Though there are many nursing scholarships available today by the government but very little is known about their existence to the people who really need it. Due to increased demand of nurses in the US and other countries especially in the welfare oriented heath care centers, the government has instituted a variety of scholarships to help needy students take up a program in nursing which will ultimately produce more number of nurses to fill in vacancies in the health care centers.

But before applying for the scholarships it has to be borne in mind that this is going to be a rather serious and long term commitment on part of the applicants since they have to serve for a stipulated term of at least two years at any recognized health care centre which is facing shortage of qualified nurses. This actually translates into 35 hours of work for not less than 45 weeks for two years in total. This committed service must commence from within six months of graduating from the nursing course. Failing to keep up this commitment will imply that the aid received from the government will have to be returned along with the interest within three years period.

To be able to qualify to apply the student will have to be enrolled in a full time accredited course for associate, baccalaureate, degree or even diploma program. Students engaged in LPN, self paced, Distance educations, dual degrees etc are not eligible to apply for these government scholarships for nursing. This Nursing Scholarship Program is open to application all round the year but only those will be considered for that year which have been submitted before the deadline of May. The detailed procedure for application and the necessary documentation can be sought at the government websites for this purpose.

The amount of scholarship available can be of the range of $ 1269 per month, the first installment of which will be received by October with arrears of the last four months. The scholarship covers all course related expenses including books, laboratories and clinical expenses. An important point to be remembered is that the amount received through such scholarships will be added to your total taxable income for that year.

All one needs to do to be able to avail the benefits of this government schemes is to apply. The application forms and guidelines can be downloaded and after filling up with the asked for document can be sent to the document centre of the Nursing Scholarship Program whose address will be in the application form. The main criterion in award of these scholarships is the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as stated in the FAFSA application. The lower the EFC higher are the chances of getting the scholarships because the government aims to help the poorest and the neediest to achieve higher education and better employment opportunities.

So if you have a dream to become a nurse but do not have the means to support your nursing program costs then the nursing scholarships are the ideal help for you to seek out and take advantage of.