Medical and behavioral healthcare fields continue to face significant workforce shortages. A competent, skilled workforce is indispensable to support the health of residents across the state, especially in rural Alaska. Hands-on clinical experiences or internships are a required component of most physical and behavioral health care educational programs/courses, including, but not limited to, professions such as medical assistants, paramedic technology, nursing, social workers, clinical psychologists, surgical technicians, certified nursing assistants, radiology technicians, and many more.

Unfortunately, affording to live (especially in rural Alaska) while earning a health degree or certificate has been a significant challenge due to the limited ability to work while completing clinical rotations and/or the costs associated with completing clinical health placements.  

The University of Alaska (UA) is excited to continue to offer this Clinical Health Placement Financial Aid Funding Award opportunity for eligible students in health programs across the UA system. This program provides a first-come, first-served opportunity for partial financial aid support for Alaska’s next generation of health professionals as they further their education to help the residents of Alaska. The financial aid funding awards are designed for the following:

1. To incentivize rural placements.
2. Support students from rural regions of the state needing to travel to urban communities to receive the number of clinical hours required.
3. Support EMS/Paramed students required to travel out of state for the volume of clinical hours required.
4. Support travel for students in urban areas staying in urban communities for their clinical hours.

The Clinical Health Placement Initiative financial aid funding awards have been allocated for FY27 (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027) and cannot be used for clinical placements beginning after June 30, 2027. Clinical placements that begin late in the spring 2027 semester may be considered if funding is available; otherwise, students may apply for the FY28 summer semester. 

Clinical Health Placement funding awards are limited and given on a first-come, first-served basis; however, one award may be split into two semesters if requested by the health program director or assistant dean. Students may only receive one award per academic year, and will follow the funding award criteria listed as numbers one through four above.

Note: The State of Alaska's legislative intent of the UA health expansion & growth funds is to offset the costs of students required to conduct eligible clinical health placements, preferably in rural Alaska. Many students must maintain (pay for) two Alaska residences when they leave their Alaska home community to travel to/from rural Alaska for their placement. Alaska state legislators may also review aggregate data regarding students' home communities and communities of health placement, as well as employment after the fact.

By applying for the financial aid funding award, UAA, UAF, and UAS students acknowledge and understand the following:

1. “Additional resources" are any sources of money received that were not factored into your cost of attendance estimate. If additional resources become available to you, the Office of Financial Aid may reduce previously paid or anticipated awards to keep your aid package within the estimated cost. If additional resources become available to you at any time during the enrollment period that exceed your eligibility for assistance, federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to reduce previous awards that have been previously offered and or disbursed (this does include grants, scholarships, and loan funding).
   
   Additional resources include funding such as scholarships, fellowships, internships, loans (private or subsidized), and department payments on behalf of students for tuition. Note: any funding that goes into a student account can have positive or negative impacts on the student's ability to qualify for loans.
   
   All or part of any loan funds may be returned to the lender if additional resources become available to you that were not originally considered when eligibility for the loan was determined. Returned funds will therefore be applied to reduce your loan debt. Undisbursed, anticipated loan funds may also be canceled or reduced before disbursement if these resources exceed the “student need” calculation.
   
   
2. Students enrolled in UAA partner programs, including Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Occupational Therapy, or Speech-Language Pathology, are not eligible for Clinical Health Placement awards. Students enrolled in the UAA WWAMI program are eligible for Clinical Health Placement awards.
   
   
3. Students may receive a Clinical Health Placement financial aid award for only one semester for their clinical health placements or internship/practicum; however, an award may be split into both the fall and spring semesters if requested by the health program director. In the application, students must select the semester in which their clinical placement will take place. If a student has clinical placements in more than one semester, the student must select their preferred semester for an award – summer, fall, or spring (or work with their program manager/director to have it split).
   
   
4. Students in paid clinical placements, including paid work-based placements, are not eligible for these funds.

The University of Alaska System’s Office (UASO), UAA, UAF, and UAS will not be held responsible for any loss of or reductions to a student's financial assistance (example: tuition assistance, VA benefits, etc.) if the student accepts this funding or if these funds are applied to past due balances.

Students will receive an award for only one semester per academic year for their clinical health placement, and if awarded, the health program manager will confirm the semester selection is correct.

