Allen College Receives $1.2M grant to Support Rural Health

June 14, 2022

WATERLOO – Allen College has been selected to receive $1,224,179 in grant funding to be dispersed over a three-year period beginning Oct. 1, 2022. The program is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development Program (84.116W) and will allow Allen College to start a Rural Student Success Program (RSSP).

The RSSP will be designed to benefit rural high school students, their support systems, rural healthcare employers and institutions of higher education within 50 miles of Waterloo. Additionally, the program will aim to increase rural partnerships and community engagement, expand and enhance rural student support services and provide financial assistance specifically for students from rural areas. These long-term initiatives will lead to an increase in rural student enrollment, retention and completion and result in more qualified healthcare personnel in the workforce for years to come.

Allen College, located at 1990 Heath St. in Waterloo, offers 15 health sciences degree programs to continue a tradition of excellence in healthcare education that spans more than 95 years. As an affiliate of UnityPoint Health, Allen College educates more than 600 on-site and online students each year to prepare them for a healthcare career.