Updated October 2, 202618 min read

Virginia's Earn to Learn Program: How Nursing Students Get Paid to Train

Who qualifies, how to find a funded school or employer, and what pay to expect

Aleah La Flair
Written byAleah La Flair
Reviewed byRN.org Editorial Team

A grant you apply for individually and a grant your nursing school wins with an employer are not the same thing. Virginia directed $5 million into paid, work-plus-school nursing pathways, as 13News Now reported1, but the money flows to school-employer partnerships, not directly to students. Eligibility runs through a participating program and its clinical partner; pay, taxes, and post-graduation commitments are set at the partnership level.

Comparing Virginia's model with Maryland's helps set expectations for what comes after the first cycle. For now, the practical entry point is a conversation with the admissions team behind your nursing school application, not a standalone grant portal.

What Virginia's Earn to Learn Program Is (And Isn't)

Is Virginia's Earn to Learn grant one of the nursing school scholarships 2026 nursing students can apply for directly? No, and that is the first thing to understand before you build a plan around it. Students do not submit an Earn to Learn application; instead they apply to a participating nursing program, and the school coordinates funding with clinical employers.

The earn-plus-learn model

The program uses an earn while you learn nursing model: the "earn" side supports paid, credential-level healthcare work, often patient care or clinical support roles. The "learn" side supports pre-licensure RN and LPN coursework. Grant dollars go to educational institutions offering Virginia Board of Nursing-approved pre-licensure programs, so they can build collaborative clinical-training arrangements with hospitals and health providers.

What the state funding established

A 13News Now report from September 29, 2026 described how Virginia targeted its nursing shortage with nearly $5 million in Earn to Learn grants, with awards up to $400,000 for schools and health providers to expand paid clinical training and student supports.1 The Virginia Department of Health administered the first cycle of the program, using $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act coronavirus recovery funds authorized for fiscal year 2024.

What remains unconfirmed for 2026

The Virginia Nursing Workforce Center administers the 2026 Earn to Learn Grant Program after taking over from the Virginia Department of Health on July 1, 2026. Details of the 2026 award cycle, including named recipients and per-school amounts, are not yet fully published in the sources reviewed.

What Earn to Learn Funding Covers and When It Flows

The biggest confusion for nursing students is whether this money reduces tuition or shows up as a paycheck, a core nursing school financial aid question. In the 2026 Earn to Learn Grant Program, the dollars go to a partnership, not directly to a student, so the answer depends on how a participating school and employer design the pathway.

What the grant is confirmed to cover

The official 2026 solicitation centers on paid clinical training and employment at the student's current certification level, such as working as a nurse extern, patient care technician, or CNA (a role covered by CNA Classes in Virginia) while completing a Virginia Board of Nursing-approved pre-licensure RN or LPN program. Collaborative clinical-training arrangements, certification training, and creating or ensuring employment are also named activities. Tuition, testing fees, faculty compensation, and preceptor support are not listed as separate confirmed line items in retrieved materials, so do not assume those are covered.

Wages versus stipends

A wage is paid by the employer for hours worked. A stipend funded by the grant is a distinct allowance, and the 2026 materials emphasize employer-paid clinical work rather than a direct student stipend. Students should ask the school or employer exactly how they will be paid and whether any amount is a wage, a stipend, or both.

Timeline and award size

Applications were due September 30, 2026, at 5 p.m. EST. Notification is expected by November 1, 2026, though that date appears in program summaries rather than on the official application page itself. Funding is expected to begin January 2027. Selected partnerships may receive up to $400,000 over two years, or $200,000 per year, with up to 12 awards from $4.8 million in available funding. The 2026 cycle differs from the first in one key way: administration moved from the Virginia Department of Health to the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center effective July 1, 2026. Direct per-award comparisons with 2024 are not fully documented.

