Health Profession Pregraduate Scholarship Program – Section 103 (b)(2)

The Health Professions Pregraduate Scholarship Program provides financial support for American Indian and Alaska Native (Federally or State recognized) students only  to enroll in courses leading to a bachelor degree in specific preprofessional areas (premedicine and predentistry).

Priority Health Career Category

Although there are several areas of health programs that may be funded, based on the staffing needs of the I H S, it has been determined that for the 2005-2006 scholarship cycle, an applicant must be accepted by or enrolled in a program beginning in Fall 2005 for the following priority career category:

Pre-Medicine / Pre-Dentistry / Pre-Podiatry

Health Professions Pregraduate applicants must:

1. be an American Indian or Alaska Native(Federally or State recognized);
2. be a high school graduate or equivalent;
3. have the capacity to complete a health professions course of study;
4. be enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, in a bachelor degree program for premedicine or predentistry or their equivalents; and
5. intend to serve Indian people upon completion of professional health care education and training as a health care provider in the descipline/speciality for which the applicant is enrolled at the pregraduate level and for which the application is submitted.

The applicant must provide a course curriculum signed by a school official, preferably the applicant's advisor, to verify that the courses to be taken:

1. are required for an undergraduate curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in premedicine, predentistry, or equivalent, and
2. represent at least 12 credit hours or the equivalent per semester/quarter which is considered full-time or 6–11 hours per semester/quarter which is considered part-time.

This Pregraduate Scholarship program support is available for up to four academic years full-time or up to eight years for part-time, which is four 10-month periods of pregraduate education full-time or eight 10-month periods part-time, which, upon completion, will enable the student to qualify for enrollment in a medical or dental school. Only those students who meet the continuation eligibility requirements and reapply for continuation will be given priority consideration for additional periods of support.

Recipients of scholarship support must apply annually for continuation beyond the initial funding period and must meet specific eligibility criteria for consideration:

1. recipient must be in good academic standing in his/her premedical program;
2. must be enrolled for the next semester/quarter in at least 12 credit hours or the equivalent which is considered full-time or 6–11 credit hours which is considered part-time;and
3. must remain full-time or part-time during this current academic year.