North Island College nursing students can get some financial relief from a new provincial grant program.
Students in the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Practical Nursing Diploma programs are eligible to apply for a grant worth $2,000 per year.
Raj Sidhu is in the BSN program, he says the grant takes pressure off students and help him concentrate on his future career instead of making ends meet.
Fellow student Kali Brown agrees, she says it will help students eager to enter the field get through their education with less stress.
The grants are available to students enrolled in eligible programs from September 2023 through August 1, 2026.
One advantage is there is no application process, as tuition grants will be automatically applied by public post-secondary institutions.
The grant is worth $2,000 for each eligible participant for each program year. The maximum value of this grant per student is $6,000 for bachelor’s programs and $4,000 for diploma programs.
For Indigenous students, there is also an additional grant program for BSN students worth up to $5,000 per program year, for a total maximum value of $15,000. Indigenous students in practical nursing are instead eligible for up to $5,000 per program year award under the Priority Program Bursaries Indigenous Student Recruitment stream.
The programs are the result of funding the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills has received from the Ministry of Health to support the recruitment and retention of nursing students and new nurses in the province.
For more information about nursing options at NIC, see Health & Human Services under Programs.
