health · HHS-HRSA
Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS)
Health Resources and Services Administration · HRSA-26-096
Award Range
$1 – $650K
Total Program Funding
$51.1M
Expected Awards
80
Deadline
July 28, 2026
GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview
HRSA is funding health professions schools (medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, etc.) to provide scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. $51M total, 80 awards, up to $650K each. The money goes directly to SCHOOLS (not to individual students) — the school then distributes it as scholarships. Covers tuition, fees, and living expenses for students who are economically or educationally disadvantaged.
Who Should Apply
Accredited health professions schools: medical schools (MD/DO), dental schools, nursing schools, pharmacy schools, veterinary schools, optometry schools, podiatry schools, and other eligible health training programs.
Who Should NOT Apply
Individual students (apply through your school, not directly), non-health-professions programs, unaccredited programs, or schools without a track record of enrolling disadvantaged students.
Key Requirements (Plain English)
- •Must be an eligible health professions school (see HRSA's specific list of qualifying disciplines)
- •Must demonstrate enrollment of students from disadvantaged backgrounds
- •Scholarships must cover tuition, fees, and reasonable living expenses
- •Must have systems to verify student financial disadvantage
💡 GrantQuick Tip
80 awards from $51M — most schools that apply with a solid disadvantaged-student pipeline will be funded. The key: document your school's track record of enrolling and graduating students from underrepresented backgrounds. If your medical or nursing school already has a diversity pipeline program, this grant funds the scholarships those students need. Budget is generous ($650K) — calculate how many full scholarships that covers at your tuition rate.
Competitiveness: Low — 80 awards for health professions schools. If you're an accredited program with disadvantaged students, the odds are strongly in your favor.
What This Grant Funds
Attachments
Who Can Apply
Eligible Applicant Types
Funding Details
- Minimum Award
- $1
- Maximum Award
- $650K
- Total Program Funding
- $51.1M
- Expected Number of Awards
- 80
- Cost Sharing Required?
- No
- Funding Instrument
- grant
Key Dates
Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.
Agency Contact
Tamara Barbee SDSProgram@hrsa.gov
SDSProgram@hrsa.govReady to apply?
View the full NOFO and submit your application on Grants.gov