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 January 15, 2024, 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 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.

Number of awards: varies

Criteria: All graduate program applicants seeking the DNP degree are eligible 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 by the priority deadline dates.
2. Respond to the scholarship questions when you fill out the admission application.
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.)

The PLU Alumni Scholarship is automatically awarded to graduate students who also earned their bachelor’s degree from PLU 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.