How to Find & Apply to Scholarships for Your Dietetic Internship
You’re a nutrition student and you have finally made it to the LAST and pivotal step of completing your dietetic internship.
With the recent changes to the dietetics pathway and the need to also complete a master’s degree, you may be wondering how to finance your dietetic internship program.
In this blog post, we’ll explore effective strategies for finding and applying for scholarships for nutrition students and dietetic interns.
First, we’ll discuss the various organizations that provide scholarships for dietetic interns. Then we’ll discuss ways to successfully apply for and land scholarships.
Where to Find Scholarships for Dietetic Interns & Nutrition Students
Several different organizations provide scholarships for dietetic interns and nutrition students. In this section, we’ll outline where to search for these scholarship opportunities.
1. Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Foundation Scholarships
This is the best option for nutrition and dietetic scholarship opportunities. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics awards approximately 300 scholarships each year ranging from $500 to $25,000 depending on donations for that year.
In 2023, AND awarded 294 scholarships totaling $806,800.
To qualify for these scholarships, you must be an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic member. Most likely your internship or DPD program will require this anyway so it’s worthwhile to sign up as a student member.
The best part about the AND scholarship application is that you only need to fill out one application to be considered for multiple scholarships. The application is lengthy, but if you have completed your DICAS application, you’ll be able to copy and paste most of the information.
While there are some essay questions to answer, they are all capped at 100 words which is very short!
You can also save your application and come back to it as many times as needed. Most of our past interns recommend spending a few hours on the application process.
Scholarship applications for 2024-2025 year are due on April 23, 2024, at 10:00 am Central Time.
Applicants are notified of scholarship awards by mid to late August.
2. State-Specific Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Scholarships
In addition to the AND Foundation scholarships, many of the state-specific affiliates of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics also offer student and dietetic internship scholarship opportunities.
You can find out more information about these scholarships by signing up for emails and following the social media accounts for your local AND affiliate.
These scholarships often have a much earlier deadline than the AND Foundation scholarships. They are often in January or February, so keep these on your radar!
When you pay your annual AND membership, you will automatically be enrolled in your state’s local chapter. However, if you need to change your state affiliation for any reason, you can email AND and request a change of location!
These scholarships are often not as competitive as the AND scholarships, so definitely apply.
3. University Affiliated Scholarships
If you’re enrolled in a graduate program, you may be eligible to apply for scholarships or merit-based financial aid at your university.
Check with your university to see if you qualify for scholarships.
For example, one of our graduate degree partners, Middle Tennessee State University, offers graduate scholarships with specific targets/applicant requirements.
You can find out more about the MTSU scholarship opportunities and apply here.
Deadlines for university scholarships will vary widely so make sure you check your University’s scholarship deadline.
4. Check nutrition-related organizations or other professional associations.
Organizations such as the School Nutrition Association have scholarships for individuals who are employed in school nutrition and are pursuing further education.
You can learn more about the School Nutrition Association scholarship opportunities here.
You don’t have to limit yourself to just organizations related to nutrition. Perhaps you’re a member of another organization or interest group- it doesn’t hurt to check if they offer any types of scholarships!
5. Check scholarship search platforms.
You can also explore scholarship opportunities on scholarship search platforms such as FastWeb. You can search for scholarships related to nutrition, STEM, and healthcare.
You might also look for scholarships based on minority groups or disabilities. For example, you may qualify for specific scholarships if you have hearing loss.
There are also scholarships for first-generation college students.
While these more global scholarships may be more competitive, it’s worth taking a look to see if you meet the requirements.
Tips for Applying for Scholarships
Now that we have covered where to look for scholarships, here are some tips for applying for scholarships.
1. Create a tracking system.
Create a spreadsheet that outlines the scholarship, the application requirements, and the due date. You might also include a column for references to confirm when you have asked references to submit any required forms.
2. Gather supporting documentation.
While it can be time-consuming to apply for scholarships, you likely have almost everything you need from your DICAS application.
Most scholarship applications will ask for your resume, references and often a few essay questions.
Make sure that you tailor your essays to each scholarship application. For example, if the scholarship is for school nutrition employees interested in school nutrition, you’ll want to highlight your career goals related to this area (even if you also have other goals).
A lot of scholarships also want to hear about your leadership experience. Remember, leadership isn’t just limited to school or work activities. You can also be a project or team lead in a volunteer capacity as well.
3. Reach out to your references.
It is common courtesy to give your references at least two weeks notice before the application deadline. However, when possible, asking at least a month ahead of time is preferable.
This will also give you a bigger buffer just in case there is a delay in receiving the recommendation.
Some scholarship applications will ask for letters of recommendation, while others such as the AND scholarship, only have a short reference form.
This reference form for the AND scholarship is very brief and references essentially rank a few different qualities and answer a few short questions. It takes less than 10 minutes!
4. Seek feedback and proofread.
Before submitting your scholarship applications, seek feedback from a family member, a trusted professional, or even a fellow classmate. They can provide valuable insights and suggestions for strengthening your application.
Additionally, take the time to proofread your application thoroughly to ensure it’s free of grammatical errors, typos, and formatting inconsistencies. We love using Grammarly.
5. Believe in yourself!
A lot of nutrition students and future dietetic interns decide not to apply for scholarships because they believe that they won’t be competitive enough.
However, this is a misconception! Scholarships are not only awarded to students who have a 4.0 GPA or a certain number of volunteer hours. There are a lot of experiences and backgrounds that are considered when awarding scholarships. There are also need-based scholarships.
If you’ve come this far in your dietetic journey, chances are that you’ve done some pretty amazing things!
Don’t let your self-doubt prevent you from applying!
While applying for scholarships for nutrition students and dietetic interns can be time-consuming, it is a worthwhile endeavor. With a little bit of time and effort, you can utilize the majority of information from your DICAS application to apply for scholarships.
About the Author
Kelan Sarnoff, MS, RD is a registered dietitian with over a decade of experience in nutrition. She has worked in academia for the past 4 years and taught graduate-level courses including medical nutrition therapy. She loves helping future dietitians and interns discover their passion. She also works as a career coach.