USA Scholarships
Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship 2027
The Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship is a $3,000 AAPACN Education Foundation award for registered nurses already working in post-acute care and studying for a BSN. You must be a U.S. resident, and you cannot have won this scholarship before. The check goes to your nursing school. The 2027 application is open from 1 October through 6 November 2026, and the form has to be finished in one sitting.
What is the Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship?
The Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship is the AAPACN Education Foundation's $3,000 award for registered nurses who are already on a post-acute unit and want the BSN. AAPACN is the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing. The foundation's stated job is narrower than a general nursing scholarship: education money for nurses who work with people in long-term and post-acute care.
The 2027 window is open now. It started 1 October 2026 and closes 6 November 2026. The form on the scholarship page does not save, which is the detail that trips people up. Write the answers first. Then send your director of nursing, or someone in that kind of role, the recommendation link before you sit down to submit, so you are not waiting on them with a half-finished screen.
The $3,000 goes to the accredited nursing school, for education expenses, not to your personal account. Conference registration for the AAPACN 2027 meeting, 6-9 April in New Orleans, is part of the award. The association's awards page also describes a three-night hotel stay and a travel stipend for recipients. If you already won this scholarship in an earlier year, you are done. LPNs looking at a BSN should read the Lighting the Way award instead. It is the same foundation and the same deadline, with a different license and a $5,000 check.
Eligibility
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✓Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship RN ruleYou must be an RN currently working in post-acute care. A student who is not yet licensed, or an RN working outside post-acute care, does not meet the line on the scholarship page.
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✓U.S. residentThe recipient must be a resident of the United States. The page does not open the award to nurses who live abroad. International students who are not U.S. residents should not apply.
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✓BSN at an accredited nursing schoolThe $3,000 is for an RN obtaining a BSN. The foundation pays the school where you are enrolled or planning to enroll. A master's or doctoral program is a different AAPACN scholarship, not this one.
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✓Not a previous winnerIf you have already received the Elevating Post-Acute Care Nursing Scholarship, you cannot win it again. The page states that bar directly.
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✓One sitting on the formThe application does not save. You complete it in one session. A supervisor recommendation, from a director of nursing, a facility administrator, or someone in a similar role, is sent through the link on the same page.
Benefits
- Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship $3,000, paid to the school
- Education expenses What the school payment covers
- AAPACN 2027 Conference registration Included
- Full BSN tuition Not covered
- Wages while you study Not part of the award
Document checklist
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✓Online application, finished in one sessionThe form lives on the Elevating Post-Acute Care scholarship page. It does not save. Draft your answers elsewhere, then paste them in and submit before you close the tab.
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✓Your work and study storyAAPACN asks you to share experience, passion, and goals in as much detail as the form allows. There is no separate essay prompt printed above the form.
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✓Supervisor recommendationSend your director of nursing services, facility administrator, or a similar supervisor the recommendation link on the application page. Your file is incomplete without it.
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✓Proof you are an RN in post-acute careThe rule is current RN practice in post-acute care. Have your license and your job title ready to describe. The page does not ask for a transcript GPA.
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✓School enrollment or planThe $3,000 is paid to the accredited nursing school where you are enrolled or planning to enroll for the BSN. Name that school on the form.
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✓U.S. residencyThe recipient must live in the United States. If your address is outside the country, this award is not the right one.
How to apply
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1
Confirm you are an RN in post-acute care
The scholarship is for a working RN, not a pre-licensure student. You also need to be a U.S. resident and not a past winner of this same award.
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2
Line up the BSN school
The money is paid to an accredited nursing school for a BSN, whether you are already enrolled or planning to enroll. Have the school name ready.
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3
Ask a supervisor before you open the form
You will send a director of nursing, an administrator, or a similar supervisor a recommendation link. Tell them the window closes 6 November 2026 so their form is not the piece that arrives late.
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4
Draft the personal section offline
The form does not save. Write the experience, passion, and goals answers in a document first. AAPACN asks for as much detail as you can give.
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5
Submit on the scholarship page by 6 November 2026
The 2027 window opened 1 October 2026 and closes 6 November 2026. Use https://www.aapacn.org/foundation/elevating-post-acute-care-scholarship/ and finish in one session. Questions: 800-768-1880.
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6
Plan on the 2027 conference if you win
Winners are honored at the AAPACN annual conference and receive complimentary registration. The 2027 conference is 6-9 April in New Orleans. The awards page also describes a three-night hotel stay and a travel stipend for recipients.
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What is the Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship?
It is the AAPACN Education Foundation award of $3,000 for an RN working in post-acute care who is earning a BSN. The official name on the page is the Elevating Post-Acute Care Nursing Scholarship. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) that also funds three other nurse scholarships. The office is 400 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite 500, Denver, CO 80246.
Who can apply for the Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship?
U.S. residents who are RNs currently working in post-acute care and who are enrolled in, or planning to enroll in, a BSN at an accredited nursing school. Previous winners of this scholarship cannot apply again. LPNs and CNAs have separate AAPACN awards.
How much is the Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship?
$3,000, paid directly to the nursing school for education expenses. It does not cover a full BSN or replace your wages. Winners also receive complimentary registration for the AAPACN 2027 Conference.
When is the Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship deadline?
6 November 2026. The 2027 application opened on 1 October 2026. The form does not save, so plan one uninterrupted sitting. The foundation lists the same window for its other 2027 scholarships.
Does the Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship require an essay?
The page does not name a separate essay prompt. It tells you to share experience, passion, and goals in the form, in as much detail as you can. You also need a recommendation from a director of nursing, a facility administrator, or a similar supervisor.
Can international nurses apply for the Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship?
Only if they are residents of the United States and meet the RN and BSN rules. The scholarship page requires U.S. residency. A nurse living and working outside the United States is outside the rule.
Where is the Elevating Post-Acute Care Scholarship winner honored?
At the AAPACN annual conference. For 2027 that meeting is 6-9 April in New Orleans. The scholarship page includes conference registration. The awards page also says recipients receive a three-night hotel stay and a travel stipend.
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