation in community activities.
Documents required for application include an essay, an official transcript from your current nursing school, two letters of recommendation, and a clear headshot photograph.
4. Kyanna Black Nurses Scholarship
African American students enrolled in a nursing major at an accredited nursing school in the US can receive scholarships from the Kyanna Black Nurses Association. The scholarship is offered annually, you have to submit a recent transcript from your college, an essay, and two letters of recommendation as part of the application component.
To be eligible, you must be actively enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate nursing program, have a CGPA of 2.6 or higher, and your college should be in Jefferson County, Frankfort, Elizabethtown in KY, or Floyd and Clark counties in southern Indiana.
5. The Colorado Council of Black Nurses (CCBN) Scholarship Program
Here is another black nurses foundation that offers scholarships to African-American students in nursing programs. This scholarship program from CCBN is available to students in high school, technical school, and undergraduate programs appropriate to the nursing track.
Participants of the CCBN scholarship program must participate in the CCBN Scholarship Soiree, an annual scholarship award ceremony held annually by CCBN.
6. Gateway to Success Minority Nursing Scholarship
Gateway to Success Minority Nursing Scholarship is funded by Clarkson College, a college with one of the best nursing programs in the region. The Gateway scholarship supports the cost of nursing at Clarkson College for select racial minority students each year. To be eligible, you must have a high school GPA of 2.5 on a scale of 4.0, meet the eligibility requirements for employment at Nebraska Medicine, and must complete the summer internship program at Nebraska Medicine.
The scholarship value is $14,000 per student for an academic year and is awarded for 4 years provided you maintain a 2.5 GPA for scholarship renewal. Applying for this scholarship also means that you intend to pursue a BSN degree at Clarkson College. Since blacks are part of the ethnic minority groups, this makes them eligible to apply for the Gateway to Success Minority Nursing Scholarship.
7. NBNA Scholarship Program
The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) Scholarship Program is the biggest and most popular nursing scholarship for African Americans. The scholarship program provides annual financial assistance to Black nurses at all levels (LPN to Doctorate). You must be a member of NBNA and be currently enrolled in a nursing program to be eligible. You must also be in good academic standing and have at least one full year of school remaining to qualify for the award.
Application materials include a resume or CV, an official transcript from an accredited nursing school, a 2-page personal statement or essay, two letters of recommendation, and a clear professional headshot. The scholarship value ranges from $1,000 to $15,000.
8. Chapman Urban Scholars Program Fund
This scholarship was created to help underrepresented students in science or social service disciplines to follow their dreams. Blacks are one of the underrepresented groups and nursing is a science discipline that makes blacks in nursing programs eligible for the award but it will be a competitive one compared to the others on this list that are only meant for black nursing students.
You can apply for the scholarship while you are still in high school but you have to be a high school senior in Pittsburgh Public School or a Pittsburgh Public Charter School. However, if you were already an undergraduate at the time you’re seeing this, you can still apply provided you graduated from Pittsburgh Public School or a Pittsburgh public charter school.
In addition, you must have a minimum high school GPA of 2.7 as shown in your official high school transcripts, demonstrate community involvement, and provide evidence of acceptance into nursing school. The scholarship value is $5,000.
9. National Medical Fellowships Scholarships and Awards
African-American/Black students who want to pursue nursing can also take advantage of the NMF scholarships to finance their nursing education.
The National Medical Fellowships offers various scholarships to promote diversity within the medical field including nursing. Therefore, the scholarships are targeted to those from minority ethnic groups enrolled in any healthcare program such as nursing at an accredited institution in the U.S. Then you can be eligible to apply for the National Medical Fellowships Scholarships and Awards.
You must demonstrate leadership abilities and be committed to serving medically underserved communities to be eligible. Other requirements for the scholarship include a student aid report, an official letter of financial award offer, a current professional school transcript, and other personal documents. Application deadlines and procedures can be found in the link below.
10. The Cleveland Council of Black Nurses (CCBN) Nursing Scholarship Program
CCBN offers annual scholarships to Black students currently enrolled or recently accepted in a nursing program at the undergraduate or graduate level and are in good academic standing. Requirements for the application include two letters of recommendation, an essay, an official transcript from nursing school or high school, and a letter from your Dean of Nursing stating the student is in good standing in the nursing program and requires an additional academic term to complete the nursing program.
11. William K. Schubert Minority Nursing Scholarship
The William K. Schubert Minority Nursing Scholarship is offered by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to increase the diversity of RNs in the hospital. If you are looking to become a pediatric nurse and you come from one of the racial-ethnic minority groups, you can qualify for this scholarship.
To be eligible, you must have enrolled or accepted into a prelicensure RN bachelor or master’s degree program at an accredited nursing school on a full-time or part-time basis. Applicants must also have and maintain a minimum of 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The scholarship award is $2,750 per year, the funds are sent directly to recipients’ schools to be used for tuition and fees only.
12. Marmie Garland Scholarship Fund
Last but not least is the Marmie Garland Scholarship Fund offered to African-American students with an interest in nursing. Applicants must demonstrate financial need, maintain a CGPA of 3.0, and exhibit leadership potential. The scholarship award is $3,000 and it is offered annually.
Conclusion
To recap, Blacks in the nursing profession are underrepresented and one of the major causes of this is financial constraint, no thanks to the cost of nursing schools in the US, this killing the dreams of African-Americans who wish to become nurses. And some of them do not even have access to student loans.
To counter this challenge, scholarships are provided by nursing associations across the country to help African Americans pay for all or part of their tuition so that they can go to nursing school and become the kind of nurse they have always dreamt of becoming.
This blog post gathers all the best black nurse scholarships and puts them under one umbrella so that interested students can have access to them at the same time without going through the stress of searching for them on the web, which can be a daunting task. You can apply for as many of the scholarship requirements and criteria you fulfill to increase your chances of winning at least one of the awards.
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