While there are a number of merit based scholarships available for undergraduate studies, financial aid for graduate programs is often less common at most universities. However, Azusa Pacific University offers a number of scholarships and stipends for students in a variety of graduate programs. Supported by grants from national organizations and government entities, these scholarships provide life changing financial aid to help students achieve their goals of earning graduate degrees and advancing in their careers. Here are several scholarships and stipends available to current and future APU graduate students:
Advanced Nursing Education Workforce Program
$25,000 stipend per academic year, 10 student stipend awards per semester
The Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) program aims to increase the number of primary care practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and certified nurse midwives trained to provide primary care services, mental health and substance use disorder care, and maternal health care. Grants support the training and graduation of advanced practice registered nursing (APRN) students in these disciplines.
“Our goal is for graduates to pursue employment working with primary care patients across the lifespan in medically underserved areas,” said program manager Lydia Lozano, MA, ANEW program manager.
Community health center (CHC) patients generally have less access to prevention and screening, have low health literacy, require family support to successfully change lifestyle behaviors, and may not have access to specialty care. Nurse practitioners trained to provide culturally sensitive, tailored care can make a difference in the lives of these patients and the health of the community. The ANEW traineeship grant provides funds to support family nurse practitioner (FNP) students with tuition and stipend support who have a desire to work in low-income clinics serving uninsured and underinsured patients. A select number of students will be selected to serve a one-year residency in a CHC.
Applicants must: (1) be a master’s or post-master’s FNP student and enrolled full time (>12 units per year), (2) take GNRS 557 concurrent with other special modules (fluent Spanish-speakers are excluded), (3) participate in all grant-related activities within the given time frame, (4) have a GPA of 3.0 or higher with no failing courses in the MSN program, (5) be a citizen of the U.S., a non-citizen national, or a foreign national who has been issued a permanent residence visa in the U.S., (6) complete the attached form and respond within a week to the essay questions.
APU faculty will review all applications received by the deadline using a rubric. Priority will be given to students who have experience working with underserved persons, represent an underserved population, have a cultural awareness of the strengths and difficulties of the population, and have a desire to work in a CHC after graduation.
Traineeship recipients must: (1) maintain continuous enrollment in the master’s or post-master’s FNP program with a B or above in all classes, (2) meet the professional and academic standards of the NP program, (3) maintain all Castle Branch/Complio (San Diego) requirements, (4) meet and maintain APU’s academic, ethical, professional, and clinical standards throughout the residency, (5) respond to all surveys of information requests from the School of Nursing concerning professional activity during and following completion of the program, (6) complete the activities and special topic modules and evaluations in the time frame required, (7) be interviewed by preceptors from our clinical partners if asked, (8) commit to three consecutive semesters in the practice site assigned.
To apply, complete the ANEW Grant Traineeship Application and the ANEW Grant Application: In-depth Analysis.
To learn more: contact Lydia Lozano (llozano@apu.edu).
LA County Simulation Education Training
$300 stipends, 270 awards available
Over the three year Los Angeles County Simulation Education Training (LAC-SET) grant, 270 stipends are given to students who are eligible for and assist in beta testing and in providing feedback on nine new simulations that are being added to the School of Nursing pre-licensure curriculum. Students who are deemed eligible can participate in any or all of the simulation beta testing opportunities. In the first year, 60 students received stipends for testing two simulations; in the second year (2024-45), 150 students will be able to test five new simulations; and in the third year (2025-26), 60 students will beta test two new simulations. Support of students is via enhanced high fidelity simulation manikins, simulation cases with geriatric and maternal child health cases, and faculty/staff who are able to facilitate simulation for student learning.
To learn more and apply, contact Ruth Mielke (rmielke@apu.edu).
Project Expand: Graduate Psychology Education Program
$25,000 scholarship per academic year, 10 scholarship awards available per year
In LA County, a growing proportion of adults and youth have a serious mental illness (SMI) or have experienced serious emotional distress in the last decade. Co-occurring substance use disorders have also been on the rise with increasing concerns associated with suicide, psychosis, and overdose. There is a severe lack of clinical health service psychologists in community-based health care settings to address these increasing issues in LA County.
