BOLD Nursing Faculty Loan Program Shows Marked Impact at Two Years
October 7, 2025
Dr. Lena Burgess, a Clemson University clinical nursing instructor, teaching six aspiring nursing students.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (October 1, 2025) – Today, a $10 million investment by the South Carolina General Assembly is beginning to deliver on its promise to build a pipeline to fill the state’s nursing shortage. Two years ago, the legislature created the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation's BOLD™ (Better Outcomes, Less Debt) Career Pathways Nursing Faculty Loan Program to grow the nursing faculty in South Carolina to help train more nurses.
Clemson University faculty member and senior lecturer, Lena Burgess, DNP RN, CMSRN, CNE, took advantage of the BOLD program to pay for the final year of her Doctor of Nursing degree. The loan helped Burgess finish her doctorate and enabled her to step fully into her passion for nursing education. "SCSLC’s BOLD program made it possible for me to complete my own education and commit to the next step in my career doing what I love, which is preparing the next generation of nurses,” said Lena Burgess.
“It’s easy for nurse educators to be overlooked, and the ripple effect of the recognition and financial support from BOLD extends far beyond the nursing classrooms into the healthcare South Carolinians receive every day.”
Dr. Lena Burgess, Clemson University faculty member and senior lecturer
Today, Lena is one of more than 150 nurse educators across the state who have benefited from this loan forgiveness program, which has now delivered $3.79 million in tuition reimbursement commitments since its launch in August 2023. That translates to 150 new nursing faculty members statewide when all of the participants complete their degrees.
Administered by the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation, the BOLD Nursing Faculty Program provides up to $90,000 in tuition reimbursement for students pursuing advanced nursing education at public and independent colleges and universities across the state, and can also be used to refinance existing loans for a commitment to teaching the next generation of nurses. Participants must serve two years as nursing faculty for every one year of tuition assistance received.
“Over the past two years, the BOLD program has worked. It’s bolstered the nursing faculty pipeline here in South Carolina, with BOLD we are addressing the healthcare workforce crisis, enhancing the quality of medical care, and strengthening the capacity of higher education to meet the needs of our state.”
Dr. Jeff Perez, President and Executive Director of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
Ray Jones, Chief Product Officer at SCSLC, added: “The first two years of the BOLD Nursing Faculty Program is a promising start of what’s to come. We are proud to continue investing in the future of our state’s nurses, specifically through investing in the nursing educators that train and teach them.”
Program Highlights After Two Years
● Strong participation: As of July, 152 borrowers are enrolled in the program.
● Substantial financial support: Participants collectively hold $3.79 million in tuition reimbursement commitments.
● Faculty pipeline growth: Participants from the initial 2023 participant group are now entering faculty positions, helping ensure South Carolina can train the nurses its healthcare system urgently needs.
● Benefit Usage: The following pie chart illustrates the amount of anticipated loan reimbursements by participants in the BOLD Nursing Faculty Loan program, up to the maximum $90,000.
Since its initial $10 million investment, the General Assembly has allocated an additional $5 million to continue growing the BOLD Nursing Faculty Program and to support faculty salary supplements to help address the state’s nursing shortage.
For more information or to apply for the program, visit: scstudentloan.org/career-pathways/bold- nursing-faculty-program.
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ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA STUDENT LOAN:
Since 1973, South Carolina Student LoanTM has helped make education more accessible to South Carolina residents and students attending schools in the state by offering financial support to help cover the cost of tuition, books, housing, meals, and other educational expenses. As a nonprofit, South Carolina Student LoanTM is invested in the outcomes of its borrowers and the workforce in South Carolina, which is evident in innovative programs like BOLD™ Career Pathways that connects students with statewide employers who help cover education costs and provide those students with jobs. Learn more at scstudentloan.org.
ABOUT THE SOUTH CAROLINA COMMISSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION:
The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE), established in 1967, serves as the coordinating board for South Carolina’s 33 public institutions of higher learning. It acts both as an oversight agency on behalf of the General Assembly and as an advocate for higher education. The CHE is responsible for assuring a balance between student and taxpayer interests and institutional policies, aspirations, and needs. The CHE is committed to access, affordability, and quality in the state system of higher education through coordination, regulation, advocacy and oversight, as directed by the General Assembly.
