Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania Scholarship

Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania is a non-profit organization sponsoring a scholarship program dedicated to supporting Pennsylvania residents who are pursuing a program of basic (LPN, Diploma, ADN, BSN, BSN Completion) or advanced degree in nursing (Masters, Doctoral), and PhD education in a Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing approved program. To apply, you MUST be a resident of Pennsylvania and intend to continue working in PA after graduation.

​Scholarship applications for 2025 opened January 15, 2025 and will close April 15, 2025.

Scholarship recipients will be announced by early June.

We invite qualified candidates to apply. Scholarships are available to be used for tuition, books, and/or educational fees. Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania expects that it is your intent to practice nursing in Pennsylvania upon graduation.

Scholarship recipients are selected based on their academic achievement, leadership potential as evidenced by special honors and/or special recognition, community service, and personal commitment to the profession of nursing.

Non-PhD Scholarships Being Awarded

Scholarships in the following non-PhD categories will be awarded, provided there are qualified applicants. The specific dollar amount of each scholarship varies from year to year and is dependent upon the support we receive. Each scholarship recipient will be awarded a minimum of $1,000. In 2023, NAP awarded $45,000 in standard scholarship monies.

• Diploma
• Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN)
• Associate Degree (ADN)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing Completion
• Advanced Degree - Masters (including CNS, CNL, CNM, CRNA, CRNP, etc.)
• Advanced Degree - Doctoral (including DNP, DNS and EdD)

Application Process

• Complete the online Non-PhD Scholarship Application. You'll need to provide the following:
  • Your name, credentials, permanent address, email address and phone number
  • Your nursing school name and address
  • The name, address and email for the Program Dean
  • The contact name or financial officer at the tuition office for your school
  • Area of study
  • Your current GPA (you will be submitting your transcript to support this)
  • Anticipated graduation date
  • Completion of your Personal Statement of Commitment, which includes four parts:
    • Professional leadership activities and presentations/publications within and outside of school.  Activities must be within the past 3 years. e.g. Sigma Theta Tau, SNAP, student government, etc.
    • Special honors/awards received within the past 3 years, e.g. scholarships, nominations, grants
    • Community/volunteer activities within the past 3 years, e.g. health-related, faith-based, and civic activities
    • A paragraph about why you chose a career in nursing (limit 250 words)
• Submit two letters of recommendation, which address the selection criteria below (at least one letter must be from a nursing faculty member or program director). All letters of recommendation must have applicant's name, as well as the address, telephone number, and email address of the person writing the recommendation. ​
  • You are able to request letters of recommendation to be uploaded through the online submission system.
• Submit your transcript of grades that includes the most recently completed semester with the required course in nursing (unofficial transcript is acceptable).
  • LPN Students: see note in section below
• Submit a copy of your letter of acceptance or its equivalent into the nursing program with a beginning date being identified.

Application Criteria and Information

• To apply, you MUST be a resident of Pennsylvania.
• You must be enrolled in a Pennsylvania State Board-Approved Nursing Education Program. View the listing of approved programs.
• You must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• If TWO letters of recommendation are not present within the online application at the conclusion of the application window, the application will be considered incomplete and will not be considered.
• High school students may not apply. Unless you are an LPN student, you must be established in the nursing school/program for which you are applying for a scholarship, and you must be able to provide your most recent transcript from the nursing program, as well as a letter of recommendation from a nursing school faculty member or program director.
• If you are in your first semester of nursing school during the scholarship application window, you can still apply. Just submit a partial transcript with your grades thus-far and indicate in your narrative that you are in your first semester of nursing school.
• You must be enrolled in school for the program for which you are applying after May of the current year.
• LPN Students: if you are entering a program during the application window, and have not yet received a GPA, we will consider your high school transcript, along with a letter of recommendation from a nursing school faculty member or program director, high school faculty member, and/or a current employment supervisor, plus a personal letter of recommendation. You must be attending a Pennsylvania nursing program, or graduate from the nursing program, during the year in which you are applying for the scholarship. 

Selection Criteria

• Professional Leadership
• Academic Achievement
• Leadership Potential
• Community Service
• Personal Commitment