Penn’s School of Nursing has joined a national network that connects students with leading health systems and offers a path into high-demand jobs with less debt.
The school is among roughly 50 participating in similar agreements with Scholars Network, a national organization that pledges to reduce staffing shortages and student debt. The partnership comes as the nursing field faces rising education costs and growing challenges from the Trump administration.
Eligible undergraduate and graduate students can receive up to $105,000 in student loan repayment in exchange for a three year full-time work commitment at participating health systems.
“Our School’s partnership with the Scholars Network expands financial aid and post-commencement employment options for the next generation of boundary-breaking nurse leadership,” Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel wrote in the announcement. She added that the network “multiplies our School’s mission and vision through a shared commitment.”
The partnership applies to Penn Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Professional Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, and Doctor of Nursing Practice Anesthesia programs.
The goal is to address the rising cost of professional education while also combating nursing shortages in high-demand clinical fields. Debt scales with the degree: the median graduate nursing debt is $40,000-$55,000, well above the $29,000 average for BSN grads.
The Penn Medicine Scholars program offers between $30,000 and $105,000 in loan repayment in exchange for a three-year, full-time work commitment. As of June, that program has hired four CRNAs, four respiratory therapists, and three RNs.
Depending on the position, interested students apply between their second and final year of school, submitting a resume, personal statement, transcript, and an introduction video. Accepted applicants are guaranteed a spot at Penn Med upon completion of their studies.
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Temple Health — another Philadelphia Health System in the network — has committed nearly $2 million for about 50 nursing students.
The news comes amid an increasingly turbulent period for nursing students, particularly as a result of the Trump administration’s proposed limits on federal graduate student loans.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act capped annual and lifetime federal borrowing based upon whether a student is pursuing a degree in a “professional” or “graduate” program. The Department of Education limited the “professional” designation to 11 fields, excluding many graduate nursing programs.
In June, a federal judge temporarily prevented the Education Department from enforcing its narrower definition, allowing students in advanced nursing programs to continue accessing higher federal borrowing limits while litigation proceeds.
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Staff reporter Saanvi Ram covers science and health and can be reached at ram@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies health and societies. Follow her on X @Saanvi_vivi.
