Scholarship and Award Opportunities
Get help paying for your education with the opportunities below available to students in the KU School of Health Professions.
Scholarships and awards come from many sources. Some are based on need while others are based on merit. Still others set aside funds for a particular demographic, activity or area of study.
The department in which you plan to enroll may offer additional opportunities for financial assistance, so we recommend you visit the costs and financial aid page of your academic program's website as well. Enrolled students receive details and deadline notifications via an email sent to their student email accounts.
To be eligible, you must be currently enrolled in an academic program in the School of Health Professions or have accepted an offer to join one of our programs. Please contact Rachel Sherley in the Office of the Dean with any questions at rsherley@kumc.edu.
The list of scholarships or awards offered from outside the University of Kansas is provided below as a reference tool and is not an endorsement of any organization.
- Who: full-time, current students who will be enrolled next year in a program in the School of Health Professions who have a personal background and/or engagement with underserved communities and demonstrated success in overcoming hardship, grade-point average and other criteria.
- What: multiple scholarships will be awarded and will be disbursed next fall. Interested students should inquire with their respective program director.
- How: students apply for themselves.
- When: applications due mid-spring semester.
Complete details are distributed to students via email to their @kumc.edu accounts by the Office of the Dean.
Who: full-time students in the KU School of Health Professions with 3.5 or greater cumulative grade point average having demonstrated excellence in scholastic accomplishments, professional leadership and commitment to community service, as evidenced by achievements while in their program of study.
What: amount varies, one for each department in the school.
How: in the spring or summer semester of each year, each department of the school nominates one student for a dean's scholarship, to be awarded during the following fall and spring semesters.
When: selections are made during the spring semester and funding is distributed to departments for disbursement.
Complete details are distributed to faculty via email by the Office of the Dean.
Who: This scholarship is available for students in the following clinical degree programs in the KU School of Health Professions: athletic training, audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, respiratory care and speech-language pathology. Currently this award is not available to Ph.D. students. It aims to support students facing financial difficulties in attending KU. It recognizes demonstrated efforts to learn, grow and achieve personal and academic growth from educational experiences, in addition to demonstrated potential for societal good.
What: one or two awards are selected each year; applications are reviewed by a committee and recommendations are made to the dean of the school for the final decision. The award is presented each year during the school's holiday luncheon.
How: students apply directly.
When: the application deadline is mid-fall semester.
Complete details are distributed to students via email to their @kumc.edu accounts by the Office of the Dean.
Who: students having accepted a spot in the next class or currently enrolled in a program in the School of Health Professions with demonstrated financial need/hardship.
What: multiple scholarships will be awarded and will be disbursed in fall semester.
How: students apply for themselves.
When: the application deadline varies by department; scholarships will be disbursed in fall semester.
Complete details are distributed to students via email by your department.
- Eligibility: Full-time students in the School of Health Professions.
- Application period: The school's student senate often awards scholarships dependent upon available resources in any given year. The senate will notify students when awards are available for application.
- Process: Candidates are evaluated based upon community service as well as academic involvement and achievement.
Who: one graduate student and one undergraduate student from the School of Health Professions who will graduate in with this year's class.
What: $1,500 for graduate student and $1,000 for undergraduate student. Awards are presented at the Student Recognition Ceremony in May.
How: nominate yourself and/or a classmate. Faculty also may nominate a student.
When: Nominations are due in mid-spring semester.
Complete details are distributed to students via email to their @kumc.edu accounts by the Office of the Dean.
The Dan Conyers Leadership Award was initiated in 2022 by the KU Alumni Association to recognize the contribution of Dan Conyers, former director of respiratory therapy in The University of Kansas Health System, in support of the advancement of the KU School of Health Professions.
The selected recipient will receive a cash award to use toward expenses required to attend professional state or national conferences.
The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding leadership and contributions to the program, profession and community, allowing the student to continue their educational efforts on a broader level. All students in our school are eligible, if in good standing after completing one academic semester in their program of study.
Faculty nominate students for this award, which is disbursed mid-fall semester.
Who: qualified applicants will have demonstrated efforts to learn, grow and achieve personal and academic growth from educational experiences, in addition to demonstrated potential for societal good. You must be a current student enrolled in an academic program offered by the KU School of Health Professions. Preference will be given to those who demonstrate financial need.
What: this award provides direct financial support for undergraduate and/or graduate degree-seeking students with academic merit in the School of Health Professions at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
How: students apply directly for this award and request a letter of recommendation from a faculty member.
