IHS Preparatory and Pre-Graduate Scholarships

Native students in their first years of college who are taking prerequisites for nursing or another health field, or working toward a pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, or pre-nursing bachelor's degree. Descendants qualify, not just enrolled members.

• Member or descendant of a federally recognized, state-recognized, or terminated American Indian Tribe or Alaska Native village
• U.S. citizen, U.S.-born or naturalized, or U.S. national
• Males 18 and older must be registered for Selective Service
• Accepted into an accredited U.S. program
• Minimum 2.0 GPA
• Intention to serve Indian people as a health professional
• Preparatory Scholarship covers preparatory or prerequisite courses leading into a health professions degree program
• Pre-Graduate Scholarship covers bachelor's study in pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-nursing, and related subjects
• Note: the separate Health Professions Scholarship is limited to members of federally recognized tribes and does carry a service commitment

• Direct payment of tuition and required fees to your school for the academic year
• A monthly stipend of no less than $1,500, paid over 10 months for Preparatory recipients
• An initial payment covering books and educational equipment
• $300 toward travel to and from school for the year
• No service obligation for Preparatory and Pre-Graduate recipients

• Online application through the IHS Scholar Portal; mailed documents are not accepted
• Official transcripts
• Faculty evaluations
• Proof of tribal membership or descent
• Proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate, U.S. passport, or certificate of naturalization
• Selection of the discipline that matches your upcoming academic year

• The cycle runs roughly mid-December to the end of February, over winter break. Start gathering documents in November while school offices are still open.
• Descendants are eligible for the Preparatory and Pre-Graduate awards, so apply even if you are not an enrolled member.
• Read the IHS Application Handbook before starting. It lays out documents and disciplines in order and saves you from a rejected file.
• There is no service commitment on these two scholarships. Do not confuse them with the Health Professions Scholarship, which requires at least two years of service.
• Email ihsrecruiters@ihs.gov with eligibility questions rather than guessing. Program analysts answer specific cases.

IHS runs three scholarships: Preparatory, Pre-Graduate, and Health Professions. The most recent published cycle ran December 30 to February 28, and the portal states the next application opens December 15. Only Pre-Nursing is listed as an eligible discipline under the Preparatory Scholarship in the current handbook, so check the discipline list each year.