Funding Opportunity: HRSA-26-096
Eligibility requirements
Are students eligible to apply for these scholarships?
The Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program provides funding to schools, not directly to students. Students interested in funding should check out other funding opportunities for health professions students.
What are the requirements to be eligible for the program?
To qualify for the program, a school must be:
- An eligible public and state-controlled institution of higher education ; or
- An eligible private institution of higher education.
- Offering a health professions degree program for an eligible discipline.
- Accredited by the recognized, major accrediting body for the specific health discipline.
- Carrying out a program to recruit and retain students from disadvantaged backgrounds, demonstrated by enrolling and graduating full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds in the specific degree program. For the most recent 3-year period, you must meet both of the following percentages:
- At least 20% of your degree program’s total enrollment during Academic Years 2022 – 2025 (7/1/22 – 6/30/2025) were students from disadvantaged backgrounds; and
- At least 20% of your degree program’s total graduates during Academic Years 2022 – 2025 (7/1/22 – 6/30/2025) were students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
For more information, refer to pages 3-4 of the NOFO.
Must at least 20% of a health professions school’s full‑time students come from a disadvantaged background?
Yes. To qualify, eligible health professions schools must demonstrate, using data from the most recent three academic years (AY 2022–2025: July 1, 2022–June 30, 2025), that they:
- Enrolled at least 20% of full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and
• Graduated at least 20% of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Requirements for newly established schools:
- New schools may apply if they enrolled students during the period July 1, 2023–June 30, 2025. These schools must provide evidence showing that at least 20% of both total enrollment and graduates come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and must submit:
- At least two years of student enrollment data for the degree program, and
- At least one year of graduation data for the degree program.
Which students are eligible?
A student is eligible if they can meet either of these two types of disadvantaged statuses:
- Economically vulnerable: Compare the student’s income to 200% of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guideline table for the one year preceding the data submitted on the FAFSA (use the spreadsheet tool to calculate Different Percentages of the Guidelines, 1983 to 2025). For example, if the FAFSA 2025 – 2026 is using prior-prior year data from 2023 – 2024, use the 2024 HHS Poverty Guidelines table.
- Use parental income for students deemed “dependent” by the U.S. Department of Education guidelines.
- Use student income for students deemed “independent” by the U.S. Department of Education guidelines.
- Educationally or geographically vulnerable background: Determined based on criteria such as the student graduating from a high school with a low overall student average SAT (or ACT) test score, or being the first generation in a family to attend college. See the NOFO language for additional examples.
Must a student be a U.S. citizen to receive scholarship funding?
A student receiving support from grant funds must be one of the following:
- A U.S. citizen or non-citizen national;
- An individual lawfully admitted for permanent residence to the United States; or
- Any other “qualified alien” under section 431(b) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L 104-193, as amended.
Which disciplines are eligible for “Funding Priority 2: Proportion of graduates going into primary care?”
Based on data submitted via the SDS Program-Specific form, primary care points are granted if at least 15% of graduates are practicing in primary care during Academic Years 2022 – 2025. Eligible disciplines for primary care priority points and their applicable graduate data periods are:
- Allopathic and osteopathic medicine: graduate data from academic years 2018 – 2021.
- Dentistry, dental hygiene, graduate nursing, certified nursing and non-nursing graduate degrees in midwifery, physician assistants, and mental and behavioral health practitioners: graduate data from academic years 2021 – 2024.
How would my health professions school receive funding priority?
To be considered for funding priority, include a statement that you are eligible for a funding priority and identify the priority in Attachment 6. Points will be calculated using the data submitted via the Program Specific Form and the information you provide in attachment 6.
Does being a racial minority qualify a student as coming from a disadvantaged background?
No. Being a racial minority does not automatically qualify a student as coming from a disadvantaged background. To meet the definition, students must demonstrate that they come from an educationally, geographically, or economically vulnerable background.
Which health discipline programs are eligible to apply for the Fiscal Year 2026 SDS program?
