University of Florida College of Nursing Awarded $3 Million for Nursing Scholarships and Other Upgrades

$3 million will be granted to the University of Florida College of Nursing to help “address the state’s nursing shortage.”

$1.5 million of the funds are from Florida’s Linking Industry to Nursing Education program, and the remaining $1.5 million comes from UF Health. The money will “support 50 nursing scholarships, lab upgrades, faculty recruitment and retention efforts, and expanded student services.”

There were over 16,000 nursing vacancies in the state in September 2024 according to a report by the Florida Hospital Association. That number is “better than the 58,000 vacancies reported in 2022, [but] the group’s long-term projections still show that Florida could have a shortage of almost 60,000 nurses by 2035.”

This is the second year that the college has received funding from the program, which was “established in 2022 by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The program requires state funds to be matched by a health care partner.” The State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors recently awarded the college $1.5 million.

The scholarships are “intended for students enrolled in the ABSN [Associated Bachelor of Science in Nursing] program. Designed for those who already hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in another field, the ABSN program provides a fast-track path to a nursing career. However, because these students are pursuing a second degree, they do not qualify for traditional financial aid options like Florida Bright Futures or federal Pell Grants.”