How Nursing Students Qualify: Eligibility Checklist

  1. Enroll in an eligible Virginia pre-licensure program
    You generally need to be enrolled in a Virginia Board of Nursing-approved pre-licensure RN or LPN program. The 2026 guidance identifies RN and LPN pre-licensure tracks; it does not clearly list RN-to-BSN or graduate nursing as eligible.
  2. Hold or qualify for a recognized entry-level clinical role
    Work roles described include certified nursing assistant (CNA), nurse extern, and patient care technician (PCT), depending on your training and qualifications. Compensation should match your current certification level.
  3. Work through a participating school or employer partner
    Eligibility is tied to an employer partner connected to a funded school or health system, not to a direct individual application.
  4. Meet clinical or work-hour expectations if published
    Programs must help students complete required clinical hours and provide meaningful clinical experience, but no statewide numeric hour requirement is published.
  5. Expect income, residency, and GPA rules to be unconfirmed
    The program has not published specific income, residency, or GPA thresholds in available Virginia sources, so verify with your school or employer before assuming you qualify.

How to Find and Apply Through a Participating School or Employer

The most reliable way into a Virginia Earn to Learn nursing seat is not a standalone application portal; it is a direct conversation with a participating school and employer, confirmed through official state channels.

Start With the School, Not an Online Form

Before contacting anyone, check vanwc.org for a published awardee or participating-program list. Virginia does not currently show a dedicated student interest form for Earn to Learn, so a list, program update, or direct contact is your best first move. Contact your school's admissions office and clinical placement coordinators and ask whether the nursing program has an Earn to Learn cohort for your intended track, such as MSN programs in Virginia or NP programs in Virginia. After the school, call the employer's HR or education team to confirm that a sponsored position is actually attached to that cohort.

Questions Worth Asking Before You Commit

  • Cohort: Is there an Earn to Learn cohort for my specific program, and what is the intake timeline?
  • Role: Which nursing role would I hold, and where would the paid clinical or work component happen?
  • Hours and pay: What are the weekly hours, the hourly rate or salary range, and how are wages paid?
  • Support: Is there a stipend, tuition offset, or reimbursement beyond wages?

When Your School Is Not Listed

If your school does not yet show Earn to Learn activity, do not assume you are excluded. Virginia Department of Health nursing workforce inquiries now flow through VHWDA and the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center at (804) 592-1724 or [email protected]. VDH directs program updates to vanwc.org. Avoid unofficial sites that claim to take Earn to Learn applications or charge a fee; verify every next step through official VDH, VHWDA, or vanwc.org pages. Cohort seats are limited, and timing follows each school's own admissions intake rather than one statewide deadline.

2026 Timeline and Awardees: What We Know so Far

For students mapping a nursing school journey plan, Virginia's Earn to Learn nursing grants have moved from a 2024 pilot into a recurring state pipeline, but the 2026 awardee list is still being finalized. The 2026 application period closed Sept. 30, 2026, at 5 p.m. EST. The Virginia Nursing Workforce Center expected to notify recipients by Nov. 1, 2026, with grant funding distributed beginning January 2027. This 2026-27 contract period runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 and is designated non-renewable. State law signed in March 2026 transfers these nursing workforce incentive programs from VDH to the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority's Virginia Nursing Workforce Center effective July 1, 2026. Existing awardees remain under VDH's Office of Health Equity until the current fiscal cycle ends.

First-cycle 2024-2025 grantees

State records identify 13 first-cycle institutions. The labels below are for the 2024-2025 cycle only, not 2026.

  • 2024-2025: Paul D. Camp Community College, Franklin
  • 2024-2025: Rappahannock Community College, Warsaw
  • 2024-2025: Germanna Community College, Locust Grove
  • 2024-2025: Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
  • 2024-2025: Marymount University, Arlington
  • 2024-2025: New River Community College, Dublin
  • 2024-2025: Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke
  • 2024-2025: James Madison University, Harrisonburg
  • 2024-2025: Blue Ridge Community College, Weyers Cave
  • 2024-2025: Southside Community College, Alberta
  • 2024-2025: Galen College of Nursing, Richmond
  • 2024-2025: Laurel Ridge Community College, Middletown
  • 2024-2025: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond

The first-cycle total exceeded $4.5 million. Paul D. Camp, Germanna, Laurel Ridge, and Marymount each received $500,000; other awards ranged from about $213,000 to $494,000. Rappahannock Community College appears in state records with conflicting amounts, so treat its specific figure as provisional.

