HRSA-26-096: Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS)
Sponsor: HRSAInternal Deadline: 07/10/2026Institutional Submission Limit: 3Sponsor Deadline: 07/28/2026Program Website
The SDS program aims to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to increase their access to a health professions degree.
Scholarship requirements
• You must provide scholarships to full-time students who are eligible individuals as defined in student eligibility. Such scholarships may be expended only for tuition expenses, other reasonable educational expenses, and reasonable living expenses incurred in the attendance of such school.
• Student scholarships must not exceed: o $50,000 per academic year for dental students. o $40,000 per academic year for all other health professions and nursing students.
• Scholarships must be at least half the cost of the student’s annual tuition. • The amount of the scholarship may not exceed the student’s financial need.
• You must agree that in providing scholarships, you will give preference to students for whom the cost of attendance would constitute severe financial hardship.
• Funds should not be disbursed in one lump sum.
• Funds should be disbursed at the beginning of each period within the academic year.
Program requirements
• Your school must provide training through clinical placement(s) in at least one of the following: o Primary care settings. o Medically vulnerable communities. o Rural communities. o Tribal communities.
• You are required to state, “This program is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration” on all related documents and marketing materials
. • You must conduct continuous quality improvement for program evaluation and at completion of the period of performance.
Student requirements
• Students must maintain your schools’ standards for full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic standing to remain eligible for a scholarship. Students are ineligible until this criterion is met.
• Students are strongly encouraged to sign an attestation stating they will provide postgraduation information to their school upon request.
• Students must be from a disadvantaged background, which is further defined as either an economically or educationally/geographically vulnerable background.
While multiple applications from an institution are allowed, only a maximum of three per institution may be funded. Collaborative proposals are not allowed.
Submission Process
Limited submissions MUST be coordinated with the Office of the Vice President for Research.
If interested in applying for this opportunity, please combine the following items into a single PDF and email to resdev@mailbox.sc.edu by 5pm on the INTERNAL DEADLINE above:
- Cover page with grant program name & number (if applicable) to which you are applying, your project title, PI (name, department/unit, & email), and list of co-PIs/key collaborators (name & department/unit)
- a two-page project abstract addressing key components/criteria for this specific grant program
- a 2-3 page CV/biosketch for the PI (SCiENcv preferred)