Indiana University of Pennsylvania has received $338,682 from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration to continue the Nurse Faculty Loan Program grant.
This program provides loan forgiveness (up to 85 percent of loans borrowed through the program) for students in the master’s and doctoral nursing programs who commit to serving as a nursing educator at any accredited school of nursing or as a clinical educator at an accredited health facility for four years.
This is IUP’s third year of successfully securing this funding; IUP received $217,997 in 2024 and $171,961 in 2023 for the program, designed to help address the nation’s nursing shortage by providing financial support to students who commit to serving as nurse educators. Kristy Chunta, professor and the doctoral program coordinator in IUP’s Department of Nursing, secured the funding.
This grant is part of IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive fundraising campaign, the largest campaign in the history of the university. The campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration, celebrated during the 2025–26 academic year.
Impact 150 centers around raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining IUP’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities, including IUP’s work to establish the IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine. As of June 30, Impact 150 is at $122,847,723, or 81.9 percent of its $150 million goal. There have been 60,291 gifts by 13,574 donors that have contributed to Impact 150.
“We received an excellent response to this program,” Chunta said. “The number of students receiving the funding continues to grow each year. There is a national shortage of nurses and nursing faculty. IUP is helping to bridge this gap by educating these nurses through our master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) to PhD, and PhD programs. Funding from the NFLP grant provides the financial support for nurses to complete their advanced education, and our graduates are prepared to fill these faculty roles,” she said.
“Nurses are desperately needed throughout the commonwealth and across the United States,” Chunta said. “The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported that applicants to undergraduate and graduate programs have been turned away due to a lack of nursing faculty. This funding can help to fill those faculty deficits and create new opportunities for students to become nurses. This is a win-win for our undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.
“We’ve exceeded 70 students in our PhD program, and I believe the grant support has allowed more students to pursue this advanced degree by removing those financial barriers,” she said.
It is estimated that the NFLP grant will support 50 IUP students in the master’s, DNP to PhD, and PhD programs, which provides up to $40,000 for an academic year.
The program is not dependent on financial status, but students must have at least a 3.0 grade point average and maintain at least part-time student status.
IUP’s Master’s in Nursing program is designed to meet the realities of modern nursing practice, preparing graduates for advanced roles in leadership, teaching, and organizational influence across healthcare and academic settings.
The PhD program includes the DNP to PhD pathway and the PhD in Nursing. The DNP to PhD pathway provides a fast-track option for students with a practice doctorate degree who are pursuing their PhD. Students currently enrolled are from across the US, as IUP offers one of the few DNP to PhD pathways in the country. The PhD in Nursing provides a traditional route for students with a master’s degree to pursue a PhD. IUP also offers a Nursing Simulation and Technology Certificate of Recognition. IUP’s nursing students at all levels are routinely recognized nationally for excellence.
Annually, more than 125 nursing students graduate from IUP’s Nursing program. There are 730 undergraduate students and 90 graduate students enrolled in IUP’s Department of Nursing.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the commonwealth.