To apply for the SDS program, your school’s health discipline program must lead to one of the following degrees:
- Medicine
- Doctor of Allopathic Medicine
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
- Dentistry
- Doctor of Dentistry
- Other Health Disciplines
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
- Doctor of Optometry
- Doctor of Podiatry Medicine
- Doctor of Pharmacy
- Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine
- Behavioral and Mental Health
- Graduate degree in Clinical Psychology
- Graduate degree in Clinical Social Work
- Graduate degree in Gerontological Counseling
- Graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy
- Graduate degree in Mental Health Counseling
- Graduate degree in Rehabilitation Counseling
- Public Health
- Graduate degree in Health Administration
- Graduate degree in Public Health
- Allied Health
- Bachelor’s and Graduate degrees in Dietetics
- Graduate degree in Audiology
- Graduate degree in Physical Therapy
- Graduate degree in Occupational Therapy
- Graduate degree in Speech Pathology
- Bachelor’s and graduate degrees in Dental Hygiene
- Bachelor’s and graduate degrees in Medical Laboratory Technology
- Bachelor’s degree in Radiologic Technology
- Nursing
- Associate, Bachelor’s, and Graduate degrees in nursing (pre-nursing is not eligible)
- Midwifery
- Certified nursing and non-nursing graduate degrees in midwifery (pre-nursing and pre-midwifery are not eligible)
- Physician Assistant
- Graduate degree in Physician Assistant Studies
Can newly established schools apply?
Yes. A newly established school that meets all eligibility criteria and has achieved success with enrolling and graduating full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds in a specific degree program is eligible to apply. The school must have had students enrolled for the academic years covering the period of 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2025, and must provide the following data on the SDS Program Specific form:
- At least two (2) years of student enrollment in the degree program
- At least one (1) year of graduation data in the degree program, which also demonstrates at least 20% of the total enrollment and graduates are from disadvantaged backgrounds
Can a department that offers an eligible degree within a university apply?
Yes. Both schools and programs within schools are eligible for the SDS program, provided they meet all other requirements.
What are the eligibility requirements for students?
To be eligible for an SDS scholarship, students must meet all the following requirements:
- Maintain your school’s standards for full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic standing.
- Come from a disadvantaged background.
- Have a financial need for a scholarship per the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Scholarships must be at least half the cost of the student’s annual tuition.
- Enrolled (or accepted for enrollment) at an eligible health professions or nursing school as a full-time student in a program leading to a degree in health professions or nursing.
- A U.S. citizen or non-citizen national. An individual lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States. Any other “qualified alien” under section 431(b) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub L. 104-193, as amended.
Can multiple institutions apply to the SDS program?
Yes. Refer to page 5 of the HRSA-26-096 NOFO for more information.
- You may submit more than one application under the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) if each proposes a distinct project. We will only review your last validated application for each distinct project before the deadline.
- You may not submit more than one application per health professions degree program. If you submit more than one application, we will only accept the last on-time submission.
- While multiple applications from an institution are allowed, only a maximum of three per institution may be funded. Collaborative proposals are not allowed.
- Applications must be submitted by one degree program, and the program must lead to the degree indicated on page 4 of the HRSA-26-096 NOFO.
Example: If a school offers both a bachelor’s and a graduate degree for a certified nursing and non-nursing degree in midwifery, separate applications are required for each degree program. Note, pre-nursing or pre-midwifery are not eligible for SDS program funding.
Should we include federal loans when calculating our average financial aid package?
No. Do not include federal or non‑federal loans, as loans are not counted as financial assistance for this program. This program requires Maintenance of Effort, which means awardees must continue receiving non‑federal financial support to ensure the program remains sustainable over time.
Should we include state grants when calculating our average financial aid package?
Yes. Include all non-federal funding, such as local, and private support, including state grants, when reporting your financial assistance.
How do we determine which annual income to use to assess if a student is economically disadvantaged?
Use the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines table for 1 year preceding the data submitted on the FAFSA by comparing the appropriate income to the table. Compare the student’s (or parent’s) income to the guideline for their household size.
You must use 200% of the HHS Poverty Guidelines to determine whether the student qualifies. To make this easier, use the Spreadsheet Tool that calculates percentages of the Poverty Guidelines (1983–2025).
When calculating if students qualify as coming from an economically vulnerable background across different academic years, which federal poverty guidelines should I use?
To determine if a student is economically vulnerable, use the Department of Health and Human Services poverty guideline table for the year preceding the data submitted on the FAFSA by comparing the appropriate income to the table. Review the following chart:
| FASFA/Academic Year | 2022–2023 | 2023–2024 | 2024–2025 | 2025–2026 | 2026–2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Data | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 | 2022 – 2023 | 2023–2024 | 2024–2025 |
| Poverty Guideline Table | 2021* | 2022* | 2023* | 2024* | 2025* |
*Uses income from previous year.
Are Master of Social Work degree programs eligible to apply even though the degree does not state "clinical social work"?
Yes. A Master of Social Work degree program is eligible to apply. Select “Clinical Social Work” on your Program Specific form.
Are Medical Laboratory Science degree programs eligible to apply even though the degree does not state Medical Laboratory Technology?
Yes. The Medical Laboratory Sciences degree programs are eligible to apply. Select “Medical Laboratory Technology” on your Program Specific form.
