AURORA, Colo. (October 23, 2026) – Doctoral nursing students at the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing will get help paying for their education, thanks to $600,000 from the Nurse Faculty Loan program through the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). CU Anschutz Nursing is matching nearly one-tenth of the funding (about $67,000).
The funding is for students in the college’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program who intend to become nursing faculty. Some funding is also available for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students. Students can apply for up to $40,000 every year of their doctoral program. They can use the funding to pay for tuition and other costs associated with doctoral education (travel, education courses, or certification).
The Nurse Faculty Loan program is a loan forgiveness program, meaning students must apply for funding, complete two nursing education courses, and commit to becoming a full-time faculty member. Once students graduate and get a faculty position, every year they teach, they get a certain amount of their loan forgiven, ranging from 15 to 25 percent.
“The Nurse Faculty Loan program enables most of our PhD students to get the doctoral education they need for their career profession without having to worry about the cost of their education,” Assistant Dean of PhD Program and Professor Jacqueline Jones, PhD, RGN, says. “Nursing has an aging workforce, so this funding will help address this urgent need and prepare our students to become faculty so they can teach the next generation of nurses.”
CU Anschutz Nursing has received funding from the Nurse Faculty Loan program for more than 20 years. During the last loan cycle, 16 of 48 PhD students applied and were awarded loans. Jones estimates that about 70-80% of the college’s PhD students receive some funding.
Assistant Teaching Professor Christina Baker, PhD, RN, NCSN, NI-BC, who graduated from the college’s PhD program in 2023, says the Nurse Faculty Loan program was the reason she was able to finish earning her doctoral degree.
“The Nurse Faculty Loan Program helped remove a significant financial barrier to earning my PhD," she says. "By reducing the need to work additional hours, I was able to concentrate on my coursework and dissertation and complete the program on schedule. Programs like this are essential for preparing the next generation of nursing faculty, and I appreciate the continued leadership of Dr. Jones and CU Anschutz Nursing Dean Dr. Elias Provencio-Vasquez in sustaining this important resource.”
“Our students are under financial stress, live complex lives, and balance their nursing careers while in our program,” Jones says. “Having this funding will relieve some of that stress and allow them to focus on their education. This is more about numbers or money. It’s about supporting our students in their doctoral program and supporting their dreams of teaching the next generation of nurses.”
Applications for the Nurse Faculty Loan program will open at the end of November 2026 for the Spring 2027 semester.
About the University of Colorado Anschutz
The University of Colorado Anschutz is a world-class academic medical campus at the forefront of transformative science, medicine, education and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes and two nationally ranked independent hospitals - UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado – which see more than two million adult and pediatric patient visits yearly. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, CU Anschutz delivers life-changing treatments, patient care and professional training and conducts world-renowned research fueled by $910 million in annual research funding, including $757 million in sponsored awards and $153 million in philanthropic gifts.
