Gwynedd Mercy University announced Tuesday the expansion of its Nursing Scholars Program through new partnerships with Temple Health, Penn Highlands Healthcare and WellSpan Health, offering nursing students up to $40,000 in loan repayment opportunities.

These partnerships join the university's existing collaboration with Geisinger health system, creating direct career pathways to leading healthcare organizations while addressing regional nursing shortages.

"Our healthcare system continues to face critical staffing challenges, and GMercyU nurses, known for their skills and compassion, are essential to meeting the growing demand for high-quality patient care," said Jane H. Tang, Dean of GMercyU's Frances M. Maguire College of Nursing & Health Professions.

Through the Temple Nursing Scholars Program and Penn Highlands Nursing Scholars Program, selected students can receive up to $40,000 in student loan payments distributed monthly over three years of full-time employment after passing the NCLEX exam. The WellSpan Nursing Scholars Program offers eligible students up to $37,500 in loan repayments over a two- or three-year employment period.

The expanded program comes as the registered nurse workforce is projected to grow by more than 175,000 nurses by 2032, according to the university.

GMercyU has trained nurses for more than 60 years, emphasizing both clinical skills and Mercy values. In 2025, the university will open the Frances M. Maguire '55 Healthcare Innovation Center, a 63,000-square-foot facility for healthcare education and interprofessional collaboration.

The Nursing Scholars Program is operated by Scholars Network, a Noodle company that partners with health systems to address healthcare recruitment, retention and upskilling challenges.