The purpose of Project Expand is to enhance the training and capacity of doctoral students at APU in clinical psychology (PsyD) to work with patient populations that have co-occurring mental health and substance use issues through a 12-month clinical practicum in behavioral health and school based settings in LA county. Practicum partner settings include: Asian American Drug Abuse Program, Clare | Matrix, El Monte District High Schools, Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Christian Health Centers, Social Model Recovery Systems.
PsyD student trainees work in practicum placements weekly for 10-20 hours and are under weekly supervision from Kathryn Ecklund, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychology. As part of Project Expand, student trainees also participate in trainings to enhance competencies related to the assessment and treatment of co-occurring disorders.
To be eligible for Project Expand, students must: (1) have at least one year of clinical practice experience, (2) be a current APU PsyD student, (3) apply and be accepted into specific practicum behavioral health partner settings, and (4) adhere to site-specific training requirements and protocols.
To learn more and apply, contact Michael Ta, MS, (mta@apu.edu).
HRSA- Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program
$30,000 scholarships, 20 scholarship awards per year
APU’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program seeks to promote diversity among the behavioral health workforce within state-designated medically underserved communities (MUCs) by providing scholarships for disadvantaged students (SDS) through funding provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). These scholarships provide full tuition to approximately 20 students each year.
“The HRSA scholarship has been vital for many students in our MSW program in obtaining their degrees,” said Emily Kemp, MSW, assistant professor and director of admissions and student services for the MSW program. “With 77 percent of our MSW students identifying as first-generation college students, the HRSA scholarships have been life-changing for them to pursue their graduate studies with tuition fully covered, equipping them through mentorship, coursework and experience. These students then go back into their communities to serve in essential ways through behavioral and mental health services once they graduate.”
To be eligible, student must: (1) be attending the MSW program on a full-time basis, (2) have demonstrated financial need (an EFC of $14,500 or less as indicated of FAFSA report in accordance with current federal poverty guidelines for family/household size), (3) be from a defined disadvantaged background, meeting a minimum of one of the following criteria- economic disadvantage, education disadvantage, environmental disadvantage, (4) verify status as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, (5) be placed at a qualifying practicum site serving MUCs.
Accepted students must: (1) intern in a behavioral health primary care setting serving MUCs, (2) report on training received during internship, (3) report need for and use of department and university support services, (4) seek employment in MUCs providing behavioral health care in primary setting upon graduation, (5) provide written statement on impact of SDS award on degree completion and preparation for employment in a primary care setting providing behavioral health in MUCs, report employment information to the department annually for four years as requested.
To learn more and apply, contact mswadmissions@apu.edu.
DCFS Child Welfare Stipend Program
$26,000 scholarship per academic year for two years, 12 scholarship awards available per year
The Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services (LA DCFS) + UCLA Academy of Workforce Excellence Child Welfare Stipend program is offered under the Title IV-E provision of the Social Security Act, with the goal of strengthening professional social work practice in public child welfare agencies. This stipend provides financial support to MSW students interested in child welfare in exchange for a commitment to work for LA DCFS upon program completion.
To be eligible, students must apply upon acceptance into the MSW program for full-time students, or while in the program for those in the three-year program. Stipend recipients will intern with a community-based child welfare organization in their generalist year, and will intern with the LA DCFS in their specialization year. Upon successful completion of the MSW program, students are hired by the department and commit to working for the department for two years.
To learn more and apply, contact mswadmissions@apu.edu.
Public Health Scholarship Program
$21,000 scholarships for full-time students, $10,500 scholarships for part-time students, 20 full-time and 3 part-time scholarship awards per year
The Public Health Scholarship Program (PHSP) aims to increase capacity in public health systems in order to meet core public health functions and decrease public health inequities and health disparities. To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be enrolled in APU’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program and be a U.S. citizen
Students who receive the scholarship are expected to (a) attend a mandatory orientation and postexit interview and survey, participate in required workshops, trainings, and interprofessional experiences, (c) enroll in 6 units of elective coursework focused on disaster preparedness and emergency health and (d) complete the required 135-hour internship in an organization based in Southern California (though students themselves do not need to physically reside in California). Students will also participate in career counseling and mentorship programming provided through the PHSP.
To apply, complete the PHSP application.
To learn more, contact Marissa Brash.