SCHOLARSHIPS

BCON Aid Programs

BCON Merit Scholarships:  Bellin College of Nursing offers scholarships to students with above-average academic credentials at the time of admission to BCON.  Awards are renewable provided the student meets all requirements related to GPA and earned credits as stated in the Merit Scholarship award notification letter.  All students who are admitted to BCON are automatically reviewed to determine Merit Scholarship eligibility; no additional application form is required.  Awards range from $500 to $1250 per semester.  Merit awards may be received no more than eight semesters of enrollment.  

Dr Raymond C Groendahl Scholarship:  The Groendahl Scholarship was established through a trust.  BCON awards up to eight students each academic year based upon financial need.  No application beyond the FAFSA is required.  BCON and UWGB financial aid offices work together to select recipients with the greatest need.  Individual awards vary based upon the availability of funds.  Awards are received in the freshman year only (not renewable) as established by the Trust.  

BCON Patron Scholarships:  Bellin College of Nursing awards over $200,000 of need-based scholarships each year from funds donated by generous friends of the College.  Patron Scholarships are funded by annual or endowed gifts to BCON.  At this time, only students who are awarded aid by the BCON financial aid office are considered for Patron Scholarships.  This generally includes juniors, seniors, accelerated transfer students and those sophomore students who are no longer enrolled in general education courses.  Currently, there are a very limited number of patron scholarships available to MSN students as well.  There are many individual scholarships (too numerous to mention individually here) some of which have additional eligibility criteria beyond financial need.  The BCON financial aid office matches eligible students to the
appropriate scholarships.  There is no required application other than the FAFSA (because these are need-based awards, only students who file FAFSAs and are determined to have financial need are considered for patron scholarship awards).  Awards range from $100 to $4000 in an academic year based upon availability of funds, financial need, and other factors.  

Loretta A Wells Nursing Scholarship:  This scholarship is administered through a Trust with BCON receiving a portion of the annual earnings to be used to award to nursing students who are residents of Brown County, WI enrolled in their junior or senior year of the BSN program or enrolled in the MSN program.  Individual awards vary based upon the number of applicants and available funds.  Eligible students are required to apply.  



Any aid from a source other than federal or state governments or the college or university itself is generally considered as a ‘private’ aid source.  These can be scholarships, loans, grants, employer reimbursement, or other forms of aid.  Private aid sources must be reported to the financial aid office and will be included in the student’s financial aid award package per federal regulations.


BCON students bring in, on average, over $100,000 each academic year from private scholarships.  These may be awarded from high school alumni associations, professional organizations, civic clubs, church groups, tribal governments, employers, local, state, regional or national sponsors of any kind.   The key is to apply for as many scholarships as you possibly can.  A good rule of thumb to follow is this: if you meet the eligibility criteria, apply.  Make sure you follow all application instructions and meet application deadlines.  NOTE:  Avoid any scholarships which require an ‘entry fee’ or other payment.  

High School Seniors:  Throughout your senior year of high school, your guidance counselor will share information about any private scholarship application opportunities which arise.  Some scholarships may be awarded directly by the high school, others may require application to an outside group or agency (such as the Rotary Club).  Be sure to find out where such announcements are posted on your high school campus and check regularly with your guidance counselor.   

Public Library:  Private scholarship information can be found in several places, you just have to take the time to look for it.  One place to look is your local public library.  Many public libraries carry reference publications listing organizations throughout the US which offer scholarships.  These publications provide information related to eligibility criteria, application procedures and deadlines, potential award amounts, and other facts.  It can be time-consuming to look through them, but you may find something worthwhile.  Often, local scholarship sponsors such as civic groups may have applications for their scholarships on display at the local library including applications available for pick up or copying

BCON:  Bellin College of Nursing’s financial aid office receives announcements from scholarship sponsors throughout the year.  When information regarding a scholarship opportunity is received, the financial aid office makes the information available to students.  First, an e-mail announcement is sent to all current BCON students.  Then, the announcement (same information sent in the e-mail) is posted to the BCON website’s Financial Aid Bulletin Board for anyone to view.  Prospective students should monitor this site regularly.  Finally, announcements are posted on the financial aid bulletin board on the BCON campus (Northeast Wing, across from the Main College Office).  If paper applications are available, they will be displayed in large envelopes on the financial aid bulletin board for students (current and prospective) to stop by and pick up during regular College business hours (8:00 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday).  Students not able to pick up an application in person may request one be mailed to them by sending an e-mail with current mailing address to lena.goodman@bcon.edu; students currently enrolled at BCON who are unable to pick up an application during regular office hours may request an application be delivered to their campus mailboxes.   

Internet:  There are many free scholarship search services on the Internet.  The most commonly used sites are www.fastweb.com,   www.brokescholar.com, and www.nextstudentloans.com/SSE1.  Try Googling ‘free scholarships’ to find even more.

Other Places to Look:  Everywhere.  You might be surprised where you might find information about scholarships.  Employers sometimes offer scholarships to their employees (or dependents of their employees) so both you and your parents (or spouse, if married) should check with their employer to find out if such programs are available.  You might see a display in a store about a scholarship offered by a national retailer or manufacturer.  If you know anyone who is a member of a civic or fraternal organization, ask them if their organization has a scholarship program.  Your church may offer scholarships.  If you are a current college student, find out on your current campus where private scholarship opportunities are posted and monitor that closely; just because the information is posted on that campus doesn’t mean you can’t apply for the scholarship to attend BCON (as long as the scholarship does not indicate that it is specific to that campus). 

One thing to keep in mind when searching for private scholarships:  The vast majority of private scholarship applications become available in very late fall or early spring semester (December through March).  Don’t be discouraged if you are looking during a ‘slow’ time of the year; just remember to check back often.  This is the case regardless of where you are looking.  Even those free services on the internet update their databases as more scholarships are posted.  And remember, no one will receive an award from every scholarship applied for, some students may not receive an award at all, but if you don’t try, you have no one to blame but yourself. 

Employer Reimbursement:  Some employers may offer to pay part or all of your tuition and fees expenses as an employee benefit.  In most cases, this is a taxable benefit to the employee and may be reported on the W-2 form.  Generally, the employer will not make payment until after a semester/term is completed and grades are available.  Some employers pro-rate the amount of the benefit based upon the grade received.  Anticipated employer reimbursement benefits must be reported to the financial aid office; it will be included as an aid resource.

VA or Other Military Benefits:  Students who served in the US Military and are eligible for educational benefits from the VA or their service branch should contact the BCON Registrar who serves as the certifying official for all military-related benefits.  

Tribal Scholarships or Grants:  Students who are enrolled members of a Native American Tribe may qualify for benefits from the Tribe.  Most tribes which offer such benefits have an Education Office or Department through which the student must apply for assistance.  It is the student’s responsibility to make contact with the appropriate tribal agency.  The Tribe is usually responsible for obtaining any certifications etc from the College (usually the financial aid office).