2025 NBCC Foundation Rural Scholarship
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The NBCC Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025 rural scholarships for students pursuing a career in professional counseling. The rural scholarships were created to increase the number of counselors available to serve people in rural areas. These scholarships provide financial support to students who are currently enrolled in a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited counseling master’s program, live in a rural area, and commit to serve rural populations within 1 year of graduation for the duration of a minimum of at least 2 years post-graduation. Five scholarships in the amount of $8,000 are available.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Applicants must currently live in the United States but can be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or international student with an F-1 Visa.
- Applicants must not already possess a master’s degree in a behavioral health field.
- Applicants must reside in a rural area as defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
- Applicants must be currently enrolled full time and be in good standing in a CACREP-accredited master’s-level counseling program. Applicants must currently be taking courses. Applicants may not have a pending status, deferred status, or other future start date for coursework.
- Applicants are expected to graduate by May 31, 2028 (within 3 years of the date of the scholarship funding).
- Eligible applicants must not have an anticipated program completion date before Dec. 31, 2025, which will be verified in writing by their academic department prior to the awarding of funds.
- Applicants must commit to becoming nationally certified by applying for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) certification prior to graduation and to completing the application process. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine their eligibility to obtain this certification prior to applying for the scholarship.
- Applicants must commit to providing mental health services in a rural area in the United States within 1 year of graduation and for the duration of a minimum of at least 2 years post-graduation.
To check the CACREP status of a program, search the CACREP website. The application opens Oct. 1, 2024, and the application deadline is Dec. 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm EST. Scholarship awardees will be announced by the end of March 2025.
For questions, please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If you still have questions after reviewing our FAQ document, please email foundation@nbcc.org or call 336-232-0376.
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