Featured Scholarships: February/March 2026

There are scholarships out there for all kinds of students, and we’re featuring three unique options as February moves into march. The Health Care Scholars United program provides awards to current and aspiring healthcare professionals; the Wells Fargo Veterans Scholarship supports U.S. armed forces veterans and their families; and the O’Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust focuses on opportunities for students from the rural Midwest.

Learn more about these options below. To see everything that’s open now and coming soon, visit our Browse Scholarships listing.

United Health Foundation Health Care Scholars United Scholarship

Part of UnitedHealth Group’s commitment to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone is to help build the workforce of the future. The United Health Foundation, established by UnitedHealth Group in 1999, has funded scholarships for health care students since 2007.

The Foundation’s commitment to that tradition continues again this year with the Health Care Scholars United Scholarship. The Health Care Scholars United program supports current and future health professionals as they work to obtain certifications or degrees in behavioral health, maternal health, primary care, rural health, pharmacy or other specialties.

The Health Care Scholars United Scholarship is open to current or aspiring health professionals and will provide 325 awards of $3,200 to students seeking to advance their clinical skills.

To apply, you must demonstrate financial need and be enrolled in full-time or part-time study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, vocational-technical or graduate school as a post-secondary student no later than Fall 2026. Eligible applicants should be in their final year of study and on track to graduate by June 2027.

Employees of UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, or an organization acquired by UnitedHealth Group, and their immediate family members are not eligible for this scholarship.  Physicians are also ineligible to apply. 

Applications are open through March 24. Apply Now > 

O’Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust 

Dorothy G. O’Brien and Genevieve A. O’Brien grew up on a farm south of DeKalb, Illinois, and the two sisters left a legacy of support for rural Midwestern students’ educational opportunities. Along with Genevieve’s husband, Ed Vrba, their estates created the O’Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust, which has been benefiting students for more than 30 years.

In 2026, the O’Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust is once again providing scholarships to college upperclassmen and graduate students who attended high school or currently live in rural Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin communities.

If you are a collegiate junior, senior or graduate student from an eligible rural county or attended high school in DeKalb, Illinois, you could earn a scholarship renewable for up to two total years. Applicants must be actively involved in school activities and community service and have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent).

In addition, you must be planning to enroll in full-time postsecondary or postgraduate study for the entire upcoming academic year, and your family’s annual Adjusted Gross Income must be less than $150,000. Finally, applicants of the Catholic faith are encouraged.

Applications are open through April 8. Apply Now > 

Wells Fargo Veterans Scholarship 

While military service comes with education benefits, many veterans returning to school still face gaps in funding—especially when it comes to rising tuition costs and family and living expenses.

Wells Fargo is strongly invested in supporting our nation’s veterans, through financial resources, career guidance and other initiatives. That support also includes a commitment to assist veterans in completing postsecondary education programs and helping them return to—and succeed in—a competitive job market.

The Wells Fargo Veterans Scholarship provides scholarships up to $5,000 per year, helping honorably discharged veterans (as well as the spouses and widows/widowers of honorably discharged disabled veterans) cover costs that remain after they’ve used their military benefits and other grants. Scholarships are renewable each year, to help recipients focus on completing their degrees rather than worrying about paying for future bills.

If you or a family member is a veteran, you may be able to benefit. If not, please take a moment to share the link with veterans and military families you know. The more we can spread the word, the more veterans we can help get through college!

Apply for Wells Fargo Veterans Scholarships by April 10 >