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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Health Professions Students Seeking Scholarships

If you are a student interested in pursuing a healthcare career and intend to work in a rural or tribal area, you may be eligible for scholarships, loans, and forgivable loans. Talk with the college/university financial aid office about what scholarships are available for health professions students. Additionally, local healthcare facilities may offer scholarships, loan forgiveness, and loan repayment programs for students who want to return and work in the area.

Federal programs for students are shown below.

National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program
(NHSC SP)
Sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration, this program provides loan repayment assistance for students pursuing eligible primary care health professions training in exchange for a service commitment in an approved site in a high-need urban, rural, or frontier community.
Disciplines
  • Medicine
  • Dentistry
  • Physician assistant
  • Nurse practitioner
  • Certified nurse midwife
Eligibility
  • U.S. Citizen or U.S. National
  • Full-time students at accredited schools
  • Free from any other service obligation
Service Requirement
  • 1 year service commitment per scholarship year (or partial scholarship year)
  • 2 year minimum and 4 year maximum
Scholarship Amount
  • Pays for tuition, education-related expenses, and a monthly stipend.
Nurse Corps Scholarship Program
(Nurse Corps SP)
Sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration, this program provides scholarships for nursing students who agree to work in eligible healthcare facilities with a shortage of nurses.
Disciplines
  • Students in diploma, associate, baccalaureate, and graduate nursing programs
Eligibility
  • U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, and lawful permanent residents
  • Enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an accredited professional nursing degree program
  • Preference is given based on financial need
Service Requirement
  • 2 years of full-time service at an eligible Critical Shortage Facility located in, designated as, or serving a mental health or primary care HPSA with a score of 14 or higher
Scholarship Amount
  • Scholarship will cover tuition, required fees, books, clinical supplies, laboratory expenses, and a stipend for monthly living expenses.

Indian Health Service Scholarship Programs:

  • Indian Health Service Pre-Graduate Scholarship Program – Provides scholarships for students to enroll in courses leading to a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-podiatry, and other subjects needed by the Indian health programs.
  • Indian Health Service Preparatory Scholarship – Provides scholarships for students who are enrolled in undergraduate or preparatory courses in preparation for entry to health profession schools.
  • Indian Health Service Health Professions Scholarship Program – Provides scholarships for students enrolled in a wide range of health professions degree programs.

Looking for state-specific opportunities?

Rural health professions scholarships are offered in many states. Follow these steps to search RHIhub:

  1. Visit the scholarships funding by type page
  2. Choose narrow by geography
  3. Choose the appropriate state and click OK
  4. If needed, you can narrow down even more by choosing narrow by topic
  5. Then choose the appropriate topic, such as behavioral health workforce or nurses, and click OK

Last Updated: 3/19/2025
Last Reviewed: 7/16/2024