In most cases, graduate school makes undergrad expenses seem like pocket change. At least that’s how it is for me. I went to a state school for undergrad so I graduated with no student debt. But, now that I am going to PA school, I am getting my fair share of student loans. However, because I want to be debt free as soon as possible, I am looking into scholarships for graduate school. I have done a good bit of research about this and I want to share what I found with y’all!
School Financing
Obviously, student loans are not the ideal situation but it is likely that most of us will have to borrow some money for grad school. The loan process is very similar to undergrad loans. You fill out the FAFSA form based on your personal tax return from the previous year. Then, you will apply for loans. The two loans that are most popular for grad school are the Stafford Loan and the Grad PLUS loan. The Stafford covers a fixed amount of $20,500 for graduate students. Then, you apply for the Grad PLUS loan to cover the rest of the cost of attendance. This is the case if you borrow the entire amount. Again, not my ideal situation but something that most of us will do!
HPSP Scholarships
The HPSP scholarship is called the Health Professions Scholarship Program. This is a program put forth by each military branch. The requirements for this scholarship are at least one year of military service for each year of aid. However, this is a pretty sweet deal because they cover everything including tuition, books, fees, and give a stipend for room and board. These are relatively competitive scholarships if you are willing to be a part of the military. It doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me!
NHSC Scholarships
The NHSC stands for the National health Service Corps Scholarship. This is similar to the HPSP scholarship in that there is a service requirement in exchange for full expenses paid. However, the service requirement is not affiliated with the military. The service requirement is basically that you work in an underserved area in a designated clinic specializing in primary care. They also offer loan repayment programs post graduation. So, if you do not get the scholarship while you are in school, you could have your loans paid back after graduation! This is the scholarship I am actively pursuing.
Fellowships and Grants
Fellowships and grants are slightly more specific with the requirements. Most of the time, fellowships or grants allow for funding for research programs. However, in terms of PA school, there are grants for students going to specific schools or that posses certain demographic characteristics. I think these are great options if you qualify for them!
Small Scholarships
Small scholarships from websites like Unigo and Niche can be so so annoying, I know. Trust me, I applied for these for undergrad and got nowhere. I didn’t have the patience for them. However, now that I am facing a much larger debt amount, I am finding more patient to fill these out weekly. I have been listening to Dave Ramsey and he had a guest on who paid their entire Vanderbilt tuition through an accumulation of these small scholarships. So many of these go unawarded because people don’t take the time! So I am definitely making time to do these small applications each week. Any little bit helps!
If you liked this post about physician assistant school, check out my post on How to get accepted to PA school and Everything you need to know about the PA-CAT exam. If you want more posts on this topic, please leave a comment and let me know!
