Scholarships and Grants

Students must completete the FAFSA along with the institutional aid application to be considered for this scholarship.

During the 2025-2026 academic year, 80% of students received up to $40,000. Aid received may change at any point during the academic year if a student no longer has financial need. 

Significant changes are required to be reported immediately to the Office of Financial Aid. The need based application will become available during the Admissions application cycle.

The PLAN (Pathways to Leadership & Advancement in Nursing) Program. PLAN exists to support and graduate students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds into the accelerated graduate Masters Direct Entry Program. PLAN offers financial, academic, emotional, and professional support to students enrolling in the accelerated Masters Direct Entry Program (MDE). Students received $25,000 and apply for this scholarship during the Admissions application cycle.

Mary Bleecker Simmons (Class of 1960) and her husband Dick Simmons created Nursing’s first full tuition clinical scholarship. This generous gift from the Simmons family will allow the school to support scholars through the Masters Direct Entry program and the completion of their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Nurses with this advanced training will have the skills they need to lead and succeed in our rapidly changing world. 

The Simmons Scholarship will cover full tuition and fees for both your Master’s and Doctoral programs. Students are selected for a scholarship during the admissions application cycle.

Students who apply to the MDE/DNP combined program and who continue seamlessly from the MDE to the DNP will be awarded a $40,000 scholarship ($20,000/year during the 1st two years of the DNP program).

Students who apply to the Post-BS DNP Primary Care program will be awarded a $40,000 scholarship ($20,000/year for 1^st two years of the program).

Students who apply to the Anesthesia DNP program will be awarded a $20,000 scholarship ($10,000/year for 1^st two years of the program).

Columbia Alumni Association (CAA). The CAA Scholarship is given to enrolled students who demonstrate academic engagement and leadership within their school and across the University. A student is selected by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations each academic year. Students must be a previous Columbia degree holder. 

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA - Nurse Anesthesia Traineeship) is awarded by Columbia University School of Nursing.

Interschool Fellowships are a form of institutional aid awarded by Columbia University. For more information, visit the Student Financial Services website.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is an initiative authorized by the Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (the Post-9/11 GI Bill ®) in which educational institutions provide eligible student veterans with a tuition waiver or grant matched by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. This program supplements the base educational benefits provided by the Post-9/11 GI Bill ®. Participation in this supplementary program is determined by Columbia's participating schools on a first-come, first-serve basis for up to $6,000, and is available only to enrolled students who meet the 100 percent entitlement according to their VA-issued Certificate of Eligibility. 

The NFLP loan support amount for any student cannot exceed $40,000 per academic year. NFLP loans may be used to cover full/partial tuition and the costs of fees, books and other reasonable education expenses (personal living expenses/stipends are not supported).

If you are granted a Nursing Faculty Loan you must:

• Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Maintain at least part-time student status
• Commit to assuming a full-time faculty position or to serve as a full-time preceptor for DNP students
• Sign a promissory note, Truth in Lending Act (TILAs), with the Office of Student Financial Services

Complete an online application (provided each fall semester by the financial aid office) and submit by the deadline.

Paid or unpaid leave needs to be consistent with the institution's policy and is subject to supervisory approval. This is not considered a break in service. Only termination of full-time employment is considered a break in service.

The semesters we are awarding are the fall and spring semesters for the academic year (for first-time borrowers). We can award for summer if a student is continuing/based on availability of funding. A continuing NFLP borrower is prioritized versus a new NFLP borrower.

Yes, students will need to reapply each academic year through the financial aid office. Updated documentation (entrance, Master Promissory Note (MPN), Truth in Lending Act (TILA) will be collected for each academic year students participate in the program. Students need not accept the maximum $35,500 each year.

Student placements are coordinated by the academic affairs office, the program directors and vice dean, and the dean of students. Student scheduling is determined by the preceptor/site in conjunction with NP students. We are flexible in how scheduling gets implemented.