In addition to scholarship options through UMKC, students should review the following scholarship and special loan opportunities and resources. Updated March 2022.
Resources
Each of the resources below serves as a large scholarship database or quick scholarship contests to get your scholarship search started.
Scholarship Search Sites and Tips
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
The Greater Kansas City Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Special Programs
Information: Alternative loan options for Disadvantaged Students (LDS Program) or for those passionate about Primary Care (PCL Program.) These loans have a fixed interest rate and do not accrue interest during school. They also have a longer Grace Period upon graduation of 12 months.
For the Primary Care Loan, students MUST go into an approved Primary Care specialty or will face high-interest rate penalties. Please only consider applying if you are passionate about primary care.
- Approved specialties as defined by HRSA are Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Combined Medicine/Pediatrics, Preventative Medicine, and General Practice. (OB/GYN is NOT approved)
Application Process: Applications open each year on March 1 and are due May 15th. You can apply at the UMKC Financial Aid site here and use the Secure Document Uploader to submit your application. You must include parental information on your FAFSA.
Information: Funding (loans) available to Missouri Residents pursuing a Primary Care specialty and commitment to work in a designated underserved area upon completion of training. Potential for the loans to be forgiven in exchange for a service obligation. Read more on the program at the site below.
Website: Primary Care Resource Initiative for Missouri | Health & Senior Services (mo.gov)
Loan Program:
The PRIMO program is a competitive state program that awards funding to Missouri residents attending a Missouri institution pursuing training leading to Missouri licensure as primary care physicians, dentists, dental hygienists, psychiatrists, and other mental health practitioners. Upon completion of training, the PRIMO recipient completes a service obligation by working in a designated underserved area, in Missouri, experiencing shortages of medical, mental health, and dental professionals.
Forgiveness Program:
PRIMO recipients earn forgiveness of their loan award through a service obligation. The service obligation required for forgiveness is based upon the number of loans received. The obligation is one year of service per award, which is based on full-time qualifying employment. One loan equates to one year of service; two loans equates to two years of service, etc., which is based on full-time qualifying employment. The maximum service obligation is five years.
Qualified employment is considered as full-time, direct patient care in a HPSA providing primary health care services. You can search for HPSAs here. Full-time in the PRIMO program is considered a minimum of thirty (30) hours per week.
National Health Services Corps (NHSC)
Award Amount: Payment of tuition, required fees, books & supplies, and a monthly living stipend.
Website: How to Apply for a Scholarship | NHSC (hrsa.gov)
Scholarship Information:
The NHSC scholarship is a competitive program that pays tuition, fees and provides a living stipend to students enrolled in accredited medical (MD or DO), dental, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, and physician assistant training. Upon graduation, scholarship recipients serve as primary care providers for 2-4 years in a community-based site in a high-need Health Professional Shortage Area that has been approved by the NHSC as a service site.
Awards are made to applicants most committed to serving underserved people and most likely to build successful careers in Shortage Areas and meet future needs for care throughout the Nation.
NHSC helps scholars select a compatible service site and pays for travel to and from interviews.
NHSC Students-to-Service Loan Repayment Program
Eligibility: Must be in the final year of medical school to apply. Several Health Professions are included, click the link below to view the entire eligibility. (Psst…MDs and PAs qualify!)
Website: NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program | NHSC (hrsa.gov)
Program Information:
If you are a student in your last year of medical, nursing, or dental school, you may be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance from the NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program (NHSC S2S LRP). In return, you provide at least three years of service at an NHSC-approved site in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).
You will receive funds to repay your outstanding, qualifying, educational loans.
- NHSC loan repayment funds are exempt from federal income and employment taxes.
- You will receive up to $120,000 in loan repayment funds payable in four annual installments (up to $30,000 per year) as long as you meet program requirements.
- In return, you agree to provide three years of full-time clinical practice at an NHSC-approved site in a HPSA. (Full-time clinical practice means at least 40 hours per week, for at least 45 weeks each service year.)
Complete Repayment of Qualifying Loans
Once you complete the initial three-year service contract, you may be eligible to apply for additional loan repayment funds to pay any remaining educational loans through one-year continuation service contracts.
NHSC Loan Repayment Programs
Award Amount: Repayment of student loans upon completion of training.
Website: Loan Repayment | NHSC (hrsa.gov)
Program Information:
Qualified health care clinicians could receive student loan repayment in return for serving at National Health Services Corps-approved sites.
Learn more about each of the three loan repayment programs below, or download the NHSC Loan Repayment Program Comparison Chart.
- NHSC Loan Repayment Program – awards up to $50,000 in exchange for a two-year commitment to provide primary medical, dental or mental/behavioral health care at approved sites in high-need, underserved areas. HRSA has removed the two-tier scoring, allowing all applicants to receive up to $50,000 in awards regardless of HPSA score. NHSC LRP recipients are eligible to extend their service and potentially pay off all of their educational debt with continuation contracts.
- NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program – provides up to $75,000 in exchange for a three-year commitment to health care professionals who provide substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services at NHSC-approved SUD treatment facilities. Clinicians with DATA 2000 Waivers can receive award preference.
- NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program – Providers in rural communities may apply to the NHSC Rural Community LRP, which awards up to $100,000 for three years of service. You are eligible for preference if you work at an NHSC-approved Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Consortium member facility.
Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)
General Program Information: HPSP – Veterans Affairs (intelliworxit.com)
View specific branch websites for detailed requirements:
Award Amount: Full tuition plus stipend
AA/PA Specific Scholarships
MD Specific Scholarships
Provider: American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA)
Current Scholarships: Awards, Scholarships & Fellowships – American Medical Women’s Association (amwa-doc.org)
Contact Information:
Email: awards@amwa-student.org
Current Scholarships: Scholarships – AMA Foundation
Award Amount: $10,000
Contact:
Email: AMAF Program Manager Emily Demko: emily.demko@ama-assn.org
Current Scholarships: Chinese American Medical Society – Scholarship Program (camsociety.org)
Provider: Massachusetts Medical Society
Current Scholarships: Essex South District Medical Society Annual Scholarship | VCOM
Award Amount: $2000
Contact Information:
E-mail: sfrazier@mms.org
Current Scholarships: Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women
Award Amount: Up to $10,000
Award Amount: $2,000
Current Scholarship: Scholarships – Montgomery County Medical Society
Contact Information:
E-mail: studentservices-foundation@pamedsoc.org
Current Scholarships: (Scroll down for application) About Our Scholarships & Awards
Award Amount: $10,000
Contact Information:
Email: scholarships@nmfonline.org
Current Scholarships: Apply for a Scholarship (pacfwv.com)
Contact Information:
E-mail: info@pacfwv.com
Website: http://www.pacfwv.com/scholarships3.aspx#award
Provider: The Muhlenberg Fundation
Current Scholarship: Scholarships – JFK University Medical Center (jfkmc.org)
Current Scholarship: Scholarship (waterburymedicalassociation.org)
Award Amount: Up to $20,000
Current Application: Massachusetts Medical Society: Middlesex North District Medical Society (massmed.org)
Contact Information:
Email: sfrazier@mms.org
General/Health-Related Scholarships
Current Scholarships: The Dr. Arthur J. and Helen Horvat Foundation Scholarship (horvatscholarship.org)
Award Amount: Varies
Contact Information:
E-mail: maureen.mcauvic@truist.com
Provider: Creative Biolabs
Current Scholarships: Creative Biolabs Scholarship Program – Creative Biolabs (creative-biolabs.com)
Award Amount: $1000
Contact Information:
E-mail: marketing@creative-biolabs.com
Current Scholarships: HSF: Scholarship
Award Amount: $500-$5000
Current Scholarships: HACEMOS Scholarship Program (scholarsapply.org)
Award Amount: $1,500 to $2,500
Provider: Mesothelioma Help
Current Scholarship: http://www.mesotheliomahelp.org/scholarship-contest/
Amount: $500-$2500
Provider: Mesothelioma Help
Current Scholarship: Mesothelioma.com Scholarship | Mesothelioma.com
Amount: $4000
Provider: Japanese Medical Society of America
Current Scholarships: Scholarships – Japanese Medical Society of America (jmsa.org)
Award Amount: $2,500 to $20,000
Contact Information:
E-mail: JMSAScholarship@jmsa.org
Award Amount: $1000-$2000
Current Scholarships: Scholarship Program – Blinded Veterans Association (bva.org)
Eligibility Requirements:
- Dependent children and spouses of blinded veterans.
Contact Information:
Email: bjones@bva.org
Provider: The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association Foundation
Current Scholarships: Education – The Order of AHEPA
Contact Information:
E-mail: admin@ahepa.org
Application Deadline: November 1 of each year (Applications are accepted between
August 1 and November 1
Award Amount: $16,000 Stipend (Renewable for 2 years)
Current Scholarship: Apply – The 28twelve Foundation
Eligibility Requirements:
- Christian graduate student
- Be an active church member
- Demonstrated expertise within the discipline/field
- Argument for the lack of a distinctive Christian voice in that field
- Demonstrated expertise within the discipline/field
Current Scholarship: Scholars – Apply to be a Tillman Scholar
Award Amount: Up to $10,000 per academic year. (Renewable)
Contact Information:
E-mail: appsupport@pattillmanfoundation.zendesk.com
Eligibility Requirements:
- Veteran and active-duty military service members.
- Spouses of active or veteran service members.
- Service member or spouse seeking assistance to pursue an undergraduate, graduate or post-graduate degree as a full-time student at a public or private, 4-year U.S.-based accredited institution.
Current Application: P.D. Soros Fellowship for New Americans — Apply
Award Amount: Each award is for up to $25,000 in maintenance grants and up to $20,000 in tuition support for each year of graduate study supported, a total of as much as $90,000
Contact Information:
Email: pdsoros_fellows@sorosny.org
Application: TYLENOL® Future Care Scholarship | TYLENOL®
Award Amount: Several $5,000 and $10,000 Awards
Contact Information:
Email: Tylenol@applyISTS.com
Application: Nurse.org Nursing Student Scholarship | nurse.org
Award Amount: $1000
Contact Information:
Email: info@nurse.org