When: the applicatoin deadline is mid-fall semester.
Complete details are distributed to students via email to their @kumc.edu accounts by the Office of the Dean.
- Who: students graduating as part of the current year's class and having displayed a high level of leadership with a significant impact on their program, profession, community and school.
- What: one award, presented at the Student Recognition Ceremony in May. This award was initiated in 1992 to recognize the contributions of James P. Cooney, Ph.D., (dean, 1985-1991) to the advancement of the KU School of Health Professions.
- How: faculty nominate students to the Office of the Dean.
- When: applications due in mid-spring semester.
Complete details are distributed to faculty via email by the Office of the Dean.
Who: undergraduate or graduate students in the school are elgibile if they are experiencing financial difficulties with securing funding to fully cover the expenses associated with immersion in a cultural experience different from their own. It is intended to promote student global cultural engagement which broadens their worldview and perspective.
What: a cash award is provided to help supplement a student's remaining costs of going on an international educational experience trip.
How: the school's faculty diversity, equity and inclusion committee receives applications and reviews them to select students to receive funding.
Complete details are distributed to students via email to their @kumc.edu accounts by the Office of the Dean.
- Who: the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions sponsors a scholarship program that recognizes outstanding students currently enrolled in an entry-level degree-granting program who are achieving excellence and have significant potential to assume future leadership roles.
- How: faculty nominate students to the Office of the Dean; one student is selected to be our institution's final nomination to the association. The association will make a determination of which students will be selected to receive scholarships.
- When: mominations due in mid-spring semester.
Complete details are distributed to students and faculty via email to their @kumc.edu accounts by the Office of the Dean.
This is a merit-based award presented by the University of Kansas that recognizes outstanding KU students who will be transitioning into their first year of a master's or doctorate degree program at KU the following year.
When: TBD.
What: $10,000 scholarship applied to tuition and fees.
More information is available on the program page.
Presesnted by the KU Medical Center's Office of International Programs, this award honors the longtime partnership and innovations of David Robinson, M.D., and Mani Mani, M.D., and assists students wanting to complete an international education experience in India as part of their academic career.
Eligibility: students currently enrolled in an academic program in the School of Health Professions are eligible to apply to complete an elective rotation at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India.
Apply in March for your international educational experience to India during the following summer or fall semester. More information may be found on the program page.
Eligibility: A student who graduated from the Shawnee Mission School District and is currently in the last year of his or her graduate degree program in occupational therapy, physical therapy or speech-language pathology at KU. Demonstrated financial need and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5.
Application period: students will be notified via email.
Process: provides an award of up to $2,000. Students receive an email with process details.
Eligibility: students with at least one term or semester remaining in their professional area of study in the School of Health Professions.
Application period: students will be notified via email.
Process: this scholarship program was established to honor the legacies of current and former deans and directors of the Midwest Association of Allied Health Deans of Academic Health Centers. Candidates are evaluated on professional and interpersonal qualities indicating they are likely to establish their own legacies of excellence in service, teaching and/or research in the allied health professions. The school selects one undergraduate and one graduate student to nominate for this award, which is then considered among others nominated by member institutions.
Complete details are distributed to departments via email by the Office of the Dean.
A number of scholarship and financial assistance opportunities are available to KU students who are serving in U.S. armed forces, who are military veterans, or who are the spouse or dependent of a service member or veteran.
If you or your family are affiliated with the military, you are encouraged to explore these opportunities at KU's Lt. Gen. William K. Jones Military-Affiliated Student Center.
See also:
- Resources for current students serving in the military and veterans from the Office of the Registrar.
- How to obtain benefits from the U.S. Veteran's Administration.
This company gives three awards of $1,000 each for students currently enrolled in a degree program in the health professions. The deadline is end of March. Learn more.
Other forms of financial aid such as grants, student loans, work study and other opportunities are managed through the KU Medical Center's Office of Student Financial Aid, including a list of scholarship opportunities from federal and state sources specifically for students wishing to pursue a career in health professions.
Scholarship Process
- Visit the online scholarship application site using the button below.
- Students selected to receive an award will return to this site to accept the scholarship.
- Before funds may be disbursed, a hand-written thank you note to donors and school leadership must be written and delivered. Information on where to deliver the thank you note will be included in the notification email.
- Funds are released to the student upon verification that thank you note(s) have been received.
How to Apply
- Students must be admitted to a KU academic program and have their KU Medical Center username and password set up to access the application.
- Make sure you have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming school year. The FAFSA opens October 1 and can be accessed at fafsa.gov.