Rockford Promise expands offerings to include OSF Saint Anthony College of Nursing

August 8, 2024|By Kevin Haas|In Local, Rockford, Trending, 815 News
Rockford Promise is a nonprofit that provides full-tuition scholarships to qualified Rockford Public Schools graduates. (Image via Rockford Promise)
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ROCKFORD — A program that offers full-tuition scholarships to qualified Rockford Public School graduates is expanding its college options to include OSF Saint Anthony College of Nursing.

Rockford Promise announced the partnership on Thursday, adding OSF Saint Anthony College of Nursing to the existing options of Rockford University, Rock Valley College and Northern Illinois University. Rockford Promise scholars can begin attending the college of nursing in 2025.

“We are thrilled to partner with OSF Saint Anthony College of Nursing to provide our Scholars with another pathway for their academic and professional growth,” Kaylene Groh, executive director of Rockford Promise, said in a news release. “This partnership aligns with our mission to support the educational aspirations of Rockford Public School District 205 graduates by offering full-tuition scholarships and creating meaningful opportunities for their futures.”

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Rockford Promise provides free college tuition to those select institutions to any Rockford Public Schools graduate who earns a 3.0 grade-point average. Attending the College of Nursing will have additional requirements, including certain college credits and a 3.25 GPA. That means the program will most likely be utilized by Rockford Promise Scholars already at Rock Valley or another institution before deciding to pursue a path in nursing.

“Saint Anthony College of Nursing continues to build upon increasing the scope of our students,” college President Charlene Aaron said in a news release. “Partnerships such as this are in alignment with our OSF mission of providing high quality nursing education to all.”

Scholars attending OSF Saint Anthony College of Nursing will pursue a bachelor’s degree of science in nursing.

Eligibility requirements

In order to be eligible for the OSF Saint Anthony College of Nursing scholarships, students must meet the following criteria:

  • Complete the required college courses and qualify to enter Saint Anthony College of Nursing.
  • Have applied and maintained a satisfactory status with Rockford Promise in respect to any scholarship.
  • Have completed and submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by application date and have listed Saint Anthony College of Nursing to receive their FAFSA information (School Code: 009987).
  • Have a qualifying cumulative GPA of 3.25 or a 2.5 transferrable college GPA and a 2.7 transferrable science GPA.
  • 58.7% Test of Essential Academic Skills(TEAS) score.
  • Be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant and Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) and have continued eligibility for all years of attendance. This is for students that are either full Federal Pell Grant or a partial Federal Pell Grant.

Scholarships will open on the Rockford Promise website of rockfordpromise.org on Jan. 1, 2025.