Kansas Nursing Scholarships and Grants

All students are experiencing difficulty paying for their tuition in our present economic climate and, even if we were not in a recession, it would still cost a pretty penny to obtain an undergraduate or a graduate qualification.

Being awarded a scholarship or a grant can, however, help a student bear these costs.

General Scholarship and Grant Information Relevant to Kansas Nursing Students

There are several grants and scholarships that are available to those students of the nursing profession who are resident in Kansas and these are offered by such diverse organizations as the Arthur M. Miller Fund, The Kansas Board of Regents and the Shawnee County Medical Society.

Several of the available programs are also administered through the University of Kansas, while others are quite independent of the school.

All of the Kansas grants and scholarships have in common that the recipients must reside in Kansas and, in fact, some are incredibly specific about where the applicants should live at the time they apply or during the year prior to their application.

Specific Scholarships and Grants in Kansas

Kansas Board of Regents Nursing Scholarship

The number of awards given out in terms of this scholarship program differs every year.

Every one of the awards can be renewed and the deadline for the submission of applications is May of any given year. Those applying for the scholarship are subject to at least the following eligibility requirements:

• Students must be enrolled at a Kansas-based educational institute to pursue either an RN (Registered Nurse) program or an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) program; and
• Students must find an outside sponsor to be responsible for the payment of a portion of the scholarship amount and must agree to work for that sponsor for one year for each sponsored year of funding.

Further information about this scholarship program can be obtained from The Kansas Board of Regents at 1000 SW Jackson Street, Suite 520, Topeka, KS 66612 (tel: 785-296-1368 and website: www.kansasregents.org).

Kansas Nurses Foundation General Scholarships

Five of these general scholarships of $500 each are awarded every year. Applications have to be filed by June of any given school year and the requirements that have to be complied with in order for a student to be eligible for one of these scholarships include:

• Applicants must reside in Kansas;
• Applicants must be pursuing either an undergraduate degree in nursing or a graduate degree in nursing on either the master’s or doctoral level;
• Applicants must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.00 and must complete at least 6 credit hours per semester; and
• Applicants must file 3 letters of personal recommendation as well as a written statement detailing the role that they plan to play in the Kansas nursing industry.

Students who are interested in applying for this scholarship should contact the Kansas Nurses Foundation at 1109 SW Topeka Boulevard, Topeka, KS 66612 (tel: 785-233-8638 and website: www.nursingworld.org/SNAS/KS/Knf.htm).

KSNA District 2 Endowed Scholarship

This scholarship program is administered by the Kansas State Nurses Association and comprises one award of $500 given out every year. Applications must be filed by April of any given year and this program has some extremely specific requirements that applicants must comply with, including:

• Applicants must want to qualify in nursing on either an undergraduate level or a graduate level (either a master’s degree or a doctoral degree);
• Applicants must maintain at least a 3.00 GPA and must sign up for, and complete, 6 credit hours every semester;
• Applicants must lodge 3 original letters of recommendation and write an essay as to where they see their future within the Kansas health care system;
• During the year immediately prior to their applying for the scholarship, applicants can have lived only in one or more of these Kansas counties: Wyandotte, Leavenworth and Johnson; and
• At the time of their application, applicants must be Kansas residents.

The KSNA can be contacted directly for further information regarding this program and, as the Association shares offices with the Kansas Nurses Foundation, it can also be reached at the above address and telephone number (website: www.nursingworld.org/SNAS/KS/Index.htm).

Arthur M. Miller Fund Scholarship

This scholarship has been established for educational, scientific and charitable purposes and is available for students registered for accredited degree programs that provide them with an RN qualification. The amount awarded in terms of this scholarship can be anything from $500 to $5,000 and the scholarship lasts for one year. It has a late March/early April deadline for the submission of applications and eligibility requirements include:

• An applicant cannot be related to the scholarship selection committee; and
• An applicant can also not be an employee of Bank of America.

Other factors that influence the selection of a successful applicant include the applicant’s general character, financial need and academic record. Further details about this scholarship program can be obtained from The Arthur M. Miller Fund Committee, P O Box 1122, Wichita, KS 67201 (tel: 316-261-4609).

Shawnee County Medical Society Alliance Scholarship

This scholarship program is administered by the University of Kansas School of Medicine and is available only to those Kansas University Medical School students who are registered for degrees in nursing, medicine or an affiliated health care field. Eligibility requirements that are specific to this program include:

• Applicants must be enrolled as full-time students and maintain a grade point average of over 3.00 (where 4.00 is deemed to be an ‘A’); and
• Applicants must be permanent residents of Shawnee County in Kansas.

The deadline by which to submit an application for this scholarship is March 31st of any given school year. Further information regarding this program can be obtained from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Mail Stop 1049, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160 (tel: 913-588-5200 and website: www.ku.edu).