NBNA Scholarship Program

Black nursing students in any program, including LPN and associate degree students at community colleges. If you are in your first year of a two-year program, you meet the one-year-remaining rule.

• Must be an NBNA member and a member of a local chapter, or a Direct Member if no chapter exists within 50 miles
• Currently enrolled in a nursing program: LPN/LVN, ADN, RN-to-BSN, generic BSN, master's, or doctorate
• At least one full academic year remaining in the program
• In good scholastic standing at the time of application

• A scholarship starting at $1,000, with amounts varying by fund and year
• Recognition within the National Black Nurses Association
• Connection to a national professional network of Black nurses through your local chapter

• Online application through the CommunityForce portal
• Official transcript from your accredited nursing school, accepted by mail or email
• Personal statement, two pages with a 500-word maximum
• Two recommendation letters: one from a dean or faculty member, one from chapter leadership
• Resume or CV, five pages maximum
• Registrar verification of enrollment and expected graduation date
• Professional headshot
• Optional documentation of community involvement and NBNA participation

• Join NBNA and a local chapter well before the deadline. Membership is a hard requirement and one of your two recommendation letters must come from chapter leadership.
• If there is no chapter within 50 miles of you, sign up as a Direct Member instead of assuming you are ineligible.
• Get involved in your chapter before you apply. Documented NBNA participation and community service are what separate applications here.
• Request the registrar's enrollment and graduation verification early. It is a separate document from your transcript.
• The deadline is 5:00 PM EST in mid-March. Transcripts sent by mail need to be sent well before that.

In 2023 NBNA awarded 57 scholarships totaling more than $257,000. In 2020 it awarded 32 scholarships totaling more than $68,000. The association has awarded over $150,000 to PhD candidates historically. The most recent published deadline was March 15 at 5:00 PM EST.