The Foundation of the National Student Nurses' Association has awarded over $12.8 million since 1974 and funds up to $10,000 per academic year to students currently enrolled in a state-approved nursing programme. Eligible programmes include the Associate Degree in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, hospital-based diploma programmes, direct-entry master's, LPN/LVN-to-RN, RN-BSN/MSN and accelerated BSN routes; funds are not available for graduate study unless it leads to a first nursing degree. Individual scholarships within the fund are set by their sponsors and typically reflect a specialty within nursing or a population underrepresented in the profession. Awards are judged on academic achievement, financial need and involvement in nursing student organisations and health-related community activity.