Virginia EMS Scholarship Program Overview (FY24)

2024 Scholarship Program Guidance

The 2024 Virginia EMS Scholarship Program is managed by the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services providing scholarship awards to current Virginia EMS Providers and those seeking to become EMS providers in the Commonwealth.   

The program supports students who are accepted into an eligible Virginia approved initial certification program–EMR, EMT, Advanced EMT and Paramedic.  The scholarship program is not designed to provide 100% funding for a training program.

How Award Amounts are Determined

Determining Baseline Funding

    • Tuition costs are calculated based on the tuition rate and number of credit hours it takes to complete each level of EMS training in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS).
    • The Office then determines baseline funding by considering several factors to include:  1) how much money will be available during the fiscal year,  2) the number of anticipated applicants, and 3) any system specific training priorities.  Staff will then set the maximum percentage of the calculated VCCS tuition that the scholarship program will cover by certification level.

Fiscal Year 2023 Baseline Funding

Baseline funding per certification level is as follows:

Level Credit Hours Credit Hr. $ Total VCCS Tuition Charges FY21 Baseline Scholarship Amount
EMR 3 $154.00 $462.00 $115.50
EMT 8 $154.00 $1,232.00 $862.40
Advanced EMT 8 $154.00 $1,232.00 $616.00
Paramedic 44 $154.00 $6,776.00 $3,388.00

Determining Additional Funding*

In addition to the baseline funding per certification level, the EMS Portal will look at four (4) Virginia Department of Health stressors, and potentially apply additional funding to the baseline award amount.   Using the student/provider’s home zip code, the EMS Portal will then calculate any additional funding based on the application of the following stressors:

* A student/provider is not guaranteed to receive additional funding if they reside in an locality which has no stressors.

Awardee Expectations

The Awardee becomes immediately responsible for payment in full to the State if they do not meet the following*:

  • successful completion of their training program.
  • successful testing obtaining Virginia certification at the level of training.
  • affiliation with a licensed Virginia EMS agency for a minimum of one (1) year.
  • compliance with all applicable Code of Virginia and EMS Regulations as well as the Training Program Administration Manual
  • notifying the Office of EMS of any change in legal name, address change or criminal/civil charges within five (5) days of the event.

* For full disclosure, be sure to read the scholarship contract.

Approved Expenses for Scholarship Funding

“The scholarship award amount shall only be used for payment of charges for tuition, fees, or other education expenses as prescribed by the Department. Room, board, travel, research, clerical help, equipment and other expenses that are not required for enrollment in or attendance at an eligible educational institution are not allowable expenses.”

“Other expenses as prescribed by the department” includes the following list of allowable items:

  • EMS text books;
  • EMS program uniforms/clinical clothing;
  • EMS testing fees to include NREMT certification exam fees;
  • Clinical tracking program software licenses to include but not limited to: FISDAP; Platinum Planner
  • NREMT cognitive exam preparation software to include but not limited to: FISDAP, EMSTesting.com;
  • EMS program related background checks;
  • EMS program related physicals and/or inoculations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following links are to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) for the Virginia EMS Scholarship Program.  Please check the FAQ page below before contacting the Office of EMS with questions about the program.

Scholarship Coordinator

The coordinator for the Virginia EMS Scholarship Program is Chad Blosser.  He can be reached via e-mail at: chad.blosser@vdh.virginia.gov.