Nursing students and pre-nursing students enrolled in Massachusetts community colleges will not pay out-of-pocket for their education. For the first time, the state's scholarship fund for this effort has funding to cover 100% of currently enrolled community college nursing students for the year, according to an Oct. 17 news release.
State officials announced that the fiscal year 2024 budget has $18 million in funds that will be put toward supporting nursing students at community colleges in an effort to boost the state's healthcare workforce pipeline.
"This scholarship for community college nursing students will bolster the nursing pipeline to meet the needs of medical facilities and patients across Massachusetts, which were exacerbated by the pandemic," Gov. Marua Healey stated in the release.
The allocation is part of a larger commitment from state officials to increase access to higher education for Massachusetts residents. The $18 million nursing scholarship budget line item is included in the $330 million total that has been allocated for student financial aid in FY24, according to the release.