Nursing Wharton Impact Scholars

If you are a Penn Nursing Health Care Management (NHCM) student you can apply for this funding at any time during the five years you are in the NHCM Program. You can choose to apply for $20,000 for a one year work commitment or $40,000 for a two year work commitment after you graduate. Students who receive the award will be expected to find employment working at/with the Medically Underserved Area/Population of their choice (MUA/P).

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who qualifies for this award?

Only Penn Nursing Health Care Management (NHCM) students may apply.

Can international students apply for this award?

Yes, but be aware that there may be US federal tax implications involved with this award.

Additionally, international students run an increased risk of having to go into repayment because upon graduation there is no guarantee that they will be able to secure a work visa/permit for a US-based company.

How does an NHCM student apply for this award?

The application process includes a questionnaire and 500-word essay answering the following question:

As you enter the workforce as a graduate of the NHCM program, what challenges and opportunities do you believe you will face working in a medically underserved area, and how do you hope to address both?

Send your completed essay to Antoinette Oteri, Director of Nursing Financial Aid oteri@nursing.upenn.edu. Please write Nursing/Wharton Impact Scholars Loan Program application in the subject line

How is the amount of the award determined?

An NHCM student can potentially be awarded up to $40,000! The award amounts and disbursements will depend on the applicant’s status year in the program and specific financial aid situation.

How is the work commitment determined?

For awards totaling $20,000 or less, there is a one-year work commitment, and for awards that are more than $20,000 there is a two-year work commitment.

How do I complete the work requirement?

Students who accept this award will be required to find employment which meets the work obligation in no more than 180 days from your date of graduation from the NHCM program.

Students who receive the award will be expected to find employment working at/with the Medically Underserved Area/Population of their choice (MUA/P).

The Program’s Work Commitment Requirements are expanded upon in a later section of these FAQs.

What is an MUA/P?

Medically Underserved Areas/Populations are areas or populations designated by HRSA as having too few primary care providers, high infant mortality, high poverty or a high elderly population.

Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) are designated by HRSA as having shortages of primary medical care, dental or mental health providers and may be geographic (a county or service area), population (e.g. low income or Medicaid eligible) or facilities (e.g. federally qualified health center or other state or federal prisons).

What if I am not able to/do not complete the work requirement?

If you do not complete the work commitment you will be required to pay the award back in the form of a loan with 5% interest, in five years or less.

Work Commitment Requirements:

Organizations considered to qualify for loan forgiveness must be 501(c)(3) organizations or government agencies, must fall within the health care, nonprofit, or education sectors, and must be approved by Penn.

Health care organizations should be located in or serve MUA/Ps or Health Professional Shortage Areas, as designated by HRSA.

The University of Pennsylvania and the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania (HUP) are not eligible locations for the work commitment as we share the same 501(c)(3) tax distinction.

Organizations falling outside of the outlined sectors must have a mission that is focused on serving MUA/Ps, as designated by HRSA.

Students will also be permitted to develop their own nonprofit organization that matches the above criteria.

There is no requirement on the level of position secured, nor to work in a clinical role.

Scholarship recipients can define their position and areas of interest; all positions will be reviewed by Penn for eligibility.

Recipients will also be required to provide annual confirmation for the one or two years of the work requirement to verify ongoing employment with a qualifying organization or within a qualifying practice.

The employing entity DOES have to be U.S.-based, although award recipients may work overseas for U.S.-based entity (for example, working in Africa for the Clinton Foundation).

Awarding Specifications:

Funding will be available to all NHCM students in all five years of the program.

Average funding will be up to $40,000 per student (total, not per year), although actual awards may be flexible according to the financial need/situation/expected family contribution of each individual student.

Students currently in the NHCM program who are upperclassmen are still eligible for up to $40K for the remainder of their time in the program.

Students will receive a smaller amount in their freshman and sophomore years and then larger amounts each year thereafter.