Financing Your Education
Federal & State Funding Assistance The U.S. Department of Education Financial Aid offers several opportunities to help fund your education.
Pell Grants unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Generally, Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not already earned a bachelor's or professional degree:
Stafford Loans are subsidized loans awarded on the basis of financial need. You will not be charged any interest before you begin repayment or during authorized periods of deferment). The federal government "subsidizes" the interest during these periods. An unsubsidized loan is not awarded on the basis of need. You'll be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed until it is paid in full.
Other Tennessee Scholarship and Grant information can be found at the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation
Private Funding Local and state civic organizations as well as businesses often have scholarship monies available for nursing students. Contact your area Lion's Club, Civitan Club, Rotary Club, and DAR (to name a few) for local and state scholarship opportunities. Businesses such as Target, WalMart, Wendy's and McDonald's (among others) may also have limited scholarship resources for education.
Many healthcare organizations also offer scholarship/grant opportunities to individuals who are pursuing nursing education. Be sure and check with local healthcare facilities to determine what opportunities may exist in your community.
The Johnson and Johnson Discover Nursing website has a Nursing Scholarship search tool that provides information about many competitive nursing scholarships.
Institutional Funding Each college or university has a variety of funding resources available to students. Be sure and explore the financial aid links for any school that you may be considering to determine what specific scholarships, grants, and/or loans are available and how to apply for financial assistance! Next: Find a Nursing Program