Finance Your Education With Hispanic Nursing Scholarships

The Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority group in the United States. Most people of Hispanic descent live in the western, southwestern and the southern states. Out of 2.6 million registered nurses, only 2% are Hispanic.

To address this issue and encourage Latinos to pursue higher education and become registered nurses, many states and private organizations have developed scholarships to assist with the cost of attending college.

State Scholarships

Justine E. Granner Memorial Scholarship
This $1,000 scholarship is awarded to any ethnic minority student who is pursuing a degree in nursing at a college or university in Iowa. For more information contact the Iowa United Methodist Foundation. www.iumf.org

College of Saint Scholastica
This college is in Minnesota and offers a guaranteed scholarship for all students of color. The scholarship can be applied to any degree, including nursing. Awards are between $500 and $3,000 depending on financial need. Contact the College of Saint Scholastica Office of Financial Aid for more information. www.css.edu

Florida Atlantic University Honors College
Florida Atlantic offers a $6,500 scholarship to all National Hispanic, National Merit and National Achievement finalists. The college also offers $2,000-$5,000 scholarship per year to all students who are admitted to the school. Scholarships can be used for any degree program. www.fau.edu

Kenyon College
This Ohio college offers a $10,000 scholarship for four years to National Hispanic, National Merit and National Achievement finalists. Scholarships can be used for any program, including the pre-nursing program. Contact Kenyon financial aid office for more information. www.kenyon.edu

Professional Associations

National Association of Hispanic Nurses Scholarships
The NAHN awards $1,000 scholarships to college students of Hispanic descent who are enrolled in a nursing program working toward any degree level. Award winners are chosen based on financial need and academic standing, as well as a potential for leadership. www.thehispanicnurses.org

National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations Scholarship
This scholarship awards Hispanic students working towards a bachelors or masters degree in nursing with $1,000. Hispanic nursing students must be a member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) to qualify for this scholarship. Contact the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Association for more information. www.ncemna.org

Ethnic Minority Bachelor’s Scholarships in Oncology Nursing
This scholarship is presented by the Oncology Nursing Society Foundation. Nursing students who are striving for a career in oncology nursing are eligible for this award. Three awards of $2,000 each are given each year to the winning recipients. www.ons.org

American Association of Colleges of Nursing Scholarship (AACN)
In an effort to assist nursing students from an ethnic minority background, the AACN and the California Endowment present a scholarship to eligible nursing students living in California. www.aacn.nche.edu

Private Scholarships

The Kaiser Permanente College-to-Caring Program
This scholarship awards up to $8,000 for one year’s tuition and fees, the possibility to intern at a Kaiser medical site and attendance at the annual Hispanic College Fund Scholarship Awards gala. The award recipient must be a US citizen living in northern California, a full-time nursing student with a 3.0 gpa or higher and must demonstrate financial need. scholarships.hispanicfund.org

The Minority Nurse Magazine Scholarship Program
This scholarship is sponsored by Minority Nurse Magazine and is open to any minority student pursuing a bachelors degree in nursing. The four awards given each year are for $1,000 and $500 each.

College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) Scholarships
These scholarships are for students whose families are seasonal migrant workers in agriculture. More than 2,000 scholarships of up to $5,000 are awarded to students pursuing a bachelors degree at a CAMP school. www.campaa.org

Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE)
The scholarships presented by HACE are for Latino students of any major, including nursing. There is no grade point average requirements to receive this scholarship. hace-usa.org/college.htm

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund partners with businesses to offer at least 20 different scholarships for Latino students. Many of these scholarships can be used for any college major, including nursing. See the website for more details. www.hsf.net

La Unidad Latina Foundation, Inc.
La Unidad Latina Foundation sponsors a scholarship for Latino students who are working towards a bachelors or masters degree. Awards are between $250-$1,000. Undergraduate students must complete one full-time year of college prior to applying for this scholarship. Graduate students must complete one full-time semester of study to apply. Applicants must also have a grade point average between 2.80-3.60. Grade point averages under 2.80 and over 3.60 do not qualify for this scholarship. www.lulfoundation.org

Fulfilling Our Dreams Scholarship Fund
This award is presented to a student from a Central American or Latino background who is pursuing a college degree. www.salef.org

Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF) Health Career Scholarship Awards
Students whose heritage is Central American and who are working towards a degree in a health-related field are eligible for this scholarship. www.salef.org

Cuban American Scholarship Fund
Undergraduate students and high school seniors of Cuban descent are eligible for this scholarship. Students must attend college in California and earn a grade point average of at least 3.0. The amount of the award ranges between $750-$2,000. Contact the Cuban American Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 6422, Santa Ana, CA 92706, Tel: (714) 835-7676.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

Scholarships for students of Hispanic descent who want to attend college and work as a registered nurse are abundant. The scholarships listed in this article are only a sampling of what is currently available. Any motivated student who is willing to take the time to meet the scholarship criteria has a very good chance of having one awarded to them. Other scholarship sources, like military scholarships, are also available.

SallieMae Fund First in My Family Scholarship Program
This scholarship is open to any student who is the first person in his or her family to attend college and earn a 4-year bachelors or a 2-year associates degree. salliemae.org.

Military Scholarships For Nurses

Air Force ROTC
This program is for United States citizens who want to pursue a career as a registered nurse. The scholarship is full-tuition + a monthly stipend. The scholarship can be used at any college or university with an AFROTC program. Following graduation, students are commissioned as an officer in the Air Force and have a four-year service obligation. afrotc.com.

Army ROTC
This scholarship is for citizens of the United States who want to pursue a bachelors degree in nursing. For an eight-year service obligation, the Army will pay full tuition plus a monthly stipend to recipients of this scholarship. Two-, three- and four-year scholarships are available. goarmy.com.

Nurse Corps Navy ROTC
This full-tuition scholarship with monthly stipend is for US citizens who want to become a registered nurse. Following graduation, the student will have a four-year service obligation and be commissioned an officer in the US Navy Nurse Corps. nrotc.navy.mil.

Marine Corps ROTC
This is a full-tuition scholarship with monthly stipend. US citizens who want to work as registered nurses are eligible for this scholarship. Following graduation, the student is commissioned as an officer in the US Navy (not Marines) and has a four-year service obligation. marines.com.