2026 Scholarship & Award Applications Open Now!
The 2026 scholarship period opened on Monday, February 23rd and closes on Tuesday, May 19th.
Missed the 2026 Scholarship Application Webinar?
Want to learn more about the NLN Foundation scholarships? Watch a recording of the 2026 Scholarship Applicant Webinar! During this webinar, the staff and chairs of the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education Scholarship Selection Panel will discuss the scholarship process. This webinar covers each of the available scholarships, tips on applying, and answers to your questions.
For additional questions, please contact ewolfe@nln.org or foundation@nln.org.
PRESS RELEASE
TruMerit & NLN Honor Inaugural Winners of Distinguished Emerging Nursing Scholar Award
Award Presentation to Two Post-Doctoral Researchers Set for 2025 NLN Education Summit
Washington, DC – TruMerit™ and the National League for Nursing proudly announce the first TruMerit / NLN Distinguished Emerging Nursing Scholar Award winners: Madison Lee Mason, PhD, a post-doctoral scholar at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, and Caitlin Nye, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, CHSE, CNE, a clinical assistant professor and director of the RN-BS Program at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University College of Nursing in Syracuse.
The exciting new co-created awards program to honor post-doctoral career nursing education researchers was introduced in February, when TruMerit still operated under the name Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS International).
Drs. Mason and Nye will each receive $10,000 in recognition of their distinctive original and continuing scholarship dedicated to the advancement of teaching and learning in nursing education. In addition to the cash reward, each Emerging Nursing Scholar will be supported throughout the year by TruMerit and the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education with widespread distribution of their research findings and evolving investigations in both organizations’ publications, websites, and social media channels, and through other opportunities to reach stakeholders.
That visibility begins during the 2025 NLN Education Summit, September 17-19 in Orlando, Florida. Drs. Mason and Nye will have their scholarship showcased before the top conference of academic leaders, faculty, and students across the nursing education community. Also in attendance will be key public health policymakers and executives of health and hospital systems.
Dr. Mason earned her PhD in psychological sciences in May at Vanderbilt under the direction of Dr. Angela McNelis. Her dissertation focused on developing and evaluating a personalized guided reflection system following clinical simulations, designed to complement traditional debriefing for nursing students. Dr. Mason’s research demonstrated that the tool significantly improved nursing students’ confidence and metacognitive judgment accuracy. In her postdoctoral work, she is deepening her expertise in simulation pedagogy and competency-based education to advance the system’s development, both its theoretical foundation and its practical application from administrative, instructional, and student perspectives.
Dr. Nye completed her doctoral degree in nursing under the direction of Amy Hequembourg, PhD, at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Nursing. With a commitment to advancing health equity and inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community, Dr. Nye has described her aim of building confidence in pre-licensure nursing faculty through her scholarship:
Even in contentious, unsupportive, or hostile political and higher education contexts, teaching praxis grounded in health equity is critical for the future of nursing education. My research explores the experiences of pre-licensure nursing faculty with LGBTQ+ inclusivity. My dissertation study demonstrated that faculty need to build confidence—not only foundation knowledge—to incorporate LGBTQ+ health topics into their teaching. My post-doctoral research will focus on interventions to enhance faculty confidence with and commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Simulation offers powerful professional development opportunities for nurse educators. The ‘safe container’ of simulation may enhance faculty confidence with and commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusivity.
“Drs. Mason and Nye represent a promising future for nursing education by helping to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce. We applaud them for working to promote critical thinking and health equity. The TruMerit / NLN Distinguished Emerging Nursing Scholar Award represents our investment in their future, providing meaningful financial support, along with the guidance and encouragement of more senior colleagues who support their success,” said NLN Foundation Chair Patrick Robinson, PhD, RN, ACRN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, vice president of nursing at Pacific College of Health and Science.
“The achievements and the dedication of our first two awardees speak to the enormous potential of this program to help accelerate nurse-led innovation by supporting and highlighting pacesetting scholarship in nursing education. We congratulate Drs. Mason and Nye for their innovative spirit and their determination to address nursing workforce development challenges and advance the profession at large. They have set an admirable benchmark to inspire future candidates for this award,” said Peter Preziosi, PhD, RN, CAE, President and CEO of TruMerit.
In future award cycles, as in this one, eligible applicants must have completed their doctoral dissertations on any topic related to nursing education within two years of the award presentation date. They will have committed to the pursuit of a career in nursing education research intended to have a significant, measurable impact on health care education systems worldwide. Preference will be shown toward candidates from developing and middle-income nations.
For more details, visit NLN.org.
