Wisconsin allocates $10 million to Nurse Educator Program

MADISON, Wis., Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For anyone who has considered becoming a nurse educator, there is an ongoing opportunity available in the state of Wisconsin. State legislators and Governor Tony Evers have continued funding—$10 million—to the Wisconsin Nurse Educator Program (WNEP) in the 2025-2027 budget.

These dollars fund nurses pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)-Nurse Educator, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Nursing Education (DNE) or PhD degree, as well as post-doctoral fellowships, according to Linda K. Young, Co-Chair of the WNEP Advisory Council. Recipients are required to teach for three years full-time or six years part-time in a Wisconsin nursing program following their graduation. Faculty loan repayment assistance—including faculty relocating to the state—is also available for qualified candidates who apply and are hired full-time at a Wisconsin nursing program.  Depending on the loan amount, recipients will receive repayment assistance up to the maximum of $50,000 for PhD/DNP and $30,000 for MSN prepared faculty, paid out over three years, Young said. 

Over the past several years, Administrators of Nursing Education in Wisconsin (ANEW), along with the Wisconsin Nurses Association (WNA) and the Wisconsin League for Nursing (WLN), have drawn the attention of state lawmakers and the public

to the deepening Wisconsin nursing faculty shortage and how that impacts the nursing shortage.

Young said the nursing faculty shortage has continued to intensify as pressure to expand enrollment in nursing programs has increased.  To bolster nursing student enrollment, more faculty are needed, which is why the legislature and the governor continued to support funding of the program for a third budget cycle.

According to Young, WNEP funding supports short-term solutions (hiring faculty with loan repayment assistance) as well as long term investment in developing nursing faculty in Wisconsin (funding MSN-Nurse Education, DNP and PhD students). All elements of WNEP program come with the requirement to teach in a Wisconsin nursing program.

"If you have thought about becoming a nurse educator, and impacting generations of nurses to come, now may be the time in your career to take advantage of this incredible Wisconsin-based opportunity," Young said.

The funds are distributed through the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB). For more information, visit https://nurseeducatorswi.com/.

SOURCE Wisconsin Nurse Educator Program