Scholarships available to help Mat-Su residents pursue education in health and human services

Financial help is available for local people of all ages interested in pursuing higher education in the health and human services fields. Mat-Su residents are invited to apply for Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) academic scholarships, which can be applied toward the full cost of attendance for students pursuing health- and human-service-related degrees at accredited colleges and universities.

“Providing financial support to students who are building our healthcare workforce in the Mat-Su is an integral step toward ensuring everyone in our community has access to healthcare,” said Elizabeth Ripley, MSHF president and chief executive officer. “Year after year, we have increased academic scholarship funding to reduce the financial burden for Mat-Su students. This directly supports our goal of making the Mat-Su Borough the healthiest in the nation.”

In response to student needs and the complexity of other applications, MSHF has worked to revise its guidelines and scholarship application requirements. While some scholarships mandate letters of reference, complex essays, test scores, and a minimum grade point average (GPA) as deciding components, academic scholarship applications for MSHF are far simpler.

“We examined how we could reduce the barriers for current and prospective applicants across the board,” shared Vandana Ingle, MSHF senior program officer. “We identified strategic ways to streamline our initial application and renewal process, making it easier and more accessible for students. In doing so, we have seen an increase in applications, funds awarded, and overall satisfaction from our scholars.”

In 2024, 576 Mat-Su residents shared a total of $2,958,251 to pursue higher education in the fields of health and human services and other closely related areas of study. The number of individual scholarships and the total dollar amount varies each year. Complete eligibility requirements and the online application are available at healthymatsu.org. The deadline for the 2025 academic scholarship is March 15, 2025.