Bill > H396

This bill establishes the Nursing Fellows Program at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) to recruit, prepare, and support nursing students interested in becoming nurses or nursing instructors in North Carolina. The program will provide forgivable loans to students pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing Education degrees, with loan amounts up to $5,000 per semester. Recipients must commit to working as nurses or nursing instructors in the state, with one-third of the loan forgiven for each year of qualifying service. The program will be administered by the State Education Assistance Authority in cooperation with the Dean of WSSU's School of Health Sciences, who will select recipients based on stringent criteria including academic performance, assessments, and commitment to serving in North Carolina. A dedicated Trust Fund will be established to support the program, with an initial appropriation of $1.4 million, and an additional $100,000 will be provided for mentoring and curriculum support services. The program aims to address nursing shortages by providing financial incentives and support for students pursuing nursing careers in the state, with the first loan recipients to be selected for the 2026-2027 academic year. Recipients will be required to report on their employment and service to help track the program's effectiveness.

Budget and Finance

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/H396