Through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has been granted $5,000,000 to award up to $2,500/semester scholarships to Nebraska Nursing Students. These scholarships will help to reduce barriers to entry in the nursing field and grow Nebraska's public health workforce. Each scholarship recipient will play a vital supporting role in rebuilding Nebraska's public health infrastructure and will advance the state's recovery from COVID-induced nursing shortages.
Please email
dhhs.nursingscholarship@nebraska.gov with any questions or concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for this scholarship?
Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible:
- They must be a Nebraska resident
- The school they attend must be physically located in Nebraska
- They must be accepted into and enrolled in an LPN, ADN, or accelerated BSN program, including having finished all program pre-requisites
- Eligibility is not affected by other factors such as income, demographics, or the student's current financial aid package
Why are traditional BSN students not eligible?
According to Nebraska Legislative Bill 1014, this nursing scholarship is only intended to fund short-term, one- to four-semester LPN, ADN, and accelerated BSN programs. Providing this scholarship to students in short-term programs will allow the students to start their careers and join the public health workforce faster.
What are the terms of the scholarship?
Scholarship recipients are required to practice nursing in Nebraska for a minimum of two years, beginning within six months of graduation. DHHS will reach out to recipients every six months for two years to request employment verification, such as a pay stub or a letter from the student’s employer. If the scholarship recipient discontinues working as a nurse in Nebraska, they will be required to repay the full scholarship amount.
How much will my scholarship be?
The maximum scholarship is $2,500 per semester. If the total semester cost is less than $2,500, the student will receive the total cost. The total cost includes tuition and fees, textbooks, and any other required supplies. All textbooks and supplies must have been purchased within the last three months to be included in the scholarship amount, and receipts must be provided to verify the final costs.
Can I receive the scholarship for multiple semesters?
Eligible students will receive the scholarship each semester until they graduate or until funding runs out. There is no limit on how many semesters a student can receive the scholarship. The scholarship is distributed on a traditional semester schedule three times throughout the year, so students at Metropolitan Community College will only receive the scholarship for three of their four annual terms.
How much of the $5 million in funding is remaining?
About $2.1 million in scholarships has been distributed as of the Fall 2023 semester. Funding is expected to last until at least the Summer 2024 semester.
Will this scholarship affect students' financial aid?
This scholarship may affect students’ financial aid package received through their nursing program. DHHS shares a list of recipients and their scholarship amounts with the nursing programs. Please contact your school’s financial aid office to determine how this scholarship may affect your financial aid.
What is the scholarship award process?
After the Spring 2024 semester application closes on November 30th, DHHS will review all applications for eligibility. All applicants will receive an email by December 8th notifying them whether they are eligible or ineligible. Eligible students will be required to send a letter from their school advisor or registrar verifying that they’ve finished all pre-requisites and are officially enrolled in the nursing program. Students will also be required to send in their tuition bill to determine their scholarship amount. If their tuition bill is under $2,500, then students can also send in receipts for textbooks and other required supplies. They must have been purchased within the past three months and have receipts provided to be included in the scholarship amount.
After the required documentation has been received, DHHS will send a contract to the student to complete. Once the contract has been signed by the student and the DHHS signer, nothing else will be needed from the student for the current semester, provided that all financial information submitted with their application is correct. The scholarship amount will then be submitted for processing to the DHHS Finance-Accounting department; the processing time is generally 14-21 days. A notification email will be sent out once the funds have been deposited into the student’s account. Please note that this is a reimbursement scholarship, and it may not be deposited into the student’s account until after tuition is due.
For subsequent semesters, DHHS will reach out for the semester bill and enrollment verification again before making the scholarship payment. Students will be eligible to receive the scholarship every semester until either they graduate or funding runs out.
For additional information, please contact dhhs.nursingscholarship@nebraska.gov.