All students, including nursing majors, are feeling the economic pinch right now and would benefit from being the recipients of one or more scholarships or grants.
Grants & Scholarships for Colorado Nursing Students
Grant and scholarship programs are different from loan programs in that the monies awarded to any given student do not have to be paid back.
Scholarships are also different from grants in that scholarship monetary awards are meant to be applied to course fees while grant monetary awards fund specific research projects.
There are also grants and scholarships that are available country-wide and then there are those that are available only to students living in a particular state, or even a particular county of one state.
Colorado is no exception to this rule and, here, scholarship and grant programs are offered to nursing students by organizations that include philanthropic community societies and educational institutions.
Scholarship and grant eligibility depends on whether a student complies with a set of conditions that are predetermined by the entity that funds or administers the program.
In Colorado, such eligibility requirements will include that students have to be resident within the state and that they will have to go to school in the state.
Further requirements will range from factors as commonplace as what a student’s academic record reflects to factors as diverse as who a student’s relatives are.
Students who are interested in applying for grants and scholarships in Colorado should also undertake further research on their own as this list is not meant to be exhaustive. A good place to start would be by reviewing all relevant ‘financial aid’ pages on websites belonging to the following:
- Universities and colleges located in Colorado (especially those that have nursing schools);
- Hospitals, clinics and associations of medical practitioners;
- Philanthropic and other community societies; and
- Specialized nursing associations and information databases like CampusRN.
Specific Scholarships and Grants in Colorado
Colorado Legion Auxiliary Past Presidents Parley Nurses Scholarship
The aim of this scholarship program is to provide funding to the relatives of American veterans who want to pursue a career in nursing. The submission deadline for program applications is in April of each year and exactly how many of these non-renewable annual awards will be paid differs from year to year.
Eligibility requirements include:
- Applicants must be either (a) veterans who served in the American armed forces during the eligibility dates for Legion membership or (b) spouses, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of veterans;
- Applicants must have already been accepted into an accredited nursing school in Colorado and must also be Colorado residents; and
- Applicants must submit a 500-word essay on the topic “Americanism”.
Further factors that will influence the selection process will include dedication to the field of nursing, academic achievement, financial need and references. Students who are interested in finding out more about this scholarship program can contact the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Colorado, at 7465 East 1st Avenue, Denver, CO 80230 (tel: 303-367-5388 and website: www.coloradoauxiliary.com).
Colorado Legion Auxiliary National President’s Scholarship
The deadline for the submission of applications for this program is March in every year and the annual amount awarded ranges from $2,500 to $5,000. Eligibility requirements include:
- Applicants must be relatives of American armed forces veterans who served during the Legion’s eligibility period; and
- Applicants must be entered by the local AL Auxiliary unit and must be high school seniors.
Any interested parties can obtain further information from the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Colorado, 7465 East 1st Avenue, Denver, CO 80230 (tel: 303-367-5388; website: www.coloradoauxiliary.com).
Colorado Nursing Scholarship Program
This program’s aim is to provide financial assistance to students involved in post-secondary nursing studies in the state of Colorado. The exact number of awards made under this program differs every year and applications must be filed in June. To be eligible to apply for this program:
- Students must either be accepted to be enrolled, or actually be enrolled, to study nursing at either a private proprietary school in Colorado or a state-supported Colorado school; and
- Students must undertake to work and practice in Colorado for one year for each annual award received.
This program is administered through the Colorado Commission for Higher Education and they can be contacted for further information at 1560 Broadway, Suite 1600, Denver, CO 80202 (tel: 303-866-2723 and website: highered.colorado.gov).
Metropolitan Denver Medical Societies Alliance Nursing Scholarship
This program has been designed to assist college students in Colorado with paying for their nursing studies. One award of $1,000 is made each year and applications for this program have to be filed by March of any given academic year. Eligibility requirements include:
- Students must be Colorado residents; and
- Students must also be currently enrolled in a Colorado-based university or college and must be working to get their BSN (Bachelor of Science: Nursing) degree.
Students can contact the Alliance to obtain further information at 1850 Williams Street, Denver, CO 80218.
Virginia Leyda Roberts Nursing Scholarship
The main objective of this program is to provide financial assistance to Colorado high school seniors to help them further their nursing studies. One award of $1,000 is made each year and applications have to be submitted by any given January. To be eligible for this program:
- Students must be US citizens and residents of Colorado;
- Students must be graduating high school seniors who are in the top third of their class and who have been accepted into a school in Colorado that offers a BSN; and
- Students must file various documents together with their application form including a letter of sponsorship from the DAR’s Colorado chapter, a list of scholastic achievements, references and high school and college transcripts.
Factors that will influence the selection process for this program include financial need, academic record and the student’s extracurricular activities. Those who are interested in obtaining further information can contact the Colorado chapter of the DAR directly at 923 Tenth Street, Golden, CO 80401 (tel: 303-278-7151 and website: www.coloradodar.org).
Grants and Nursing Scholarships in Colorado,