Health and Medical Sciences Scholarships

Take Your Pick of Specialization

Medical disciplines are suffering from inadequate educational recruiting levels across the country – leading to shortages of qualified graduates and medical service providers.  As a result, unique funding opportunities exist for college students who choose health related majors.  Specialized training to become physician’s assistants, lab technologists, nurses, physical therapists, imaging professionals and other medical staffers leads to grants and loans reserved for health care students.

Financial aid programs for health and medical sciences are divided into two general categories;  need-based assistance and merit-based awards.  Scholarships reward outstanding performance in academics, athletics and other scholastic disciplines, so they are competitive merit-based resources that have unique individual eligibility requirements.  Scholarships designed to help certain student groups like women and minorities are found throughout education; including health and medical programs.

Grants usually address the college funding needs of financially disadvantaged applicants.  Large federal financial assistance programs like Pell Grants are more inclusive, but still issued based on need.  Some scholarships also include need components that pair student excellence with financial need to evaluate applicants and determine recipients.  Successful student aid-seekers employ a top down approach that starts with the U.S.Department of Education.

File your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) first, and then target scholarships aimed at your health sciences education.  Some medical scholarship administrators use FAFSA data to evaluate your worthiness, so make sure to file timely; according to your school’s deadline.  Once the wheels are in motion, health-related scholarships emerge from public and private sources like government agencies, private corporations and individual medical school departments.

As the Industry Grows, So Do Your Choices in College

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care industry is expected to grow by more than 25% through 2017; compared to the combined growth of all other industries which are fore-casted to advance at only 14%.  As baby-boomers enter their prime years for requiring health care services, more practitioners are required to meet increasing demand.  As a result, universities and other scholarship administrators work to provide financing options for health sciences majors.

General Health Sciences Scholarships

The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee College of Health Sciences awards a number of  Health Sciences Department scholarships aimed at specific target student groups:

• New Freshman Scholarships extend merit-based awards worth $1,000 each to incoming freshman. Successful applicants demonstrate scholastic proficiency with GPA standards of at least 3.0.  Extracurricular activities and community involvement also influence award decisions.
• New Transfer Student Scholarships offers transfer students opportunities to enter the CHS program with awards worth up to $1,000 each. 3.0 GPA required.
• Froedtert Minority Scholarships reward qualified minority students with health sciences department awards worth up to $1,000 each. Scholarships are merit-based and competitive.
• The annual Illinois Scholar Award goes to a resident of Illinois enrolled in the Health Services Department. Recipients are outstanding academically and participate in extracurricular activities.
• The Outstanding Achievement Award is given annually, to an undergraduate student who is nominated by faculty.
• CHS Alumni Association Scholarships benefit undergraduate and graduate students with supplemental funding worth $600 to each participant. Academics and extracurricular activities are considered as part of the application process.

Boise State University College of Health Sciences offers the President Charles and Sally Ruch Inaugural Health Science Scholarship. Successful applicants are studying in their sophomore years and maintain cumulative GPA levels of at least 3.0 on a four point scale.  The school’s College of Health Sciences offers courses in occupational health, health infomatics, pre-medical studies, addiction studies and other health-related disciplines.

Tapestry Parkview Health Sciences Scholarships support health-related education for participating women.  The advocacy group initiates scholarships annually that are worth $2500 for each recipient. Academic excellence is the primary eligibility requirement for this women’s only financial assistance for health and human services majors.

States and Schools Fund Health and Medical Education

The State of West Virginia administers a targeted program for degree candidates enrolled in health and medical programs.  West Virginia Health Sciences Scholarships are intended to keep some of the state’s medical students practicing within the state, upon graduation.  Recruitment incentives worth as much as $20,000 in tuition offsets are available for qualified applicants pursuing medical or health services credentials at West Virginia universities. In exchange for generous financial assistance for health education, some recipients agree to work at state-designated high-need medical facilities within West Virginia.

UNC School of Medicine – Department of Allied Health Sciences puts forth several financial aid initiatives for promising health and medical students.  Diversity scholarships benefit minority applicants, and fellowships target specific research areas.  The Medical Alumni Association Loyalty Fund sets financial resources aside for qualified students each year.  Four distinct programs originate from the funding body annually.

Northwestern Health Sciences University requires financial aid applicants to pursue federal aid by filing FAFSA applications.  Once each student’s financial aid needs are evaluated, the school uses campus-specific resources to manage college expenses for new and continuing students.  Acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic and oriental medicine programs are supported.

Medical Sciences Scholarships

Charles Culpeper Scholarships in Medical Science are funded by Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Awards target academic physicians who are continuing research at accredited medical schools in the U.S. Valuable scholarship awards are worth more than $100,000 each for worthy recipients.  Scholarships are competitive and renewable for up to three years for qualified candidates.

Tennessee Tech students enrolled in the College of Health Sciences are eligible to apply for the Chemistry Medical Science Scholarship. This merit-based award is reserved for Chemistry specialists who are also members of the school’s Chemistry Club.  Additional departmental scholarships benefit particular programs and assist health sciences majors with tuition and expenses.

Indiana University automatically considers all health sciences students for campus-based Bloomington Medical Sciences Scholarships. The school’s portfolio of scholarships is made possible by generous funding from alumni, friends of education, foundations and private corporations.  Investing is the future of medicine honors benefactors and memorializes individual scholarship namesakes.  Financially needy and academically deserving candidates are selected to receive awards like:

• Theodore Abercrombie Scholarship
• George Alavanja Scholarship
• Backer Family Scholarship
• Kenneth E. Bobb Scholarship
• Jennifer and Mark Browning Family Scholarship
• Franklin A Bryan Scholarship