The state of Florida is providing funds for a scholarship program that will make 40 new scholarships available to nursing students at the University of Florida.
The awards are meant to help students not typically eligible for traditional scholarships to enroll in the UF College of Nursing’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Students in the ABSN program already have at least a bachelor’s degree in some field. They aren’t eligible for financial assistance from other financial aid programs, because funding sources such as the Florida Bright Futures Program and federal Pell grants do not cover costs for someone to obtain a second bachelor’s degree.
The state scholarships will cover tuition and books. The funds will be available to students starting in May. The ABSN program takes 15 months to complete.
“This funding is a game-changer, because this money is for post baccalaureate students. They are going into a new career. They may already have families and may already have existing education debt,” said Erik Black, PhD, MPH, the college’s associate dean for student service. “It’s this specific cohort of students who most often struggle financially while at UF.”
The scholarship funds come from the Linking Industry to Nursing Education, or LINE, Fund. The Florida Legislature established the fund in 2022 as a means of easing the nursing shortage. The Sunshine State provides matching funds, on a dollar-to-dollar basis, to participating agencies that partner with a healthcare provider.
The University of Florida was eligible to receive a $400,000 grant with matching funds from UF Health Shands and the National Cancer Institute-designated UF Health Cancer Center, bringing the total funding for the scholarships to $800,000.
The matching funds come with the stipulation that recipients will agree to work for two years as full-time registered nurses at a UF Health facility once they graduate.
“It can be a daunting journey, but these scholarships will ease the way for those students pursuing a second career in our noble profession,” said College of Nursing Dean Shakira Henderson, PhD, DNP, MPH, EMBA.
