Annual Nursing Scholarship

Call for Applications is now open! 
June 12 - July 21, 2025
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The UVA Health University Medical Center is pleased to offer a scholarship opportunity for eligible University Medical Center Employees who are interested in pursuing any level of nursing degree in the 2025-2026 academic year!  You do not need to be an RN to apply. We are excited to again have $90,000 in funding from our Chief Nursing Officer to disburse to support UVA’s growing nursing workforce.

Scholarships apply to classes taken between 1/2025 – 6/2026 for the following: 

• A.D.N. degree program classes
• BSN degree program classes & prerequisites 
• Higher nursing degree program classes

Please read the eligibility and application details below carefully prior to submitting an application.

Funding Amounts: Amounts awarded to recipients will vary, depending on application merits, the volume of applications, and the amount of available funds.

Note that given the volume of competitive applications, funding amounts are typically in the $250-$1500 range. However, higher amounts may be awarded to selectees, not to exceed a maximum of $6,000 per employee.

Eligibility:

EMPLOYMENT STATUS & MINIMUM SERVICE:

• Applicants must be Full-time or Flex Option (budgeted at 0.6 FTE or higher) employees of UVA Health University Medical Center, with a minimum* of 6 months of service as of July 1, 2025.
  • * Exception: for applicants already in RN Clinician 1 roles, there is no minimum service requirement. 
• Applicants must continue at a minimum of 0.6 FTE for the duration of the scholarship period.
• Wage, Contractor, and Traveler team members are ineligible to apply.

GOOD PERFORMANCE STANDING: Applicants must begin and remain in good performance standing, must have received a rating of "Meets Expectations" or better on their last performance evaluation, and must not be on Performance Counseling.

PROOF OF ENROLLMENT: Applicants must show proof of enrollment/acceptance into an accredited nursing degree program within 6 months of application, and classes must be taken between 1/1/2025 – 6/30/2026 for the following eligible programs:

• A.D.N. program
• BSN program (or prerequisite classes which apply to that BSN program)
• Nursing-related Master's program (e.g. MSN, CNL; nursing informatics or educator; nursing leadership such as MHA)
• higher Nursing degree program (e.g. post-Master's certificate; DNP; PhD)

GOOD ACADEMIC STANDING: Applicants must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) throughout the degree program; proof of good academic standing may be checked each semester.

FUNDING USAGE & TIMEFRAMES:

• Scholarship funds MUST be used for this academic year (1/1/2025 – 6/30/2026), but may be used either prospectively for upcoming costs (i.e. current or next semester), or retrospectively, reimbursing eligible costs already paid (i.e. last semester).
• Except for pre-requisites for BSN programs, funding may NOT be used to support pre-requisites to degree program entry
• Students must be scheduled to complete the degree program within three (3) years, or 4 years inclusive of BSN prerequisites.
• Funds may only be used to support:
  • The accredited nursing degree program's classes, NOT classes/materials outside of the program.
  • Tuition, lab fees, equipment, books, NCLEX fees and other education-related expenses for the eligible degree program, if the invoice has not already been paid by the HR Education Benefits Program.

CONTINUE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER EMPLOYMENT: If funding is offered, Scholarship awardees must complete a Nursing Scholarship Agreement promising to

• Maintain employment with the UVA Health University Medical Center at a minimum of 0.6 FTE (0.9 FTE minimum for Clinician I’s) during the course of the Nursing degree program, and
• Continue employment after graduation in a Registered Nurse /  Nursing-related position at the University Medical Center, for a period of twelve (12) months of full-time employment or 2,080 hours of Flex Option employment, commencing within three months of graduation.
  • As applicable, see also “Guidelines for Initial Licensure RN Candidates” section below.
• Repayment of Scholarship Funds: Recipient will repay funds in full, if unable to fulfill this minimum employment period, or unable to complete their degree successfully within the promised timeframe.  Any recipient who voluntarily resigns or is involuntarily terminated from University Medical Center during the scholarship or work commitment period, or fails to successfully complete the academic program or licensure exam within the allowed time period, will be required to pay back all scholarship money awarded.
  • If leaving the organization, this is withdrawn from one's final paycheck; however, you may contact npgo@uvahealth.org to make alternate arrangements.

Applications & Taxation

Scholarships are non-taxable* and aligned with the HR Education Benefits Programs.

     *Please note: Education benefits, including the Nursing Scholarship, are non-taxable unless the individual recipient exceeds $5,250 total maximum education benefits this calendar year through e.g. centralized benefits, Medical Center scholarships, and/or departmental funding. Please see HR Education Benefits website for details and email AskHR@virginia.edu with specific taxation questions.

Application:  The Application Form includes 3 very brief essays (~250 words):

• Describe your personal career goals at UVA Health-University Medical Center and how this degree will help you achieve them?,
• Describe how your new degree will help us achieve our team goals at UVA Health-University Medical Center? What might set you apart from other candidates? 

All fields are required.  

Applicants are strongly encouraged to work on essays in MS Word first, for easy copy/paste into the web-based application form, and to save a copy for their own records.

Once you click the “Blue Arrow” button to submit the application, you should see a “Thank You” message appear onscreen, if the submission was successful. This is your Confirmation of Receipt; consider saving it for your records. If you have any questions, email NPGO@uvahealth.org

Guidelines for Initial Licensure RN Candidates

Scholarship recipients who are offered a RN Clinician I position must take the NCLEX examination for initial registered nurse licensure at the first opportunity after graduation, and begin full-time employment at UVA Health University Medical Center within 3 months after graduation.

After completion of the precepted portion of the Clinician I program, the RN must remain employed at University Medical Center at a minimum of 0.9 FTE for the duration of the employment commitment period. 

If a scholarship recipient has met all of the scholarship program requirements, but is not offered a Clinician I position, or moves into a RN Applicant position, that recipient will not be required to repay the scholarship money awarded.

Additional Resources

UVA HR’s Education Benefits Program provides benefited team members annual tax-free funding for eligible courses.  Be sure to review the information, eligibility, and job aids available, and use this financial resource in addition to the Annual Nursing Degree Scholarship Program.

NPGO’s Academic Progression website has an array of resources, including tip sheets, list of accredited programs, Milestone Tool templates, and more.

Gain extra support, advice and a personal cheerleader through the RN Degree Students Mentorship Program.

About the Scholarship Program: The program is centrally funded by University Medical Center Nursing as part of UVA HR’s Education Benefits Program and administered to ensure that all eligible UVA Health University Medical Center Employees have equal opportunity to apply, including staff who are not currently in RN roles.

Preference in 2025 will be given to applicants seeking A.D.N. or BSN degrees. However, applicants seeking other RN-related degrees, including graduate degrees, will be considered as well, and are welcome to apply.

.Still have questions? Email us at NPGO@uvahealth.org