In order to qualify for the Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP), applicants must:

Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen;
Be an Illinois resident;
Be a recipient of at least a bachelor’s degree which enables the student to be skillfully prepared for a career in professional or practical nursing;
Be enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, on at least a half-time basis in an approved program of professional or practical nursing education at the graduate level at an eligible Illinois college;
Apply for federal student financial aid to determine the expected family contribution (EFC);
Comply with federal Selective Service registration requirements;
Not be in default on any student loan nor owe a refund or repayment on any state or federal grant(s); and
Maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the college.

Eligible Illinois Colleges

The following is the current list of participating colleges. This list will be updated as new colleges are approved to participate in the program.

001676
001692
001707
001710
001722
001724
001735
001737
001741
009800
009987
006240
001768
001759
001776
001664

Elmhurst College
Illinois State University
Lewis University
Loyola Univeristy
McKendree University
Millikin University
North Park University
Northern Illinois University
Olivet Nazarene University
Rush University Medical Center
Saint Anthony College of Nursing
Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing
Saint Xavier University
Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of St. Francis

Teaching Commitment

To qualify to receive an NESP award, the student must sign a commitment to teach in Illinois for five years as an educator in an approved program of professional nursing education or an approved program of practical nursing education. The student must begin teaching within one year following the termination of the program for which the NESP funds were awarded, and must teach continuously until the teaching requirement is fulfilled. If the student is unable or unwilling to fulfill the teaching commitment, the award converts to a loan, payable in full, plus interest at 5% and, if applicable, reasonable collection fees.