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Tuition-Free Nursing Academy

Nursing students working in the sim labs

Your Nursing Career: Only 2.6 Tuition-Free Years Away

Launched in September of 2023, our tuition-free Nursing Academy pathway provides an elite option for the most motivated first-year, full-time freshmen within our nationally recognized nursing program. Those selected complete their degree in less than three years and have guaranteed employment when they finish the program.

Compete for Your Spot

The University of Mary’s Nursing Academy is one of the most selective nursing pathways in the region:

  • Each February, a limited number of candidates are chosen from among the top nursing students across the nation.
  • Our rigorous selection process identifies students with outstanding academic achievement, leadership potential, commitment to service, and passion for the nursing profession.
  • They join an elite cohort with access to exclusive clinical experiences, personalized mentorship, development opportunities, and meaningful connections with health care executives and nursing leaders.

These experiences prepare graduates not only to excel as nurses, but also to lead and transform the future of health care. Plus, you receive the extraordinary benefit of earning your Bachelor of Science in Nursing tuition-free — along with a guaranteed nursing position following graduation.

Application Deadline: January 10, 2027

Q&A Sessions

The Nursing Academy is an exciting opportunity for first-year, full-time freshmen. Our Q&A sessions are designed to offer information regarding all aspects of the Nursing Academy - curriculum, benefits, pilgrimage to Europe, and more!

Sign Up for a Q&A Session

All Q&A sessions will take place virtually at 7:00 PM Central Time (CT), unless otherwise noted.

When you're a nursing student at Mary, you're not alone; you're part of a community of both past and present students; you're part of a legacy of historic success and continuing commitment to life-embracing health care.
Each year, our Nursing Academy students embark on a life-changing European pilgrimage designed to immerse them in the history of human dignity, health care, and faith. In 2024, our pilgrims spent part of their time with Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, the daughter of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
Mary offers nursing education for the whole person. In our Nursing Academy, we form our students as nurses, but we also form them as people. On top of the formation that occurs our classrooms, we also organize an annual retreat to North Dakota's beautiful Badlands, where our students and faculty learn more about each other and themselves.
The University of Mary uses its state-of-the-art simulation labs to prepare its students with the highest level of nursing education, making sure they're ready for the demands of the nursing profession. Our cutting-edge training facilities provide a hands-on learning experience that mirrors real-world health care settings. When our students start working, they're ready to excel.
Nursing Academy students leave our program with guaranteed employment and a growing network of health care professionals they've built relationships with.

This Could Be You

The University of Mary’s tuition-free Nursing Academy represents a bright new beginning for our nation’s aspiring nurses. If chosen as a Nursing Academy scholar, you will: 

  • Earn Your Bachelor's in Less Than Three Years
    Nursing Academy students will complete their Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2.6 years, taking advantage of the University of Mary’s one-of-a-kind Year-Round Campus model.
  • Tour Europe
    As a part of the Nursing Academy, students will take a study pilgrimage to Europe, exploring impactful moments in the history of nursing. The journey includes visits to Italy, Germany, and France, spending time at the University of Mary’s Rome campus, taking in the vibrant sights of Munich, and experiencing the breathtaking mountain village of Lourdes. This pilgrimage is one of several experiences designed for personal and spiritual transformation within the academy. These experiences (lodging, meals, etc.) are entirely funded by donors. Students are responsible only for some personal meals, incidental expenses, and a prorated fee to help defray some of the costs of getting there and back, like airfare. Learn more in our Momentum story.
  • Gain Program Admission as a Freshman
    Students accepted to the Nursing Academy will be directly admitted to the nursing program as incoming freshmen. This will give you a step up as you progress toward graduation and prepare to embark on your nursing career.
  • Discover Exclusive Employment Opportunities
    Nursing Academy students will benefit from personalized mentorship experiences and gain access to sought-after career opportunities with world-class health care systems. 

Our tuition-free Nursing Academy was developed through a groundbreaking partnership with Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, with 47 medical centers in large and small cities throughout the Midwest. Valued support of the Nursing Academy is also provided by CHI St. Alexius Health. CHI is the third-largest nonprofit health care network in the nation, operating 101 facilities in 18 states.

Nursing Students standing around medical human dummy

A Legacy of Excellence

See for yourself why our nursing education is ranked among the best in the nation year after year.

Nursing at Mary

For over 60 years, the University of Mary has been training outstanding nursing professionals proficient in direct care, health education, and administration.

The University of Mary’s nursing program – within the Saint Gianna School of Health Sciences – integrates in-class instruction, hands-on experience, and cutting-edge simulation techniques to cultivate professional competence, intellectual depth, and moral courage. This is all fulfilled within our Christian, Catholic, and Benedictine identity and mission.

Scholarship Opportunities for Traditional Nursing Students

While only our Nursing Academy students receive their education tuition-free, all of our nursing students qualify for generous funding. The students we select as alternates for the Nursing Academy receive a locked-in tuition rate for the duration of their degree plan at Mary, and for our traditional nursing students, there are a wide range of scholarship opportunities available.

To explore the full range of these undergraduate scholarship opportunities, review our scholarship listings here.

Interested in Learning More?

We’re here to help. For more information or to begin the application process, call us at 701-355-8030 or request information below.