For more than five decades, the National Health Service Corps has matched dedicated health professionals with communities across the country with the greatest need for their services. The National Health Service Corps seeks primary care clinicians with demonstrated interest in serving the nation’s medically underserved and offers scholarship support in return for clinical practice in communities located in a Health Professional Shortage Area. The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program is a competitive federal program that awards scholarships to students pursuing eligible primary care health professions training leading to: (1) A degree in medicine (allopathic or osteopathic); (2) A degree in dentistry; or (3) A postgraduate degree or postgraduate certificate from a school or program in nurse midwifery education, physician assistant education, or nurse practitioner education specializing in adult medicine, family medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, psychiatric-mental health, or women’s health.
In return for scholarship awards, scholars commit to providing primary care health services to underserved communities. The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program pays for tuition and various other reasonable educational costs as well as provides a monthly stipend to assist with living expenses in exchange for a minimum of two (2) years of full-time service.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, applicants must be:
• A United States citizen (either United States born or naturalized) or United States national.
• Enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time student.1 To be considered for a scholarship award for the 2025-2026 school year, classes must begin on or before September 30, 2025.
• Applicants planning to be on a leave of absence from school during the 2025-2026 academic year, should not submit an application this year, but may apply for the 2026-2027 academic year.
• Attending or accepted to attend one of the accredited schools or programs appropriate for the program (further detail on the program website)