Access to higher private education is an integral part of the University’s mission. Our Mercy and Jesuit founders firmly believed that higher education transforms lives and that college programs that expand knowledge and foster personal and spiritual development lead students to better careers and brighter futures. The University strives to ensure access for talented students, and makes every effort to assist students in moving past the economic barriers.
With scholarship support from donors and friends, corporations and foundations, the University can make it possible for students struggling with the costs of their education to move past the financial obstacles that might discourage them. Scholarship support allows the University to respond to the talent and abilities of a greater group of motivated young people and strengthens the University’s goal to prepare students for a diverse workplace.
Students who are preparing for a career in the health professions and in nursing are committed to the dream of one day attending to the health and wellbeing of our community. But the need for financial support for their education is evident. Recent data shows that 75% (922) undergraduate nursing students at UDM require some form of financial assistance to complete their education, and 50% (92 students) of our graduate nursing programs also require some financial aid. In the allied health professions, 93% (75 students) of undergraduate programs request and receive financial assistance; among graduates engaged in allied health professions learning, 85% (187 students) acquire financial assistance. Financial Assistance may come from scholarships, but more often come from student loans. It is a sad thought that many young graduates embarking on great new futures begin their independent lives with a boatload of loans to repay.
Scholarship support can make it possible for a talented student to achieve a degree and be free to pursue his or her life’s dream unencumbered with debt from education. Unfortunately, not that many scholarships are available to students in the health professions. Many of the larger nationally-recognized corporations funding health care provide scholarships for nursing to selected universities — typically in the regional areas of their operations. Locally, Detroit Area medical facilities have been very generous in contributing for scholarships and other needs in the College. We have also received wonderful assistance from local foundations and nationally, from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, which we dearly appreciate. In the current economic climate, however, the need for scholarships is so great among our students, we cannot possibly respond solely with corporate and foundation support. We count upon our alumni and friends of the University who recognize that an aging population truly requires skilled, compassionate health care professionals.
If you would like to consider a donation to ensure scholarship support is available for students in the health care professions, please don’t hesitate to contact the College of Health Professions at the University of Detroit Mercy. Your gift will be a meaningful investment into the lives of students and ultimately into the health of the community.