Arizona has made it possible for nearly 900 nursing students to accelerate completion of their studies by awarding more than $43 million in grants to five universities, health officials said Tuesday.

The Arizona Department of Health Services announced the grants, which will be used to allow students to complete bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 12-18 months, according to a release.

Recipients must agree to practice nursing in Arizona for at least four years upon completion of their degrees.

Programs receiving funding and the amounts are:

• Arizona State University: $5.6 million for 104 scholarships
• Creighton University (Phoenix): $5.9 million for 80 scholarships
• Grand Canyon University: $16 million for 300 scholarships
• Northern Arizona University: $6.4 million for 240 scholarships
• University of Arizona: $9.2 million for 158 scholarships

The programs will create scholarships covering the cost of tuition and fees incurred while completing an accelerated nursing program the ADHS release stated. 

In a separate funding, ADHS awarded Creighton University $6 million in capital costs associated with adding a “cohort of accelerated nursing students,” the release stated.