Nebraska Career Scholarship: Requirements and Eligibility

The Nebraska Career Scholarship program offers financial assistance to students pursuing degrees in high-demand fields within the state. This initiative aims to address critical workforce shortages by making education more accessible and affordable. This article will cover the eligibility requirements, scholarship amounts, and other key aspects of the program.

Overview of the Career Scholarship Program

The Career Scholarship Program is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in fields identified as critical workforce areas in Nebraska. By providing financial support, the program seeks to attract and retain talent within the state, ultimately boosting Nebraska's economic competitiveness. The program has been continued under the leadership of current Gov. Jim Pillen, with $8 million allocated to the university this year for Career Scholarships.

Participating Institutions

The Career Scholarship program is available to students attending Chadron State College, Peru State College, and Wayne State College. Additionally, the University of Nebraska system (UNL, UNO, UNK, and UNMC) participates in the program, offering scholarships to students enrolled in eligible programs across its four campuses. UNK students who are Nebraska residents pursuing high-need degrees may be eligible for up to $8,000 per year.

Scholarship Amounts and Coverage

Scholarships can range from $2,000 to $15,000 per year, helping to cover tuition, fees, room, and board expenses. For instance, Peru State College awards scholarships up to $5,000 per year for up to three years. The Nebraska Career Scholarship is $8,000 minimum per year ($4,000 per semester). This scholarship commitment is renewable for up to four years or completion of a bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Nebraska Career Scholarship, students must meet certain academic and enrollment criteria. These requirements ensure that scholarship recipients are committed to their chosen field of study and are making satisfactory progress toward their degree.

Academic Qualifications

Incoming freshmen students with ACT scores 20+ may receive scholarships of up to $8,000. Eligible students admitted to qualifying degree programs with an ACT score of 20 or higher and a competitive GPA can apply for consideration of this scholarship. Renewal of this commitment for each subsequent year is dependent upon the recipient maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 2.500. The University computes grade point averages to three decimal places and does not round. Renewal determinations are made at the end of each spring semester.

Enrollment Requirements

Scholarship recipients must enroll full-time (at least 12 UNL credit hours) during each semester of the academic year (fall and spring semesters) in order to receive the benefit. These hours must be officially registered by the sixth day of classes (or census date) each semester. Renewal of this commitment for each subsequent year is dependent upon the recipient successfully completing 24 UNL credit hours each academic year (fall and spring semesters). Summer hours are not automatically included but you may appeal to use summer hours which will be based on extenuating circumstances. Funding for summer is not available. In order to complete the requirements for a degree in eight semesters, a student must earn an average of 15 credit hours each semester. Successful completion is defined as the sum of all UNL credit hours completed with a grade of A through D- or Pass (P). Grades of I, N, W, F, and NR are not considered successfully completed. Repeated courses will only count once and must be registered for consecutive semesters.

Eligible Fields of Study

Scholars must major in only certain degree programs by the sixth day of classes (or census date and reviewed each semester) in high-demand fields like engineering, mathematics, healthcare, and information technology and follow the curriculum for that major. These majors include Engineering (Agricultural, Biological Systems, Chemical, Civil, Computer or Computer Science, Construction, Construction Management, Electrical, Environmental, Mechanical, and Software), Ag Systems Technology, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Data Science, Food Science & Technology, Forensic Science, Mathematics, Nutrition, Psychology, and Statistics & Data Analytics. Pre-Health students also qualify and must work with their academic advisor and remain in a healthcare curriculum and academic plan toward a healthcare career in order to continue to be eligible. Eligible students can choose from a wide range of majors, including rangeland management, computer information systems, industrial technology, education, criminal justice, business administration, and communication.

Internship and Experiential Learning

Scholars must register with the appropriate campus office to obtain a Nebraska-based internship, apprenticeship, clinical position, or NE Career eligible major-related field of employment prior to completion of the program of study. This must be completed by the end of a recipients third academic year (including the summer prior to the fourth year) in order to receive the scholarship for the fourth year. You can schedule a career coaching appointment with your college’s career services team via Student Success Hub at my.unl.edu. These appointments can support you with a range of preparation topics, like resumes, cover letters, interview skills, and searching for an internship or job. Eligible students can participate in one or more program-embedded internships with participating employers.

Additional Requirements

It is important to note that students who already possess a post-secondary credential, such as a diploma, Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, or Ph.D., are generally not eligible for the Career Scholarship. Students changing to another major may retain the scholarship if they maintain program eligibility and change their major into another program-eligible major. The commitment cannot be used for courses taken at UNO, UNK or UNMC. Scholarship holders transferring to another NU-campus (other than for transfers associated with formally approved NU to NU 2+2 programs) are eligible for consideration as transfer student awardees. There is no expectation that funding will be provided by the new campus. Recipients must pay for the mandatory student service fees, laboratory fees related to particular courses, and other miscellaneous fees (for example drop/add charges, registration fees, and credit-by-examination fees). The scholarship will be credited to the recipient's student account and will appear on his or her billing statement. Any student whose total scholarship and/or financial aid awards exceed his or her total institutional charges for a given semester will receive a refund for the difference from the Office of Student Accounts. For global experience programs, we encourage students to work directly with the Education Abroad Office. The scholarship is contingent upon continued funding from the state of Nebraska, provided the following guidelines are followed.

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Impact and Outcomes

The Career Scholarship program has demonstrated positive outcomes in supporting students and contributing to Nebraska's workforce development.

Student Success

This academic year, 1,120 University of Nebraska students have received Career Scholarships. Additionally, more than 92 percent of Career Scholarship recipients from the 2022-23 academic year either graduated or are still enrolled in a scholarship-eligible program this year.

Workforce Contribution

Of the 5,337 students enrolled in scholarship-eligible programs last year, 340 have graduated, including 62 in fall 2022. Three-fourths of those fall 2022 graduates were working in Nebraska as of early 2023 with an average salary of $54,000. About 15 percent of Career Scholarship recipients participated in an internship, apprenticeship, clinical position or related work in the previous academic year.

Legislative Support

Approved in 2020 by the Legislature and then-Gov. Pete Ricketts and implemented the following year, the Career Scholarships support Nebraska students enrolled in eligible high-demand programs and who meet certain academic requirements. The legislation creating the Career Scholarships requires the university to submit an annual report on the program's outcomes.

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