Students all over the country are feeling the pinch of the tough economic times and nursing students are certainly no exception. Being awarded a scholarship or grant could, however, relieve at least some of the financial burden that studying places upon a student.
General Scholarship and Grant Information Relevant to Wyoming Nursing Students
Those grant and scholarship programs available for students who live in Wyoming include programs offered by independent nursing associations and those offered through educational institutes. The University of Wyoming’s Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing offers a great many grant, scholarship and loan programs to the university’s students and these can range from scholarships for first-time students entering pre-nursing to research grants for nurses holding master’s degrees.
Some programs will pay for all or most of a student’s tuition fees while others are only meant to cover certain types of costs, like living expenses. Although all programs will have their own criteria for eligibility, some are more lenient than others and merely require an application form to be filled in and general academic information to be filed. Other programs are much more specific and factors influencing their selection process can include whether a student has a learning disability.
This list does not detail all programs available in Wyoming and students who are interested in obtaining further information should contact universities, hospitals, philanthropic societies and nursing organizations in the state.
Specific Scholarships and Grants in Wyoming
Margaret L. Hageman Scholarship
This program, which provides financial assistance to nursing students, is administered through the Wyoming Nurses Association and makes one award of $1,200 each year. Applications must be filed in July of any given academic year and eligibility requirements include:
- Applicants have to be residents of Wyoming and be enrolled in advanced nursing studies and preparing for a career as a Registered Nurse (RN); and
- Applicants must be available to be interviewed and must have completed at least one semester in an accredited Wyoming nursing program.
Preference will be given to ‘non-traditional’ students and the student’s financial situation also comes under scrutiny. Further information can be obtained from the Wyoming Nurses Association at PMB 101, 2816 Dogwood Avenue, Gillette, WY 82718 (tel: 1-800-795-6381 and website: http://www.wyonurse.org/index.cfm).
Scholarships and Grants offered by the University of Wyoming’s Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing
This school administers many scholarship, grant and loan programs on behalf of its students and these can be divided up into the following categories:
- those for pre-nursing students;
- those for students in undergraduate programs (RN/BSN, Basic and BRAND);
- those for students in BRAND programs;
- those for Registered Nurses;
- those for students in graduate programs;
- those for graduate students in nurse practitioner programs;
- those for both undergraduate and graduate students; and
- general programs suited to all students in all programs.
Further information concerning all relevant programs can be obtained from the nursing school at Dept. 3065, 1000 E University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071 (tel: 307-766-4312 and website: http://www.uwyo.edu/).
Example Program for Pre-Nursing Students
Dorothy Tupper Nursing Scholarship: this is specifically for students who will be pre-nursing sophomores in the upcoming academic year.
Example Program for Students in Undergraduate Programs
Gertrude Gould Lindsey Scholarship: here applications must be filed by March 15th of any given academic year. Eligibility requirements include a student’s being admitted to an undergraduate degree with a nursing major, or applying for admission to the degree, in the upcoming academic year and other factors that will be considered are academic record and community involvement.
Example Program for Students in BRAND Programs
Robert Wood Johnson / American Association of Colleges of Nurses Scholarship: this scholarship makes five awards of $10,000 each in payments in fall, spring and summer. The applicant must meet one of two requirements, the first of which is to belong to a group that is traditionally under-represented in the nursing community, examples of which are the male gender, a resident of a Wyoming rural/frontier isolated settlement and ethnic/racial minorities. The second requirement is to come from some sort of disadvantaged background, including having a learning disability, being a single parent, being unemployed or being site bound in Wyoming.
Example Program for Registered Nurses
Polly Chase Scholarship: this is a renewable scholarship where how much the successful applicant receives is dependent upon how much money the fund has in any given year. Priority will be given to those students who have served as an educational partner for the school for at least one clinical course. Selection criteria include:
- Students must be resident in Wyoming or have graduated from a Wyoming nursing program;
- Students must already be admitted to UW as a nursing major in the RN/BSN program or have graduate status in the master’s program and must maintain continuous enrollment in either program; and
- Students must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.50 in the RN/BSN program or one of at least 3.00 in the master’s program.
Example Program for Graduate Students
Nurse Traineeship Grant: here applications are made annually to the federal government for funding for certain research grants.
Example Program for Graduate Students in Nurse Practitioning
Graduate Advanced Practice Nursing Scholarship: this has been funded by the Wyoming Council for Advanced Practice Nurses and applicants must be either Wyoming residents or former Wyoming residents who are returning to Wyoming to practice.
Example Program for Graduate/Undergraduate Students
AfterCollege / AACN Nursing Scholarship Fund: this program pays annual awards of $2,500 to those students who are successful in their applications. In order to be eligible to apply for this scholarship, a student must be enrolled in either a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral nursing degree and must be able to maintain a GPA of 3.25 or higher.
Example General Program
UW Outreach Program Scholarships: these awards are meant for the payment of living expenses and preference will be given to students who are non-traditional, first generation, and are either resident in Wyoming or are non-residents having unique ties to the state.
Wyoming Nursing Scholarships & Grants,