Scholarships for Nursing Students in Connecticut

Grants and scholarships have multiple purposes. They help individuals realize their academic dreams. Some committees are looking to finance people who are first generation college students, for example, or single parents. Scholarship awards, though, have a larger purpose: They help society. This is particularly true in high demand occupations like nursing. Committees give monetary awards to help the most able students make it through school and rise through the ranks.

There are many nursing scholarship competitions for Connecticut nursing students. They are designed to award different strengths.

Nursing Scholarship Requirements in Connecticut

The Foundation of the Connecticut Nurses’ Association administers a number of scholarships. The Brother Frances Smith Scholarship is open to nursing students from the LPN level right on up to the doctorate level. Several other scholarships are available only to students who are studying at at least the ADN level. The Jennifer-Hawke-Petit Pediatric Scholarship is especially for nurses who are pursuing studies in pediatrics and/ or multiple sclerosis. Most CtNA scholarships have a June 15 deadline.

Membership in the Connecticut Student Nurses’ Association qualifies a nursing student for an additional $500 scholarship competition. The CSNA competition is open to undergraduate nursing students only. The application includes an essay as well as a personal statement.

Minority students have an additional resource in the Southern Connecticut Chapter of the Black Nurses Association. The 2010 competition essay asked nursing students how they would make a difference in the Black community in one of several crucial areas. Applicants could choose to focus on particular health issues like AIDS, diabetes, or high blood pressure, or they could tackle the broader issue of health discrepancies.

There are other options available, depending on your aptitudes. If you have a strong academic interest in healthcare issues, you could win a cash award through the Connecticut Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. The CT HFMA scholarship competition is based on an essay, but unlike many other competitions, it doesn’t involve personal writing. Instead there is a scholarly question to address, and the prompt changes from year to year. In the past, applicants have been asked to share insight on such issues as merit-based pay or the impact of HSAs. There are competitions for both graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in healthcare related programs (not limited to nursing). As can be expected, the competition for the award is quite stiff. It is lucrative, though. The first place winner receives $4,000.

Nursing Scholarship Application Professional Advice

A lot of Connecticut nursing scholarship competitions include essays that go beyond the general statement of goals. A representative of Exceptional Nurses, a national organization for nurses with illnesses and disabilities, notes that it can be appropriate to incorporate a personal story if it relates to the mission of the organization. How does this relate to Connecticut’s local competitions? A student competing for the Black Nurses Association Award might choose to write about diabetes because she, or someone near her, has the illness. She will need to connect the experience, though, to the larger question: how she will make a difference in the community.

When answering essay questions, make sure you follow the directions carefully. In other words, if you’re asked to select one topic or one health issue, do so — as tempting as it can be to share everything you know. Attention to detail is important in every stage of the process. Scholarship committees frequently receive incomplete application forms. By getting your official transcripts, financial documentation, and reference forms in on time, you place yourself ahead of many applicants.

Contact Information for Nursing Scholarships in Connecticut

Back to Top