Financial Aid and Scholarships

The Build Your Career Scholarship promotes access to graduate education as a key step toward helping students achieve their personal and professional goals.

Amount: $9,000

Eligibility: Any applicants who apply for admission to the Doctor of Nursing Practice program by December 1, 2023, and enroll for the Summer or Fall 2024 semester.

Terms of the Award: The award will be distributed over the course of the degree program, based on the number of credits registered for each term.

The Dean’s Excellence in Nursing Leadership DNP Scholarship

Nurses play a key role in ensuring the continued quality of patient care and evidence-based outcomes in our nation’s health care system. The need for strong, effective nursing leadership and nursing faculty in health care has never been more critical. In response, Pacific Lutheran University’s School of Nursing offers the Doctor of Nursing Practice for nurses seeking a terminal degree at the highest level of nursing practice.

Each year, PLU awards scholarships up to $8,500 to new students in the DNP program. The number of scholarships awarded and amount will vary, depending on the qualifications of the candidates. This scholarship is designed to support current and future nurses committed to improving healthcare outcomes through the pursuit of the DNP degree.

Award amount: up to $8,500

Number of awards: varies

Criteria: All graduate program applicants seeking the DNP degree may apply for these scholarships.

Terms of the award: The scholarships are awarded for one year. Recipients must meet the following conditions to be considered for renewal for second year:

1. Maintain full-time student status by taking 8 or more semester credits during both the fall and spring terms
2. Maintain good standing in the program including a 3.0 or better in all courses, and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better
3. Maintain an unencumbered active registered nurse license and the ability to practice without restriction in the State of Washington.

Application Procedure:
Scholarship will only be considered for those who have submitted a complete application for the DNP program. To apply for the scholarship, please:

1. Submit admission application for the DNP program via NursingCAS by the priority deadline dates.
2. Respond to the scholarship questions when you fill out the admission application on NursingCAS.
3. Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
   (When complete the FAFSA, be sure to indicate that you want the results of your analysis sent to PLU, school code 003785. Be sure to print out your confirmation page and include your email address so the FAFSA generated Student Aid Report can be emailed to you.)

This is a grant from the federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) which supports training for 72 Doctor of Nursing primary-care nurse practitioners, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. The grant is for $2.8 million over four years, with annual funding subject to Congressional budgeting. This grant will strengthen training partnerships between the university and healthcare practices in those communities, and help train graduates in the use of telehealth, a growing area of modern healthcare that employs computer and video technology to connect patients and practitioners virtually. (Read More)

The Graduate Assistantship program offers graduate students an opportunity to participate in academic and administrative activities that will enhance their graduate education experience, as well as provide financial assistance.

A limited number of assistantships are available during the academic year.  In general, assistantships awards are for interactions and opportunities involving time commitments between five and twelve hours per week. Students receive payment based on their hourly work as student employees.

Assistantships are considered taxable income.

These opportunities include:

• Graduate Teaching Assistants – teaching in the undergraduate major courses as assigned.
• Graduate Research Assistants – working under the direction of a faculty member or members in the design and execution of research projects. Responsibilities may include supervising undergraduate students on projects.

Award amount: Awards vary depending on hours worked and funds available; typically $15-$19 per hour.

Number of awards: Varied

Eligibility: To be eligible for a graduate assistantship, an applicant must be:

• admitted to the DNP program
• maintain a minimum cumulative 3.0 graduate grade point average, and
• enrolled full or part-time during the semester/term of the assistantship

Criteria: Criteria for awarding assistantships may include any combination of the following: (a) skills and abilities (b) academic merit (c) potential for success, and (d) contribution to the mission of the School of Nursing and University. In addition to the assistantship application, information in the applicant’s admission file may be assessed.

Application and Deadline: Submit the Graduate Assistantship Application to apply. Priority application date for consideration is August 20.  Applicants received after the priority date will be reviewed as funds are available. Please note that you should have accepted the admission offer before submitting the application.

The PLU Grant provides a 10 percent discount on tuition for graduate applicants who graduated from PLU with a bachelor’s degree or higher and enroll in a PLU graduate level degree or approved master’s level certificate program. Restrictions apply to those students who are also PLU employees. The discount begins immediately upon admission.