Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program: A Comprehensive Guide

The Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) offers a valuable opportunity for aspiring healthcare professionals to finance their education and serve as commissioned officers in the Navy's active duty team. This program is designed for individuals pursuing degrees in medicine, dentistry, optometry, physician assistant studies, or clinical psychology.

Financial Benefits of the HPSP

The HPSP covers educationally based tuition and fees for up to four years of professional school. In addition to tuition coverage, the program provides a monthly stipend to help with living expenses. The Navy also reimburses students for all professional school-required books and equipment. The total value of this program can easily exceed $300,000 for a four-year program. Furthermore, medical and dental students may be eligible for a signing bonus of $20,000.

Eligibility for Navy Psychology HPSP

The Navy Psychology HPSP specifically supports individuals who want to serve as clinical psychologists in the United States Navy. To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in APA-accredited doctoral programs (Ph.D. or PsyD) in clinical psychology from a U.S. or Puerto Rican school. All scholarships are three years in length (years 2, 3, and 4 in most programs). Applicants must already be enrolled in their doctoral program and be able to complete three years as a full-time student on the scholarship before starting their pre-doctoral internship. Students should apply for HPSP during their first (or in some cases, second) year of graduate school.

Application Timeline

The best time to apply for a four-year scholarship is in the fall before the year you plan to attend professional school. However, students already in medical, dental, or optometry school should apply as soon as possible for available scholarships, as they are awarded on a rolling basis. The application process takes approximately 12 to 16 weeks to complete, and applications are accepted throughout the year. Interviews conducted as part of the application process will be scheduled during the second half of the academic year (usually in early February). Selection of scholarship students takes place annually in March. Tuition is backdated to the start of the semester in which the student is currently enrolled.

How to Apply

To begin the application process, locate a recruiter through the Navy's official website. On the website, there is a link to "Find a Recruiter" located on the right side of the page under the heading “Request Information.” Click on that, and once you get to that page, enter your zip code under the heading “Locate a Recruiter.” Provide the zip code where you will be located when you would like to speak and work with a recruiter, then hit “Find.” The site will provide contact information for recruiters in your area.

Read also: Naval Community College

Service Obligation

HPSP scholarship recipients incur an Active Duty Obligation (ADO) of one year for each year they participate in the program. For periods less than a year, the ADO is six months for each additional six months of participation. Periods of 15 days or more are counted as a 6-month period. The obligation is served in addition to any existing active duty obligation. The traditional HPSP service obligation is 3 years post-internship. Students are obligated to serve one year of active duty (not counting training years) for each year of scholarship, with a three-year minimum.

It should be noted that the Navy Clinical Psychology community is gradually moving toward compliance with a DOD regulation that requires an individual to be licensed before fulfilling any portion of their service obligation. In support of this, the Navy is currently piloting a postdoctoral training year for new psychologists. This training will focus on the provision of psychological services in Navy and Marine Corps operational settings, and it will provide the time and resources necessary for trainees to become licensed in the state of their choice. It is expected that this postdoctoral training year will be fully implemented within the next two to three years, and will then become mandatory for most new psychologists. This will essentially increase the service obligation to 4 years post internship. However, this will not change the service obligation for those applying for HPSP in 2024.

General Requirements

Regardless of age, applicants must undergo a physical examination to ensure they are healthy enough to serve in case of deployment. HPSP applicants will take a physical at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) near them. Applicants must also pass a security investigation and demonstrate the high moral standards expected of a physician and a military officer. The Military screens for certain conditions that may be incompatible with a military medical practice, but waivers for certain health-related issues are available on a case-by-case basis.

Age Requirements

To join the Military, applicants must be at least 18 years old (17 with parental consent), or granted a waiver. Applicants must also be U.S. citizens. Non-U.S. residents may become commissioned officers.

Prior Service and Military Commitments

Individuals with prior service or prior military commitments can apply to be military medical students, residents, or physicians, although some may need to fill out extra applications. Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets must be approved for an educational delay because of their existing military commitments before they apply to HPSP. Likewise, cadets and midshipmen in Service academies and ROTC must be approved by their respective Service before accepting admission to medical school. Active-duty service members must receive permission from their Personnel Command to leave their current assignment and apply to medical school and scholarship programs. Any preexisting service obligation for military education and training will be added to any obligation related to participation in a medical scholarship program.

Test Requirements

While test scores are just one indicator, HPSP applicants should generally have a 3.2 GPA and a minimum MCAT score of 500. The Military also evaluates and considers prior military service, preclinical work experience, volunteer service, research experience, and leadership potential during the selection process.

Academic Requirements

Applicants must have been awarded a baccalaureate degree from an accredited academic institution in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada by June 1 of the year of desired attendance. Generally, applicants must have completed certain coursework, examples of which include:

One academic year of general or inorganic chemistry with lab
One academic year of physics with lab
One academic year of organic chemistry with lab or one semester of organic chemistry with lab and one semester of biochemistry
One academic year of biology with lab
One academic year of writing-intensive humanities, languages, social sciences or psychology
One semester of calculus or statistics

For additional requirements and considerations, please contact a recruiter.

Degrees and Licensing

HPSP requires all applicants to have baccalaureate degrees from accredited programs in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico. For the HPSP application to be final, applicants must be accepted to, or enrolled in, an accredited physician of medicine (M.D.) or physician of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) degree program in the United States or Puerto Rico. Accreditation must come from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association. Physicians with degrees from foreign medical schools must also:

Pass either the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in the Medical Sciences or hold an Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates certification
Be certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties
Complete internship in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico
Have an unrestricted license to practice in the United States and its territories
Be currently engaged in a clinical practice

Physicians need to have completed one year of graduate medical education, must have a valid state license issued by a state, territory or commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia, and should be board certified or board eligible.

Additional Ways To Prepare

Joining the Military is a significant commitment that can alter the course of your medical career in new and fulfilling ways. The student’s #1 priority while enrolled in the HPSP program is to dedicate themselves to their studies. Students are expected to meet Air Force Fitness Standards while on active duty.

Benefits of Serving as a Navy Physician

Serving as a Navy physician offers a range of benefits, including:

Great patient populations
The ability to provide total care
Quality colleagues
Travel opportunities: Air Force physicians can be stationed at military clinics and hospitals all over the world and deploy in support of military operations.
Potential for zero debt and better pay: A HPSP scholarship covers all tuition, books, and fees, and also provides a generous monthly stipend.
Opportunity to be a leader and make a difference

Additional Benefits for Navy Psychology HPSP

Full tuition (no upper limit) paid via contract between the Navy and your school. Full pay and allowances of an Ensign (0-1) for 45 days per year (amounting to approximately $4,500), which is completed during Annual Training (AT). HPSP students may complete one sponsored AT per year. Travel and per diem are paid by the Navy if the AT is performed in a location other than your school. Scholarship students attend a 5-week Navy orientation program (Officer Development School [ODS]) at some point during the three years that they are on scholarship. ODS is a one-time training, and can be attended during the first, second, or third year of the scholarship. Students are strongly encouraged to complete this requirement in the first or second year of the scholarship if possible. Once orders to internship are in hand, students can arrange to have their household goods moved to the Portsmouth area. Students are not eligible for active duty pay until they report to Portsmouth for their internship.

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