The University of Pennsylvania has received a $125 million donation to offer free tuition to nursing students from underserved communities.
The multi-million dollar gift from Leonard A. Lauder, a Penn alumnus and chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies, will create a first-of-its-kind, tuition-free program for nurse practitioners at the Penn School of Nursing.
The Ivy League school will use the money to recruit and train nurses to provide primary care for individuals and families in underserved communities.
Lauder’s donation — the largest ever to an American nursing school — comes at a time “when the pandemic has magnified the nation’s acute shortage of primary care providers.”
Huge news! Historic gift from Leonard A. Lauder, W’54, to #PennNursing will create a new tuition-free program to recruit, train, and deploy nurse practitioners to underserved communities across the U.S. https://t.co/xRNeRm2ACr
— Penn Nursing (@PennNursing) February 14, 2022
Promoting Health Equity
Penn Nursing will select 10 fellows to begin classes this fall. The program is expected to increase enrollment every year and reach its annual target enrollment of 40 fellows in 2026.
Students will need to commit to serving in underserved communities for two years after graduation.
All participants will receive financial aid to cover tuition and fees and enter the workforce free of student loan debt, eliminating potential financial barriers.
Those with greater financial concerns can even apply for stipends to help with college expenses.
“Now more than ever, the country needs greater and more equitable access to quality primary care — and highly-skilled nurse practitioners are the key to making that happen,” Lauder said in a statement to Penn.
“The program will ensure that more Americans receive the essential health care services that everyone deserves, and I’m so pleased to be working with Penn Nursing on this initiative.”