Penn Dental receives $1.5M for student scholarships

The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine has received a $1.5 million grant to support student scholarships from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Designed to support student diversity and increase access for underrepresented minorities, the grant will allow Penn Dental Medicine to provide financial aid for four years to at least 26 new and current students at the school. The school is one of just three dental programs in the country to receive the HRSA award this year.

Penn Dental Medicine has received and distributed more than $1.9 million in HRSA scholarship grants in the past seven years. This year's award is the first time HRSA has committed to funding multiple years of scholarships at one time, giving continuity and reassurance to the students who receive them.

Beginning this semester, Penn Dental Medicine will receive $330,000, which will be divided among eligible students for scholarships of $15,000 each; the school will then receive $390,000 each of the following three years, providing eligible students with $15,000 in aid every year.

This award is given as part of HRSA's Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program, which provides funding to accredited schools offering degrees in the health professions and nursing programs. Participating schools then, in turn, can offer scholarships to full-time students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds.