WHO MAY APPLY
An eligible student who is sponsored by a Maryland higher education institution to complete the graduate education necessary to become a qualified nursing faculty at a Maryland higher education institution.
HOW TO APPLY
Complete and submit the application for the Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Living Expenses Grant and all required documentation to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). To be considered for the Living Expenses Grant, an applicant must also complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
WHEN TO APPLY
The Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Living Expenses Grant application and documentation must be submitted prior to the semester you wish to be considered for funding. Recommended dates listed on applications.
ELIGIBILIT Y REQUIREMENTS
You must be a Maryland resident and be enrolled at a Maryland college or university as a full-time (9+ credits per semester) or part-time (6-8 semester credits) graduate student in a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) program or another graduate- level nursing program required to prepare individuals to become nursing faculty. Audited courses cannot be used to reach the minimum credit hours required for full-time or part-time status. The Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship is not based on financial need.
You must provide documentation of sponsorship by a nursing school in Maryland. The nursing school sponsoring the student must agree to provide mentors for the student and incorporate the student into its campus faculty culture and, provide career counseling and assistance with placement as a faculty member at the institution or another nursing school in the State.
To be eligible for a Living Expenses Grant, you must receive and accept an offer for a Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship, have filed the FAFSA and demonstrate financial need. The Living Expenses Grant is based on the student need as demonstrated by information reported on the FAFSA.
Recipients of the Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Living Expenses Grant must commit to: (1) completing the required graduate program within a maximum of two years for full-time students and (2) working as a nursing faculty at a Maryland institution upon program completion.
FINANCIAL NEED
The Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship is not based on financial need. The Living Expenses Grant is based on the student’s need as demonstrated by information reported on the FAFSA.
AWARD AMOUNT
MARYLAND CAREER-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS
year ($6,500 per semester) and will be prorated for part-time recipients. The award is renewable for a maximum amount of $26,000. Award recipients may request summer funding, as long as the total amount of funding for the academic year does not exceed $13,000. Summer funding requests must be in writing and be received by OSFA by April 1 of each year. Summer awards are subject to the availability of funds.
Living Expenses Grant awards may not exceed the maximum of $25,000 per academic year ($12,500 per semester) for full-time (9+ credits per semester) recipients and will be prorated for part-time recipients. The expected family contribution (EFC) as reported on the FAFSA will be used to rank applicants. Awarding will begin with applicants with the lowest EFC.
A student who is receiving a stipend, salary supplement and/or other financial assistance for living expenses from their employer, must report it on the application and the amount may be deducted from the grant award total. Living Expenses Grant awards are subject to the availability of funds and not all eligible applicants will receive an award.
Note: If the recipient’s employment status changes as a result of accepting this award (the recipient discontinues working, or changes from full-time to part-time employment), the recipient may submit a separate appeal form to request a recalculation of the recipient’s EFC that is used to rank students for the Living Expenses Grant.
RENEWING AN AWARD
A Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship award may be renewed for up to three additional years until the maximum total award limit of $26,000 has been reached. A recipient’s award will be renewed automatically if the recipient remains a Maryland resident, maintains a minimum 3.0 annual GPA in graduate course work; remains enrolled in an eligible nursing program; maintains the satisfactory academic progress standards of the institution; and, if receiving the Living Expenses Grant, continues to demonstrate financial need.
SERVICE OBLIGATION
A recipient must sign a promissory note affirming that he/she will serve as a nurse faculty at Maryland institutions with nursing degree programs by working two years as a full-time nurse faculty member for each year the award was received as a full-time student; or by working one and one-half years as a full-time nurse faculty member for each year the award was received as a part-time student.
Individuals fulfilling their service obligations as a part-time nurse faculty member must work two years for each year of their full-time employment obligation. Full-time employment is defined as 35 or more hours per week. Part-time employment is defined as 20-34 hours per week.
Service must begin within six months of graduation. A recipient must meet his/her service obligation at any Maryland institution granting nursing degrees and is not required to work at the sponsoring institution. If the service obligation is not met, the scholarship must be repaid with interest. If the Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship is held with any other award requiring a service obligation, the obligations must be performed in consecutive years.