Can the low overall average ACT test score be used instead of the low overall average SAT test score, which is mentioned in the educationally vulnerable definition?
Yes. A high school’s low overall average ACT test score can be used in place of the school’s low overall average SAT test score.
Program requirements
A student may be from an educationally or geographically vulnerable background, but not economically vulnerable. Does the student need to provide financial information?
Financial information is required to verify a student’s financial need.
If a student needs less than half the cost of tuition, will they still qualify for a scholarship?
You must award at least half the cost of the annual tuition. The scholarship cannot exceed a student's financial need.
If a school has a tuition of $102,000 and cannot meet half the cost of the annual tuition requirement because of the $50,000 cap, would that school be eligible to apply?
Yes. The school would be eligible to apply if they meet all eligibility requirements as outlined in the NOFO.
Program definitions
What if you don’t have a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number? Is this a requirement to apply for the program?
No. An NPI number is not required to apply for this grant program.
Medically vulnerable community designations change sometimes annually on HRSA maps. How can we determine if students worked in those areas over the past three years?
HRSA updates designations of medically vulnerable communities periodically. The designation at the time of application is the designation you should use. An area is a Medically Vulnerable Community if it has a designation of Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), Medically Underserved Area (MUA), Medically Underserved Population (MUP), or Governor’s Certified Shortage Area, for Rural Health Clinic purposes. Refer to the BHW Glossary for more information.
Where do I find definitions for those not listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity?
Refer to the BHW Glossary for definitions not listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
What is the definition of a full-time student?
A student is considered full‑time if they are enrolled in the number of credit hours or courses that their school defines as full‑time.
Application content
What activities should we include in the Maintenance of Effort (for example, scholarships, aid, equipment, recruitment trips, etc.)?
For the Maintenance Effort section, specify the non-federal funds that currently support your proposed activities. These funds could include cash, in-kind, or other contributions. Do not include any federal funds. See Maintenance of Effort requirement on page 6 of the HRSA-26-096 NOFO.
In the Program Specific form, Section F under "Primary Care" asks for the number of full-time graduates and the number of graduates serving in primary care. Why does the form ask for multiple years of data?
Particularly in primary care, we request graduate data from multiple years, to account for a job-hunting delay of one or more years after graduation.
Does the overall amount requested per year equate to the program's three-year average disadvantaged student enrollment multiplied by the three-year average student financial need, or can we include the 25% project director costs on top of that figure?
Calculate your annual request by multiplying your program’s three-year average disadvantaged student enrollment (from Section D of the Program Specific Form) by the three-year average student financial need (from Financial Aid Office data). Add direct costs for the project director’s salary and fringe benefits (up to 25% FTE). The total requested per year cannot exceed $650,000.
Is the money for the project director's salary and fringe benefits intended to be extra compensation or a course release?
Refer to the definition of project director in the HHS Policy Statement (PDF - 1 MB) (PDF - 1 MB). The decision on how to utilize these funds rests with the institution. The project director’s responsibilities must adhere to the HHS definition.
Does the 8% indirect cost only apply to the project director’s salary?
The 8% indirect cost applies to the project director’s salary and fringe benefits. Scholarships are excluded from the base costs when calculating indirect costs.
What years should we use to report the percentage of disadvantaged students receiving financial assistance and the average financial aid amounts in each health professions discipline?
Use data for the most recent three-year academic period (2022 – 2025).
What is the page limit for the application?
Your application is limited to 60 pages.
Can we include the cover page and signature page of our agreements with other entities in attachment 3?
Attachment 3 should include documents that outline working relationships with cited organizations and programs. Agreements must specify roles, deliverables, and be signed and dated.
Can the role of project director be split among multiple individuals if only 25% of an FTE can be allocated to the role?
No. Each grant application can only have one project director. You must also add other key personnel who contribute in-kind support to the program in the application.
Does completing a residency in a medically vulnerable area count toward funding priority points?
Yes. If a graduate completes a residency in a medically vulnerable area within one year of their graduation date, you may count it toward your funding priority point calculation.
Which form on grants.gov should I use to share the biographical sketches in my application?
Use the Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (expanded) form to share your personnel’s biographical sketches. Depending on your browser, you may need to download and save the file to your computer to view the fillable PDF.
Where can I find the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form? Where should I attach this form?
You can access a copy of the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form under the document section on the SDS grants.gov announcement page. Attach the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form and Biographical Sketches in Attachment 9. These pages will not be counted towards your page limit.
Where should my institution obtain the data to calculate the annual amount requested?
Collaborate directly with your financial aid office to gather both your program’s three-year average disadvantaged student enrollment value and the three-year average student financial need dollar value. The financial aid team can provide both data values, which will ensure an accurate calculation.