NHSC Scholarship Program: Overview Eligibility Application Process

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What is NHSC Scholarship Program

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC Scholarship Program) is a competitive Federal program of service-conditional awards for students of allopathic and osteopathic medicine, dentistry, and other health professions. The Scholarship award includes the payment of a monthly stipend, tuition and fees, and an amount to cover other educational expenses. In return for each year of award, scholarship recipients must agree to serve one year providing clinical health care services in designated health manpower shortage areas of the United States. The minimum service obligation is two years and is to be performed as a commissioned or civilian member of the NHSC or, under specified conditions, in a private clinical practice.

History of the NHSC Scholarship Program:

The NHSC Scholarship Program as established by the Emergency Health Personnel Act Amendments of 1972 (P.L 92-585) enacted on October 27,1972 and extended through fiscal year 1977 by various public laws. This legislation was replaced in fiscal year 1978 by he Health Professions Educational Assistance Act of 1976 (P.L 94-484) which extended the authority for the National Health Service Corps and revised the Scholarship Program through fiscal year 1980.

Administration of NHSC Scholarship Program:

The NHSC Scholarship Program is administered by the Division of Manpower Training Support of the Bureau of Health Manpower, Health Resources Administration (HRA). The NHSC is administered by the Bureau of Community Health Service of the Health Services Administration (HSA). The HRA and HSA are two of the six agencies of the Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Appropriations of NHSC Scholarship Program:

The 1979 fiscal year appropriation for the Scholarship awards was $75 million, a 25 percent increase over the previous year. The total congressional appropriation for the NHSC Scholarship Program from the 1973-74 through the 1979-80 academic year was $245.5 million, of which $97.8 million was obliged for tuitions and fees and $146 million for stipends and other educational expense payments. Of the total appropriation, about 78.7 percent was obligated for awards to students of allopathic medicine; 11.6 percent to students of osteopathic medicine; 6.2 percent to students of dentistry; 1.4 percent to students of nursing at the baccalaureate level and 2.1 percent to students of other health disciplines.

Distribution of NHSC Scholarship Program:

The determination of the number of students and types of other health disciplines to participate in new awards is made annually, based upon the current and projected needs of the NHSC. For the 1979-80 application cycle, the scholarship program accepted applications from students of baccalaureate degree programs of nursing, master’s degree programs of nurse practitioner education, community health nursing, nurse midwifery, and public health nutrition, and from students of podiatric medicine, pharmacy, optometry, and veterinary medicine. Because the number of awards available to students as limited, competition for pharmacy and optometry awards was restricted to students ho participated in the NHSC Scholarship program for First-Year Students of Exceptional Financial Need.

Eligibility Criteria for NHSC Scholarship Program:

To be eligible to participate in the NHSC Scholarship Program, an applicant had to be:

A Citizen of the United States
Enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, as a full-time student in:
- an accredited educational institution in a State (as defined in the selection 2(f) of the PHS Act) U.S territories include – Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, U.S Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federal States of Micronesia.
- a course of study authorized for participants in the scholarship program, and
Eligible to begin the service obligation immediately upon completion of academic or postgraduate training.

Citizens of the United States attending foreign schools are not eligible to receive awards.

Selection Criteria for NHSC Scholarship Program:

The following criteria for selecting initial awardees were designed to identify applicants with personal qualifications and clinical career goals which most nearly matched those needed by the NHSC. Applicants competed for awards with others in their own discipline and class year. No scholarship awards were made by the State or school quotas, nor were student financial needs, school tuition rates, age, sex race or marital status considered in making selectins.

Application process of NHSC Scholarship Program:

The NHSC Scholarship Program application process can be fulfilled with three following things:

1. Online Application
2. Required supporting documentation and
3. Additional supporting documentation (if applicable).

Applicants should download and keep a copy of the application package for their records. It is important that the information in the online application match the submitted supporting documentation. No changes will be accepted to applicant’s choice of school or discipline entered on the submitted application prior to award.

Online Application:

Applicants are required to complete each of the following sections to be able to submit an online application.

