No matter what your major or level of education, scholarships and other forms of financial aid can help you pay for your tuition so you can get your degree without racking up huge amounts of debt. Going back to school for your PhD in nursing can open more opportunities for higher-level jobs, which can come with more benefits, more responsibilities, and more career options.

At an advanced level, many of the scholarships you come across may instead be called fellowships. Fellowships can be exactly the same as scholarships, or they can require research or teaching assistantships of you while you’re in school. Because nurses are in such high demand across the country, you can find dozens or even thousands of scholarships and fellowships available to help you pay for college.

One of the best places to start when looking for financial aid is with the government. There are actually government sites that allow you to search for scholarships and fellowships according to your preferences. Departments such as the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Education offer a number of scholarships for students pursuing PhDs in nursing.

Private organizations, companies, and other groups also have scholarships and fellowships available for nurses. In some cases, you may have to be pursing specialization in a certain area of medicine to qualify. Other times, the funds are available to nurses regardless of specialty. Don’t forget to look for general scholarships and fellowships as well. These scholarships are open to all applicants, even those students in programs unrelated to nursing.

For scholarships and fellowships that are for nursing students, check out the following groups:

• Association of School of Allied Health Professionals
• Daughters of the American Revolution
• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
• Infusion Nursing Society
• National Association of Hispanic Nurses
• National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations
• National Gerontological Nurses Association
• National Health Service Corps
• Neuroscience Nursing Foundation
• O.C. Hubert Charitable Trust, CDC Foundation
• Oncology Nursing Society
• Society for Public Health Education
• Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society

Your college can also be a source for scholarships and fellowships. Most colleges have financial aid departments that offer money to students for colleges, and at the PhD level, specific departments typically have positions open for fellows who work as teaching assistants or research assistants in exchange for money for college. With all of these options for scholarships and fellowships, as well as the grants, student loans, and tuition repayment programs available through some employers, there is no reason to think that you can’t afford an advanced degree in the nursing field.