2026 awardees: what is confirmed

According to a Virginia Western Earn to Learn announcement, 2026-27 continuation funding runs through June 2027 with Carilion and HCA Healthcare as clinical partners; five students in its prior pilot became Carilion employees. That is one program-level confirmation, not the full statewide 2026 list. As of Oct. 2, 2026, the Virginia Department of Health listed 11 2026 awardee institutions without published award amounts, employer partners, or regions. One news account described a $4.8 million relaunch with 12 grantees and individual awards up to $400,000, but the state's current page lists 11, so confirm the final number on the VDH or Virginia Nursing Workforce Center announcement page after Nov. 1, 2026.

What Earn to Learn Nursing Students Get Paid

Earn to Learn does not set a standard wage; participating employers decide pay for eligible roles such as patient care technicians, nurse externs, and CNAs.

Pay, Taxes, and Financial Aid: What to Check First

Will my Virginia Earn to Learn payments be taxed as wages, and will the grant lower my federal financial aid? Wages are generally taxable, but stipend or tuition support tax treatment depends on how the program structures each payment.

Wages vs. stipends

Earned income from your nursing job is taxable and reported on Form W-2. A separate stipend may or may not be taxable. IRS Publication 970 says a scholarship or fellowship is tax-free for a degree candidate only if it pays qualified education expenses such as tuition, required fees, books, supplies, and equipment, and is not compensation for services.1 Payments for room, board, travel, research, or clerical work are taxable. If the payment is for services you provide, it is generally taxable compensation even if it is called a stipend or scholarship.1

Employer educational assistance under Section 127 may be excluded up to $5,250 for 2025 and 20262 if the employer has a written plan and the benefit covers tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment, or qualified loan principal and interest.3 Virginia's program may or may not use this structure. The state has not confirmed the tax treatment of Earn to Learn nursing payments, so confirm with your employer and a tax professional.

FAFSA and financial aid

Wages and employer-paid tuition support can affect your FAFSA, but federal aid rules do not automatically follow IRS exclusions. No federal financial aid source specifically clarifies how Virginia Earn to Learn wages or tuition assistance should be reported or counted in the Student Aid Index. Report all support to your school's financial aid office and ask how it changes your cost of attendance and need-based aid.

Before accepting a placement, ask: - Will I receive a W-2 for wages and a separate form for tuition support? - Does the tuition or stipend meet IRS qualified expense or Section 127 rules? - How will the employer and school report this for FAFSA? - Will the grant reduce my institutional scholarships or loan eligibility?

Work Commitments After Graduation and First-Cycle Outcomes

The biggest practical question for most nursing students is whether taking workforce funding now means giving up job mobility after graduation. In Virginia's Earn to Learn program, the state-level answer is generally no. But partner facilities can layer on their own terms, so the real commitment depends on the agreement you sign.

What the State Requires

Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Nursing Workforce Center materials do not establish a universal post-graduation work requirement. A 2026 report from the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center noted the program does not guarantee a nursing job.1 Graduates must still pass the NCLEX and complete the employer's normal hiring process, and nothing ties them to the training facility. Retention in Virginia is a goal, not a contract obligation.

What Partnerships May Add

Local terms can differ. UVA Health and Piedmont Virginia Community College set up an earn-and-learn arrangement that required one year of UVA Health employment for each year of funded education, with graduates moving into permanent UVA Health jobs.2 In contrast, the Virginia Western Community College pilot placed five students, and all five became Carilion employees, but the source did not report completion, NCLEX pass rates, or how long they stayed.3 Treat any employer-specific commitment as separate from the statewide program.

