The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program (SP) is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The NHSC SP is a competitive federal program that awards scholarships to students pursuing eligible primary care health professions training leading to:
- A degree in medicine (allopathic or osteopathic);
- A degree in dentistry; or
- A postgraduate degree or postgraduate certificate from a school or program in nurse-midwifery education, physician assistant (PA) education, or nurse practitioner (NP) education specializing in adult medicine, family medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, psychiatric-mental health, or women's health.
In return for scholarship awards, scholars commit to providing primary care health services to underserved communities. The program provides support to students who seek financial assistance to complete primary care health professions education.
The NHSC SP pays for tuition and various other reasonable education-related costs and also provides a monthly stipend to assist with living expenses in exchange for a minimum of two (2) years of full-time service.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for a scholarship, all applicants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen (either U.S. born or naturalized) or U.S national
- Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time student
- Be attending or accepted to attend an accredited school or program located in a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory.
- Attend a school located in a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory
- Be eligible for federal employment
- Not have an existing service obligation
- Submit a complete application
Award Amount
The NHSC scholarship award covers the following costs:
- Tuition and eligible fees
- Other Reasonable Costs (i.e. books, clinical supplies, uniforms, computer rental or purchase, travel expenses for one clinical rotation during school, and insurance)
- Monthly stipend