Why you should consider this program

Pursuing a Nursing degree at our top-rated School of Nursing is a great career step. Coverdell Fellows are enthusiastically welcomed to the Penn Nursing community, a community with significant interest in global experiences and opportunities. Our students, faculty, and staff value your Peace Corps service and will want to learn more about it. Your foreign language skills are likely to be useful with the many immigrants we attract to the greater Philadelphia area. Your clinical assignments will be with vulnerable populations with limited access to health care for social and financial reasons. When you join the Penn Nursing community, you enter into the unparalleled academic life of the greater University of Pennsylvania, enriched by the integrated resources of four undergraduate and twelve graduate schools with 100 countries and every U.S. state represented in one of the Ivy League’s most diverse student bodies. We look forward to your joining us for an education informed by inclusivity, intellectual rigor, research, and the impetus to create new knowledge to the benefit of individuals and communities around the world.

Benefits for Coverdell Fellows

	Tuition/fees for Complete Program	Value of Coverdell Fellowship	Net cost *
In state	$ 142,921	$ 35,731	$ 107,190
Out of state	$ 142,921	$ 35,731	$ 107,190

* Net cost is equal to tuition/fees minus fellowship value. For some universities, the fellowship value includes non-tuition/fee benefits such as health insurance or housing—see the first point below for more details.

Where the cost savings value of the Coverdell Fellowship comes from

The Accelerated BSN financial information is highlighted above and can be found on this webpage, here.

Accelerated BSN Coverdell Fellows receive support equal to at least 25% of tuition and fees. RPCVs may also apply for a $2,500 to $10,000 award via a competitive essay contest. Penn Nursing's application fee is waived for all RPCVs.

Fellowships awarded per year (average)

We hope to recruit two to four new Coverdell Fellows each year.

Other benefits or opportunities

Accelerated BSN Coverdell Fellows receive support equal to at least 25% of tuition and fees. RPCVs may also apply for a $2,500 to $10,000 award via a competitive essay contest. Penn Nursing's application fee is waived for all RPCVs.

Application fee waived?

Yes

Internship

Coverdell Fellows will be placed in internships/clinical assignments that allow them to serve in low-resource communities in the greater Philadelphia area where Penn Nursing serves vulnerable populations with limited access to health care for social and financial reasons. As there are many immigrants in the area, language challenges often exist. RPCV language skills in Spanish, French, and Chinese, to name a few, could be useful in the communities we serve..

Jobs for program alumni

The University of Pennsylvania Career Services Center conducts regular surveys of Penn Nursing graduates with BSN and MSN degrees. Reports indicate percentages employed, pursuing additional education, etc. In addition, location of employment and associated salary information is provided. Recent reports can be found via this webpage: https://careerservices.upenn.edu/post-graduate-outcomes/

Other details

Program length

BSN: 4.5 semesters / 18 months / 1.5 years

Application requirements

Please see our Admissions website.

Program begins

The program begins in the summer. Please check website for specifics.

Non-traditional options

ELIGIBILITY: Satisfactory completion of Peace Corps service; i.e. completion of the full two-year tour of Peace Corps service (not more than 90 days of emergency leave) or grantee of "early close of service" or "interrupted service" status due to circumstances beyond the volunteer control, or medical separation.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS/DEADLINE: When applying for your Penn Nursing degree program, be sure to check the box indicating that you have successfully completed Peace Corps service. This will result in an invitation to submit your application for the Coverdell Fellowship.

APPLICATION ELEMENTS:

1. Peace Corps Description of Service (DOS), the official account of your volunteer work (please upload to this application).
2. Your Peace Corps story in 500-1000 words with the following elements: A summary of what you did, where and when. How your Peace Corps service contributed to your decision to pursue a degree at Penn Nursing and the ways in which you anticipate that your Peace Corps service, combined with your Penn Nursing education, will contribute to your nursing career. One or two optional photos, with detailed captions from your Peace Corps experience that are descriptive of the environment you worked in and/or your engagement with the community where you live.
3. A headshot of you

Year Coverdell Fellows partnership started

2016

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Contact

Nancy Biller, Assistant Dean, Global Health Affairs