Nursing Scholarships for the Military

Whether you are considering joining the military, you already have, or you have served honorably in the past, there are a variety of scholarships, grants and other programs available to help you pay for the schooling you need to start a career in nursing.

Nursing Scholarships & Military Grants

Air Force ROTC Scholarships

These scholarships are awarded as either three- or four-year scholarships and cover costs such as tuition and fees and all offer annual stipends for books and monthly living expenses.

Four-year scholarships begin in a student’s freshman year and three-year scholarships start at the beginning of a student’s sophomore year of college.

After graduating from college, an individual will be commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force and be required to serve four years on active duty and four years in the inactive ready reserve.

Amount awarded will be one of three types:

• Type 1: pays for 100% of tuition, most fees, book stipend, and monthly living expenses
• Type 2: pays for tuition and most fees up to $18,000 a year, book stipend, and monthly living expenses
• Type 7: pays for 100% of tuition up to the in-state rate, book stipend, and monthly living expenses

(Monthly stipends for living expenses are paid at the rate of $300 for freshmen, $350 for sophomores, $450 for juniors, and $500 for seniors.)

In order to be eligible for this scholarship a candidate must:

• Apply for the scholarship no later than December 1st in the year prior to college enrollment
• Be a citizen of the United States
• Graduate from high school or have an equivalent certificate
• Be 17 years old prior to scholarship activation
• Be under 31 years old at time of commissioning as an Air Force officer.
• Complete a physical assessment to be included in the application packet
• Score a 24 on the ACT or combined total of 1100 on the SAT
• Maintain a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 and class ranking of 40% or greater

Name: Air Force ROTC
Degree: BSN-RN
Amount: Full tuition + monthly stipend
Length: 3 or 4 years
Qualifiers: U.S. Citizen, attending college, 2.5 gpa (see site for more)
Other: 4-year minimum service obligation at graduation; officer commission at graduation
Address: See local recruiter for more information
URL: afrotc.com/scholarships

To apply, begin an online application at afrotc.com and follow all the instructions for submitting the application packet.

Navy ROTC Scholarships

Four-year scholarships are awarded to students pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing at selected colleges and universities in the US and cover costs such as tuition and fees and offer a stipend for books and monthly living expenses. After graduating from college, an individual will be commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy and be required to serve four years on active duty and four years in the inactive ready reserve.

The amount awarded will pay 100% of all tuition and education-related fees, offer a bi-annual stipend for books and pay a monthly stipend for living expenses at the rate of $250 for freshmen, $300 for sophomores, $350 for juniors, and $400 for seniors.

In order to be eligible for this scholarship a candidate must:

• apply for the scholarship no later than January 31st in the year of college enrollment
• be a citizen of the United States
• graduate from high school or have an equivalent certificate by August 1st prior to the start of the freshman year of college
• Be 17 years old prior to September 1st of the freshman year, but no older than 23 before June 30th of the freshman year
• be under 27 years old at time of commissioning as a Naval officer
• be physically qualified to serve in the U.S. Navy
• score a 21 in Math and 22 in English on the ACT or 530 in Critical Reading, and 520 in Math on the SAT, or be ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class
• not have any moral or personal convictions that would prevent bearing of arms, and supporting and defending the US Constitution.

Name: Nurse Corps Navy ROTC
Degree: RN
Amount: Full tuition + monthly stipend
Length: 4 years
Qualifiers: U.S. Citizen, attending college (see site for more)
Other: 4-year minimum service obligation at graduation; officer commission at graduation
Address: See local recruiter for more information
URL: www.nrotc.navy.mil

To apply, begin an online application at www.nrotc.navy.mil.

Navy Nurse Candidate Program

This program helps to defray the cost of schooling for students that are currently pursuing a nursing degree. Upon graduation, the student will be commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy and will be required to serve either four or five years on active duty.

The amount awarded can be up to $34,000 and is paid as an initial grant of $10,000 in two installments, and then $1,000 a month in living expenses for up to 24 months. If one to twelve months of the stipend are paid out, the student will be required to serve four years on active duty; if 13 months or greater of the stipend are paid out, the student will be required to serve five years on active duty.

In order to be eligible for this program a candidate must:

• be a U.S. citizen
• be under the age of 40
• meet the Navy’s physical fitness standards
• be enrolled in an accredited education program that results in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing within 24 months of starting the program.

Marines Scholarships

Name: Marine Corps ROTC
Degree: RN
Amount: Full tuition + monthly stipend
Length: 4 years
Qualifiers: U.S. Citizen, attending college (see site for more
information)
Other: 4-year service obligation at graduation; commissioned as a Navy officer, not an officer in the Marines
Address: See local recruiter for more information
URL: www.marines.com

Army Scholarships

Name: Army ROTC
Degree: RN-BSN
Amount: Full-tuition + stipend
Length: 2, 3 or 4 years
Qualifiers: U.S. Citizen, attending college (see site for more)
Other: 8-year service commitment
Address: See local recruiter for more information
URL: www.goarmy.com

National Health Service Corps

Name: National Health Service Corps
Degree: In the medical field
Amount: Tuition + stipend
Length: 4 years
Qualifiers: Must be training to work in the medical field
Other: 2-year service requirement in NHSC-approved location in
greatest need of health care services

Opportunities for Individuals Currently Serving in the Military

Army Medical Department Enlisted Commissioning Program (AECP)

This program provides enlisted soldiers the opportunity to complete a baccalaureate degree in nursing, become a registered nurse (RN), and then be commissioned as an Army officer after graduation.

The program pays for up to $9,000 per academic year for two years, an annual book stipend of $1,000 and full military pay, allowances, and benefits while enrolled in the program.

In order to be eligible for this program a soldier must:

• meet all standards for being a commissioned officer as set forth by the U.S. Army
• be a citizen of the U.S.
• be 21-46 years of age (with some exceptions)
• have a minimum of three years of federal active service but no more than ten at the time of commissioning
• be able to complete the degree in 24 calendar months from enrollment in the program.

To apply, contact the AECP Manager at aecp@usarec.army.mil. Please note that the deadline for applications is February 1st of the year prior to planned enrollment.

Name: Army Nurse Corps Nurse Anesthetist Scholarship
Degree: Nurse anesthetist specialization
Amount: Full tuition
Length: Depends on length of program enrolled in
Qualifiers: Must be RN in the Army Nurse Corps
Other: 54-month service obligation
URL: www.goarmy.com

Opportunities for Veterans

Montgomery GI Bill or Post-9/11 GI Bill

These programs are offered as a benefit to individuals who have served honorably and can provide up to 36 months of educational benefits including money for tuition and fees, books and in some cases living expenses. In some cases some or all of the benefit may be transferred to an eligible spouse or child.

To find out if you qualify for one of these programs or to apply, visit http://www.gibill.va.gov/.

Name: Veterans Affairs Health Professional Scholarship
Degree: Nursing
Amount: Tuition + stipend
Length: Unspecified
Qualifiers: Enrolled in an accredited nursing program.
Other: 2-year service requirement in a VA hospital
Address: Health Professional Scholarship Program (143B), Department
of Veteran Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20420
Phone: (202) 535-7528
URL: www1.va.gov/vapubs