Students who meet the Clinical Health Placement eligibility, program, and location criteria may be awarded financial aid to alleviate expenditures during their health placement. Certain students may also qualify for an additional award for travel expenses. All student applications will undergo a four-step approval process:

1. Health degree program director/manager
2. UAA department manager
3. Fiscal processing
4. UAA Financial Aid Department

Travel awards will be made at the discretion of the UAA department manager and will be based on the student’s home community location, clinical health placement location, and relocation away from the student’s home community.

Financial Aid Awards by Placement Type

*Alaska DOLWD Research & Analysis Section defines rural/remote Alaska as well as regions and communities EXCEPT for the Municipality of Anchorage, the Mat-Su Borough, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Kenai Peninsula, and the City and Borough of Juneau.

• Student Eligibility
  • This partial financial aid funding support is available for UAA, UAF, and UAS full- and part-time students enrolled in specific health degree programs (as listed) that require a clinical health placement of three weeks or more in rural Alaska, out-of-state, or in the student’s established home community (rural or non-rural). 
  • Students in health OECs or certificate programs are eligible for a one-time $500.00 award during the semester of their choice.
  • Students in paid clinical placements, including work-based placements, are ineligible for financial aid funding through this program opportunity.
  • Funding preference will be given to students whose clinical placement requires that they relocate out of state (paramedicine only), choose to conduct their clinical health placement in a rural community, or relocate away from their home community.
  • Students who remain in their home community or established place of residence, participating in clinical health placements of three weeks or more, may apply for a financial aid travel funding award. 
  • Requests for a retroactive financial aid funding award in the current fiscal year may be considered as funding allows.
  • Students must work with their university’s financial aid department to understand the implications for their financial aid resources if their application for the financial aid funding award program is awarded. Students are advised to speak with their financial aid department before applying to understand how this clinical health placement financial aid funding award may impact their financial status. UA, UAA, UAF, and UAS will not be held responsible for any loss of financial aid (ie, tuition assistance; VA benefits; etc.).
  • Students enrolled in UAA partner programs in Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Occupational Therapy, or Speech-Language Pathology are not eligible. Students enrolled in the UAA WWAMI are eligible.
  • UA students living out of the country or out of state are ineligible.
• Eligible Programs

  UAA Programs

  • Applied Behavior Analysis – BA, BS, MS
  • Certified Nursing Aide Course – Certificate/OEC
  • Clinical Community Psychology – PhD
  • Clinical Psychology – MS
  • Dental Hygiene – BS
  • Dietetics and Nutrition – MS pre-professional track
  • Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) – AAS
  • Doctor of Medicine – MD
  • Family Nurse Practitioner – FNP
  • Human Services – AAS, BHS
  • Medical Laboratory Science – BS
  • Medical Laboratory Technician – AAS
  • Medical Assisting – AAS
  • Nursing – AAS, BSN
  • Paramedical Technology – AAS
  • Phlebotomy – OEC
  • Physical Therapist Assistant - AAS
  • Psychiatric – Mental Health - Nurse Practitioner – PMHNP
  • Radiologic Technology - AAS
  • School Psychology Specialist - MS
  • Speech Language Pathology - AAS
  • Social Work – BSW, BA
  • Social Work – MSW
  • Surgical Technology – AAS

  UAF Programs

  • Clinical Mental Health – M.Ed.
  • Dental Assisting – AAS, Certificate
  • Medical Assisting – AAS, Certificate
  • Medical Scribe – Certificate
  • Certified Nursing Aide – OEC
  • Paramedic – Training Program
  • Paramedicine – AAS
  • Phlebotomy – Training Program
  • School Counseling – M.Ed, Graduate Licensure
  • Social Work – BA

  UAS Programs

  • Behavioral Health Assistant — OEC
  • Certified Nurse Aide Training (Ketchikan) — OEC
  • Certified Nurse Aide Training (Sitka) — OEC
  • Medical Assisting —  Certificate
• Application Process
  • Applications will be approved and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, with preference given to full or part-time students relocating away from their home community or established residence. Non-rural placements and OECs/certificates will be awarded as funds are available and as stipulated in the student eligibility section.
  • Students may receive only one Clinical Health Placement award per state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30).
  • Submitted applications will go directly to the health degree program director/manager in which the student is enrolled for eligibility, “student in good standing verification”, approval, and processing.

For additional information, please contact uaa_healthplacement@alaska.edu.