Eligibility: Individual must pass the initial eligibility requirement needed to avail the NHSC Scholarship Program
General Information: Applicants must provide the general information like applicant’s name, Social Security Number, mailing address and other contact information.
Degree Information: Applicants must provide the degree or certificate program for which applicants are applying for a NHSC Scholarship Program.
Letters of Recommendation: Applicants must submit two recommendation letters, one academic and another non-academic. All recommendations must be completed online through the My BHW Account. Recommendations should include a description of the recommender’s relationship to the applicant, and also clarify the applicant’s education/work achievement and ability to work and communicate constructively. If the applicant is currently enrolled in the health professions training, the recommendation can be made by the department chair.
Self-Certification: Applicants must declare the truthfulness of the information provided in the online application.

Required Documents for Online Application:

It is necessary for the applicants to provide all supporting documents for initial screening of the application. The required supporting documents needed for the application are discussed below:

Proof of U.S Citizenship: The U.S citizenship proofs like birth certificate, U.S passport, certificate of citizenship must be provided.
Authorization Form: This form authorizes entities identified in the form to disclose information regarding applicants who have been selected and accept the scholarship award.
NHSC Acceptance Report: Each applicant must submit the National Health Service Corps Acceptance Report or the Verification of Good Standing Form, which their school has reviewed to confirm they have been accepted or are currently enrolled and in good standing.
Essay: This provides the extent to which an applicant’s work background had included salaried or volunteer experience in medically underserved urban or rural settings.
Transcript: Each applicant must submit a transcript for a degree achieved from an undergraduate or master’s degree level program, or the current degree program to include a minimum full year of grades.
Current Tuition and Fees Schedule: Each applicant must provide a tuition and fees schedule for the current school year.

Learn More to Apply

The criteria which determined an applicant’s ranking are:

Career goals – the applicant’s expressed intent to enter into a primary care practice in an urban or rural health manpower shortage setting following the period of obligated service.
Work experience – the extent to which an applicant’s work background had included salaried or volunteer experience in medically underserved urban or rural settings.
Community background – the extent to which an applicant had personal experience in medically underserved urban or rural settings.
Academic performance – for applicants of selected disciplines, based on transcripts and other documentation. The eligible disciplines are –
- Physician
- Dentist
- Nurse Practitioner
- Adult Medicine
- family Medicine
- Geriatrics
- Primary Care Pediatrics
- Psychiatric Mental Health
- Women’s Health
- Nurse Midwife
Physician Assistant

As required by statue, priority for awards was given each year to participants who had previously received NHSC Scholarships and to applicants who participated in the Scholarship Program for First-Year Students of exceptional financial need.

Service Obligation for NHSC Scholarship Program:

For each year of support, scholarship recipients must agree to serve one year providing clinical services in designated health manpower shortage areas of the United States. The minimum service obligation is two years and is to be performed as a commissioned or civilian member of the NHSC or, under specified conditions, in a private clinical practice. Most NHSC scholars serve their obligations as salaried, non-federal employees of public or private entities approved by the NHSC Scholarship Program.

Under the private practice provision of the law, scholarship recipients may be released from part or all of their service obligation if they agree to engage in full-time private clinical practice in designated health man-power shortage areas. The areas must have a priority for assignment of NHSC personnel and a sufficient financial base to sustain a practice.

Due to the nature of medical and medically-related training, the Scholarship Program is a long-term effort. A student who has received 4 years of support to complete medical school and a deferral of 3 years for residency training does not become available for professional service until 7 years after the first award was made.

NHSC Scholarship Program Provisions:

The current provisions in the NHSC Scholarship Program governing default differ from those in the earlier NHSC Scholarship Program. The following are provisions of the NHSC Scholarship Program:

1. Participants who fail to complete their academic training are required to repay all indebtedness within 3 years. No interest is charged ion this indebtedness.
2. Those who have completed training but fail to begin or complete their service obligation are liable for repayment of 3 times the sum of (a) the amount of all scholarship funds paid to them and to the school on their behalf, and (b) the interest. This amount must be paid within 1 year of the date of default.

Under both programs, a waiver or suspension may be granted in cases where fulfillment of the service or financial obligation would be impossible, or would involve extreme hardship, and if enforcement would be unconscionable.

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