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Nurse Faculty Loan Program

Support for Graduate Nursing Students Preparing for Faculty Careers

The Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) is a federal loan program funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to help increase the number of qualified nursing faculty. The program provides loans to eligible graduate nursing students who are preparing for careers as full-time faculty in schools of nursing. Students who receive NFLP funding may be eligible to have up to 85% of their NFLP loan canceled over 4 years after graduation if they meet the required full-time nurse faculty service obligation.

What Is the Nurse Faculty Loan Program?

The NFLP is designed for graduate nursing students who are committed to becoming nurse educators. Through this program, eligible students may receive loan support while enrolled in an advanced nursing degree program. After graduation, borrowers may qualify for partial loan cancellation by serving as full-time nursing faculty for four consecutive years at an accredited school of nursing. Faculty service may be completed at an eligible school of nursing in any state, including associate degree, diploma, baccalaureate, master’s, DNP, or PhD nursing programs.

Program Benefits eligible students may receive NFLP loan funding to help cover approved educational costs, including:

  • Tuition
  • Required fees
  • Books (with receipts)
  • Other reasonable educational expenses related to the nursing program

NFLP funding may be renewable for the duration of the student’s program, up to a maximum of five years, depending on available federal funding and institutional eligibility requirements. The NFLP loan may not exceed $50,000 per student for any academic year.

Expenses Not Covered

NFLP funds cannot be used for:

  • General living expenses, including room and board
  • Personal expenses
  • Family health insurance
  • Transportation costs
  • Expenses already covered by another funding source
  • Other restricted expenses as determined by program or federal guidelines

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

VUSN students may be eligible to apply for NFLP funding if they:

  • Are enrolled full-time or part-time in an advanced nursing degree program at VUSN, exiting with a DNP
  • Are committed to serving as full-time nurse faculty after graduation
  • Are a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or lawful permanent resident
  • Have no judgment liens based on default on federal debt
  • Complete the FAFSA
  • Complete required nurse educator coursework or faculty preparation requirements before graduation
  • Priority may be given to students who are enrolled full-time, students who have previously received NFLP support, and students who do not have other sources of funding. NFLP funds are limited and may be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until available funding is exhausted.

Loan Cancellation and Service Obligation

NFLP borrowers may be eligible to cancel up to 85% of the total loan amount by working as full-time nurse faculty after graduation.

To qualify for loan cancellation, borrowers must:

  • Graduate from the eligible advanced nursing program
  • Complete the required VUSN nurse educator courses
    • N8066 Designing Significant Learning Experiences for Nursing Competency Achievement (3 credits, offered Fall semester only)
    • N8067 Educational Evaluation for Learning in the Health Professions (3 credits, offered Spring semester only)
  • Obtain full-time employment as nurse faculty as defined by HRSA within 12 months of graduation
    • FT employment as an academic nurse educator
    • 2 Part time
  • Serving as a full-time preceptor
  • Serve as full-time nurse faculty as defined above for four consecutive years
    Submit required employment verification and documentation

Borrowers who do not secure eligible full-time nurse faculty employment within 12 months of graduation may not be eligible for the loan cancellation benefit.

Student Responsibilities

Students approved for NFLP funding must complete all required program and loan documents. This may include:

  • NFLP application materials
  • A promissory note
  • A Statement of Rights and Responsibilities
  • Required federal or institutional financial aid forms
  • Annual renewal or continuing funding applications, if applicable

Students must also complete all required education components for their advanced nursing degree program.

Students are responsible for knowing and completing all NFLP requirements. The university may be required to stop NFLP disbursements if a student withdraws, does not remain in good academic standing, does not complete required program components, or requests to end participation in the NFLP.

Repayment Information

Repayment begins nine months after a borrower leaves school, unless the borrower qualifies for loan cancellation through eligible full-time nurse faculty service.

Borrowers are responsible for keeping their contact information current with the university. Failure to receive correspondence or billing statements does not remove the borrower’s responsibility to submit required documentation or make payments on time.

How to Apply

To apply, students may need to:

  1. Complete the VUSN NFLP interest/application (Sent from the VUSN Financial Aid Office before the start of each new academic year to previous VUSN NFLP recipients first, then to eligible new students).
  2. Complete the FAFSA (if the NFLP loan will not cover all costs)
  3. Confirm eligibility with the School of Nursing.
  4. Complete loan documents online after official award
  5. Reapply/Complete renewal documentation for each year additional funding is requested.

Funding is contingent on continued federal support, institutional availability of funds, and student eligibility. Students will be notified about the option to apply in late July/early August each year after determining the availability of funds to award.

Questions?

For questions about NFLP eligibility, application requirements, or current student funding, contact:

Kristie Futrell 
Director, VUSN Financial Aid
Phone: 615-322-8986
Toll Free: 800-211-2186

For questions about Nursing Education Courses contact:

Dr. Betsy Kennedy
VUSN NFLP Program Coordinator

For questions about NFLP loan repayment after graduation, contact:

Jeffrey Duly 
Senior Manager, VU Student Accounts