PRESS RELEASE
NLN Foundation for Nursing Education Announces 2025 Scholarship Awards Winners
Nineteen Graduate Students in Nursing Share from $125,000 in Funds
Washington, DC – Nineteen advanced degree nursing students have been awarded $125,000 in financial support for the coming academic term through the annual competitive scholarship program sponsored by the National League for Nursing Foundation for Nursing Education. Among them are fourteen winners of scholarships of up to $8,000 each, along with recipients of named scholarships awarded to students representing special sectors of the graduate nursing degree pool of candidates. The formal presentation to the scholarship winners will take place during the 2025 NLN Education Summit in Orlando, Florida, September 17-19.
“We are proud to sponsor yet another year of scholarship support to well-deserving students enrolled in advanced degree programs who are committed to careers in nursing education. Thanks to the generosity of our dedicated donors to the NLN Foundation, the total available funds have increased every year, leaping up to $125,000 this year. Their donations have helped us expand the number and size of scholarship awards and also focus on some specialized areas of study within nursing education,” said NLN Foundation Chair Patrick Robinson, PhD, RN, ACRN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, vice president of nursing at Pacific College of Health and Science.
“With the cost of professional education continuing to rise and new caps on federal student borrowing putting graduate education out of reach for many, the National League for Nursing considers it an urgent priority to provide meaningful financial relief to those who want to pursue graduate nursing education and join the ranks of nurse faculty,” said NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN.
2025 NLN Foundation Nursing Education Faculty Scholarship Awards
- Emefa Adawudu, MSN, RN, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Stephanie Gasser, MSN-Ed, RN-BC, CNE, University of Arizona
- Laura Hart, MSN, RN, EdD(c), University of West Georgia
- Karmen Hice, MS, RN, CNE, CNEcl, University of Maryland
- Rebekah Hoxie, MSN, RN, Post University
- Julie Larson, MSN, RN, Widener University
- Chelsea Lebo, MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, CNE, CHSE-A, Idaho State University
- Sarah Musovski, MSN-Ed, RN, COI, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Laura Nold, MSN, RN, CPN, CNE, University of Missouri-Columbia
- Megan Ross, MSN, RNC-MNN, University of West Georgia
- Ekaterina Smith, EdD(c), RN-BC, CNE, University of West Georgia
- Fairah Solomon, MSN, RN, CNE, University of Arkansas Little Rock
- Elizabeth Sweet, MSN, PMHNP-BC, Duke University
- Galen Ziegler, MS, RN, CMSRN, CNE, Liberty University
NLN Steve Cerame Nurse Educator Scholarship Award: $8,000
Honoring former NLN Chief Financial Officer Steve Cerame for his 26 years of service, awarded annually to a future full-time nurse educator currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program.
- Jennifer Wedster, DNP(c), MSN, RN, Regis College
Edmund J.Y. Pajarillo Health Informatics and Innovation Scholarship Award: $5,000
With a focus on informatics and innovation in the use of data analysis and health information technology, the Edmund J.Y. Pajarillo Scholarship supports applicants enrolled in an accredited graduate-level program in this growing field of nursing education.
- Nnenna Iwunze, RN, MSN, PMHMP-DC, Regis College
- Judy Staley, MSN, RNC-OB, CNEn, Arkansas State University
Cecelia Lou Vriheas Scholarship Award: $6,000
Awarded to a nurse pursuing an advanced degree in nursing education who is the first in the family to pursue higher education and belong to an historically marginalized/excluded group, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, Native American, Pacific Islander, immigrant populations, and those from rural areas.
- April Rinner, MSN, RN, CNEcl, CNE, Oklahoma City University
2025 NLN Health Carousel Foundation Nurse Educator Scholarship Award: $8,000
Awarded to a nurse who received an initial nursing degree outside of the U.S. but is currently registered in the U.S. and pursuing an advanced degree to further a career as a full-time nurse educator.
- Jeongho "June" Kim, RN, BSN, Yale University
About Us
The NLN has been promoting excellence in nursing education for more than 130 years through faculty development programs, networking opportunities, testing and assessment, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives. The generosity and vision
of old and new supporters, friends, and partners, continue to help the NLN fulfill its mission to advance the health of the nation and the global community.
We preserve nursing’s yesterday and contribute to its tomorrow. Your
support makes a difference. Today, you can help the NLN Foundation:
- Preserve the history of nursing education through the NLN Archives project. Supported by a matching grant from the Independence Foundation, these funds are allowing us to build an NLN archive at the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Build the future of nursing education through established programs such as faculty scholarships and the scholarly writing retreat.
The NLN Foundation is deeply thankful to all benefactors for their continued support. This year, the Foundation has a new goal of $500,000 by December 31, 2026. All donations will help us successfully support our programs. Check out the many ways to give and help us advance the health of our nation through the power of nursing education.