Kansas Osteopathic Medical Service Scholarship

Awarded By:

Kansas Board of Regents

Number of Awards & Eligibility: Up to 32 awards offered annually, as funding permits.

Description: Kansas residents who plan to attend a nationally accredited osteopathic school full time are eligible for this award. After graduation, students must practice primary care medicine in any Kansas county, except Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, or Wyandotte; if the student does not fulfill the service obligation, the scholarship must be repaid with interest.

Application requirements for the Kansas Osteopathic Medical Service Scholarship are:

• Application form
• Personal statement
• Recent tax return
• FAFSA

Additional Information: In 1975 the State of Kansas enacted Legislation, and amended it in 2001, providing the Kansas Board of Regents with the authority to grant scholarships to individuals pursuing a medical career in osteopathy. The Osteopathic Medical Service Scholarship is designed to encourage doctors to practice primary care medicine in areas of Kansas where there is an insufficiency of medical care providers Recipients must sign an agreement and promissory note, which includes the promise to repay the Kansas Board of Regents the cumulative award amount plus accrued interest from the date such money was received at a rate which is equivalent to the interest rate applicable to loans made under the federal PLUS program at the time such person first entered into an agreement plus five percentage points and any collection costs in the event service is not rendered. Each recipient can discharge fully his/her obligation to the Kansas Board of Regents by practicing primary care medicine full time or half time in Kansas excluding Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte counties or through at least half-time employment at a state medical care facility or institution. Each year of scholarship support obligates the recipient to one year of service. Practice must begin within six months after licensure or within six months after completion of an approved postgraduate residency training program and licensure, whichever is later. The criterion to be used by the Kansas Board of Regents in selecting recipients includes Kansas resident status, financial need as measured by the federal formula defined in U.S. Public Law 102-325, and the likelihood of primary care medical practice in an underserved area of Kansas. In making this selection, emphasis will be placed upon the applicant's statement outlining his/her past and present commitment to medical care or employment in Kansas including volunteer or paid health care efforts.

Award Amount: Up to $25,000 annually, renewable for three additional years or until the degree is conferred, whichever occurs first. Scholarship awards are dependent upon state appropriations.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $100,000.