How to Get Scholarships For Nursing School.
Updated: Nov 19, 2018
One big problem for most college students is the cost of tuition. The reasons for why college tuition keeps skyrocketing out of control is debatable, but whatever the reason is, don't focus on why it is so expensive. Focus on how you can go to whatever college you want for free. If you are troubled on how to get your college paid for, focus on these three key steps to get your nursing degree paid for.
1. Financial Aid.
If you haven't applied for financial aid, do it right now. Financial aid is money given by the government to help you with your education. Make sure that when you apply to see if you are eligible for grants or loans that you DO NOT PAY FOR IT!!! There are companies that will either take your information and use it for unknown reasons, or give you your grants and make you pay a lot of money for it. When you hear of FAFSA, the first F stands for free. Make sure you are on the appropriate website.
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa
Depending on your financial situation, you may qualify for either grants, and loans, or just loans. If you are eligible for a grant, this is money that you DO NOT PAY BACK! It is a government scholarship that is given to you based upon your income, your parents income, your age, and marital status.
If you qualify for loans, remember that just because you qualify, it does not mean that you should use them. If you have no other choice but to use loans, remember that there is a difference between subsidized loans and unsubsidized loans. With both loans, you will not need to make payments while you are still in school. When you are finished with school, you will be required to start making payments on your loans. If you took out a subsidized loan you do not accrue interest while in school. If you took out an unsubsidized loan, it starts to accrue interest regardless of your schooling situation.
Remember with loans, even when they are from a FAFSA application, are still loans, and they will make your life harder when you graduate. Instead of enjoying the life of a nurse, and having the extra money to do fun stuff, you will be stuck working extra shifts trying to pay off your loans. It is possible for any nursing student to get their college paid for, as long as the student puts in the effort to get the scholarships that are available to them. It is all a matter of hard work.
#2. Talk with your school.
Your college will have a committee that is devoted to bring in money for their college students. Your college will have many opportunities for nurses to apply for scholarships. If there is an application, take the time to do the application. If there is an essay, sit down and write down the greatest essay you have ever written. If the application asks for resources, find the people in your life who will give you a thumbs up and give you compliments. Taking the time to work with your school, and find the scholarships that are available through your specific school will give you better odds of getting money, rather than applying to random scholarships online. So before the semester starts, make sure you take advantage of the resources your school has, and don't waste the opportunity.
#3. Apply everywhere.
You will have better odds of getting scholarships at your school than online, but don't let that stop you. There are many opportunities to apply for scholarships online. Some require essays, some require questionnaires, but whatever they require, apply to as many as you possibly can. You will be very, very, very busy in nursing school. Being busy with getting scholarship money before you start will help you not have to worry about having a large loan to pay off when you graduate. If you are not sure where to go for scholarships, click on the RnMindset scholarship tab where you can find different scholarships. Some of the scholarships found on RnMindset are specific for nurses, so use them, and apply.
Ask around your town for scholarship opportunities. If you see a scholarship offered at your coffee shop, apply. If you have an opportunity at work for a scholarship apply. If you hear about a friend who got a scholarship, ask where, and if you can, apply. Apply everywhere that is giving out scholarships!
Remember to be motivated, and apply to as many scholarships as possible, the more you apply, the better odds you have of getting your tuition paid for. If you are really diligent you might even get extra money to help you with bills during nursing school! The key here is to apply to as many scholarships as you possibly can.
When you have worked hard, done these three things, brag about your accomplishments on your resume. Under the accomplishments section of your resume, write down each scholarship you were awarded, and who gave it to you. This does two things, it gives a personal thank you to the scholarship vendor when potential employers see the philanthropic action a company has helped you with. It also lets the employer know that you must be a stellar person to be focused and driven to get scholarships. So apply, apply, apply.
Key Points.
#1. Do FAFSA
#2. Talk with your school.
#3. Apply everywhere you can.