First-Cycle Results

Cohort 1 launched with 13 academic institutions and more than $4.5 million in awards in September 2024, with an initial project period through December 31, 2025.1 Statewide totals for participation, completion, NCLEX pass rates, and employer retention have not been published. Because early data is limited, students should ask for any employment agreement in writing before they start, including required hours, duration, and what happens if they leave the job or do not pass the NCLEX.

Virginia Licensure: Board of Nursing Approval and NCLEX

How Virginia Compares With Maryland and Other Work-Plus-School Models

Grant-funded partnership versus student-held loan: Virginia and Maryland are building nursing pipelines from opposite ends of the funding chain. That contrast shapes who receives the money, what gets funded, and how repayment or service works.

The Core Structural Difference

Virginia's announced $5 million Earn to Learn effort is described in news reporting as grants tied to paid work plus education, which points to money flowing through school or employer partnerships. Maryland's Pay It Forward Fund is a $3 million zero-interest loan pilot aimed directly at students on ADN career paths, starting at Community College of Baltimore County. The broad distinction is partnership grants versus student-facing aid.

What the Money Covers

Maryland's Pay It Forward helps cover the cost of nursing programs by filling tuition gaps up to $5,000 after other aid, plus living-expense support up to $500 per month and $12,000 over a two-year ADN. The pilot expects to support about 80 nursing students. Borrowers earning $50,000 or less can defer with $0 monthly payments. Virginia's grant terms have not been publicly itemized, so students cannot yet compare direct tuition relief, wage support, or employer-passed funding.

Service and Repayment

Pay It Forward carries no nursing employment or geographic service commitment; income-based repayment is the main obligation. A different Maryland work-plus-school model, the Rural Maryland Registered Apprenticeship and Workforce Training Program, offers financial support and training but requires five years of service in rural Maryland. Virginia's post-graduation service terms, if any, have not been publicly confirmed.

Application Path

Maryland's Pay It Forward application route through CCBC, Social Finance, or Maryland's Department of Labor is not fully specified in current sources. Virginia's model appears to be school or employer mediated, but application details are unverified. No sufficiently verified second-state nursing work-plus-school program with complete application information was available for comparison.

What It Means for Nursing Programs, and Other Virginia Aid to Consider

Virginia's Earn to Learn funding will matter most if it lands where nursing schools actually create capacity: clinical placements, tuition offsets, and faculty support. The program matters less for the size of the grant pool than for whether it removes barriers that push admitted students to withdraw from nursing school.

Watch where the dollars land

For education leaders, the key question is whether the money follows employer-partnered clinical placements, direct tuition offsets, or expanded faculty and preceptor capacity. Each route creates different demand. Funding tied to clinical placements may push schools toward more flexible scheduling and employer-cohort models. Funding tied to faculty and preceptors could support pre-licensure RN and LPN programs while reducing the LPN program cost hurdle for entry-level nurses. This is an analysis of likely pressure points, not a program rule, but it is the conversation Virginia nursing schools, including DNP programs in Virginia, should be having as award details become public.

Other Virginia aid to pair with Earn to Learn

Earn to Learn is not the only state-based resource. Nursing students in Virginia can also check the Mary Marshall nursing scholarship, a longstanding state-funded award for aspiring nurses. Current terms and deadlines are best confirmed through the Virginia Department of Health scholarship pages or your school's financial aid office. Student nurses may also find support, mentoring, and scholarship leads through Virginia student nursing association resources, often abbreviated VASN, which connect members to state and localized aid opportunities.

Your next step

Ask your nursing program which pathway fits you: Does the school participate in employer-linked Earn to Learn placements? Does the financial aid office have Mary Marshall guidance? A short conversation with the program coordinator can clarify whether these state dollars align with your degree and work plan.

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