UM-Flint to Receive $900,000 in Scholarship Funding for Disadvantaged Nursing Students

A major grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will allow the University of Michigan-Flint Nursing Department to offer 15 Health Resources and Services Administration Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS).The program will provide $15,000 scholarships per year for 4 years to each of 15 economically disadvantaged Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students, for a total of $60,000 per student over the course of the program. The total award to all eligible students will be $900,000 by the end of the program in 2016.

The SDS program promotes diversity among health profession students and practitioners by providing scholarships to full-time students with financial need from disadvantaged backgrounds who are enrolled in health professions and nursing programs.

"The number of minority registered nurses is much lower than the minority population in the U.S.," noted Constance Creech, associate professor and director of Graduate Nursing Programs at UM-Flint. "There is research that supports that disadvantaged minority nursing students are more likely to work with disadvantaged populations upon graduation, thus improving care to underserved populations."

The University of Michigan-Flint was the only nursing program in Michigan to receive one of the 51 Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students grants.

"This will help academically talented disadvantaged RN students become Nurse Practitioners," said Margaret Andrews, UM-Flint's director of nursing. "The $60,000 scholarship over 4 years will cover tuition and other costs related to graduate school."

Participating schools are responsible for selecting scholarship recipients, making reasonable determinations of need, and providing scholarships that do not exceed the allowable costs.

"You must be a registered nurse with a bachelor's degree, meet all the admission criteria for the DNP program, and be designated disadvantaged by income criteria," according to Gwen Pryor,coordinator of student learning. "Prospective students must apply by March 1st and meet the low income criteria."