Academic Scholarships

Increasing the health and human services workforce

Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) academic scholarships help defray the cost of higher education in degree programs in the fields of health and human services. Please note that this page is for academic scholarships. If you are looking for a vocational scholarship for non-degree certificate and training programs, please visit the vocational scholarship page.

The goal of the Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship program is to increase the health and human services workforce in the Mat-Su. Scholarship applications are evaluated based on career choice and financial need as demonstrated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

How to Apply for an Academic Scholarship

1. Return to this page after the program opens in January 2024.
2. Learn how to apply with detailed, illustrated instructions.
3. Access the online application. (Check back here when the portal opens in January 2024.)
   
4. You will need to upload several documents in order to complete your application. Before you start, please be sure you have the following documents available:
   • FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR). Once you receive your SAR, you will need to save it as a PDF or JPEG in order to upload it to your scholarship application. See a sample FAFSA student aid report (SAR) and carefully review to confirm you submit the appropriate documentation. Only one FAFSA SAR will need to be submitted with your application. Please note that submitting incorrect documentation may slow your application processing time. If you have not yet completed the FAFSA, you must do so before completing your Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship application.
   • Proof of the Cost of Attendance for the school you plan to attend. This must include tuition, fees, books, room and board, etc., for the upcoming academic year. It can be in the form of a letter from the school you plan to attend or a screen shot from their website listing the official budget for Cost of Attendance, not to include summer course costs. See an example of proof of Cost of Attendance.
   • Unofficial copy of your most recent transcript (high school, college, or university).

If you don’t complete the entire application at one time, you may save your work and return later.

Eligibility Requirements

MSHF Academic Scholarship eligibility requirements include the following:

• United States citizenship or lawful permanent residency.
• Mat-Su Borough residency for a minimum of one year at the time of application.
• Minimum half-time student status at an accredited college, university, or medical training program.
• Interest in the fields of health care or human services, as demonstrated by the applicant’s responses to questions posed in the application.
• Successful completion of the FAFSA.
• There is no minimum GPA requirement for first-time applicants and returning students. If you are a previous scholarship recipient who was not eligible to apply due to the previous GPA requirement, we welcome your application beginning Jan. 2! Please note that unofficial transcripts are still required.

Disqualified applicants for all MSHF scholarships:

• VHA dba MSHF directors, officers, employees, members of the MSHF Program Committee (including non-voting community members of the MSHF Program Committee), and their family members.
• Mat-Su Regional Medical Center Board of Directors members and their family members.
• Mat-Su Regional Board of Trustee members.
• Family members of a disqualified person include a disqualified person’s spouse, siblings (whether by whole or half-blood), spouses of siblings (whether by whole or half-blood) and their children by whole or half blood or by adoption, ancestors, children (including a legally adopted child), grandchildren, great grandchildren, and spouses of children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren (whether by whole or half-blood).

Questions?

• Please visit our FAQ page.
• For additional assistance, please send an email to: scholarships@healthymatsu.org