The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses' National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) is an exciting and highly regarded conference for progressive and critical care nurses. We're delighted to offer scholarships, awarded based on merit through AACN's Continuing Professional Development program, to help AACN members attend NTI in sunny San Diego, from May 17-20, 2026.
The NTI Veteran Attendee Scholarship is available for AACN members who have previously attended one or more NTIs, while the NTI First Time Attendee Scholarship is designed to support members new to NTI. The number of scholarships given each year will vary based on the available scholarship funds.
NTI Scholarships include:
- Complimentary main conference registration
- $2,000 for travel expenses
- Hotel and air travel to be arranged by the scholarship recipient
- Preconference sessions covered by the scholarship recipient
Scholarship Requirements
Join us for the whole conference, arriving on Sunday, May 17, 2026, before the 4 pm Navigating NTI 101 session, and departing either on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after the conference ends at 5:30 pm, or on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
Before NTI, plan ahead and familiarize yourself with NTI tools by exploring our conference event site, scheduling any sessions that require reservations, and reviewing the NTI Program Schedule to decide which educational activities you want to attend. Provide a Social Security or tax ID number and an ACH Direct Deposit form to AACN. The IRS regards scholarships exceeding $600 as taxable income for recipients.
During NTI, you'll have the opportunity to engage in activities such as Navigating NTI, SuperSessions, Sunrise, ExpoEd, and hands-on sessions. Before the Navigating NTI session, there will be a friendly meet-and-greet specifically for scholarship recipients.
After NTI, We warmly invite you to share a brief reflection—just one to two pages—within two weeks of returning home. This is a wonderful opportunity to tell us about your experience, highlight your favorite educational sessions, and share how the scholarship helped support your nursing continuing professional development goals. We'd love to hear about how you've shared your new knowledge with your team to positively impact patient care, and we're excited to learn about your plans to share even more within 90 days after the conference! Your feedback is truly valuable to us and helps strengthen our relationship with its donors.
Eligibility Requirements
- Current active (RN status) AACN membership at the time of application and throughout the funded activity period (Dec. 10, 2025 - Oct. 31, 2026).
- Attended one or more NTIs (for the NTI Veteran Attendee Scholarship).
- Not attended NTI (for the NTI First-Time Attendee Scholarship).
Ineligible if you are:
- Member of the AACN or AACN Certification Corporation board of directors or national office staff.
- Recipient of any other AACN scholarship or grant between July 2023 and July 2025.
- Recipient of NTI 2024 - NTI 2026 facilitator benefits
- Recipient of any other scholarships or financial support to attend NTI 2026 San Diego.
Submission Process:
Complete online NTI 2026 San Diego Scholarship Application.
- Name
- Membership number
- Position and facility where employed
- Thoughtful responses to essay questions including your goals for attending and how you will share and apply new knowledge with your work colleagues.
- Deadline — Feb. 2, 2026.
- Recipients will be notified via email by March 10, 2026.
For questions, email NTI Scholarships at ntischolarships@aacn.org.