Nursing Students to Benefit From Grants Totaling $187,000

Published 01.15.2008

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Pennsylvania College of Technology's nursing program has received grants from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation and Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania to help students pay for college expenses.

The nursing program was awarded $149,000 from PHEF for the 2007-08 academic year. From those funds, the program will award grants to eligible students whose other financial aid does not cover all schooling costs. This is the fifth year that the college has received the funds.

"The purpose of these grants is to prevent students from leaving school because of financial difficulties," said Pamela L. Starcher, director of nursing at Penn College.

In addition to the funding provided by PHEF, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania provided more than $38,000 to be distributed in the same manner to Penn College nursing students from Bradford, Carbon, Clinton, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

The funds are available to students in all four of Penn College's nursing majors, which include a practical nursing certificate, a registered nurse preparation associate degree, a bachelor of science in nursing, and a bachelor of science in nursing completion major for already-licensed registered nurses.

Scholarship recipients are chosen based on financial need, and they may use the funds for any required college expense, whether it's paying for tuition or purchasing textbooks from the College Store, Starcher said.

To be eligible for a grant, applicants must qualify for financial aid, maintain at least a 2.0 grade-point average and may not be in default on any student loans. Students whose expenses are already covered by grants and students who are related to a person who serves on the selection committee are not eligible.

If any funds from the $187,000 appropriation are left, students may apply for more aid to cover the fee for their nursing license exam.

For more information about the academic programs offered at the School of Health Sciences at Penn College visit online or call (570) 327-4519. For more information about Penn College, visit on the Web , e-mail or call toll-free (800) 367-9222.

For more information about grant-funding opportunities, faculty and staff may contact the Grants and Contracts Office at ext. 7562 or through its Web portal.