The Rural Health Opportunities Program is a cooperative agreement between Chadron State College and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The purpose of the Program is to recruit and educate students from rural Nebraska in healthcare fields who will return to practice in rural areas of the state.

The benefits of RHOP include a tuition waiver for the years attended at CSC, provisional early acceptance to UNMC, early registration privileges, opportunities to visit UNMC while studying at CSC, mentorship and advising at CSC.

To be accepted to RHOP students must be from rural Nebraska and demonstrate strong academic potential. Strong academic potential is demonstrated by high school GPA and ACT or SAT scores. 

ACT score expectations vary by program, but scores must be at least a 19 or above in all four areas to receive consideration.

Students from the following cities and towns are not considered rural and therefore not eligible to apply to RHOP: Omaha, Ralston, Boys Town, Elkhorn, Lincoln, Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Chalco, and Offutt Air Force Base.

Yes, students chosen for and satisfactorily participating in RHOP will receive full tuition for the years they are at CSC.

Students chosen as alternates to RHOP must satisfy all program requirements but are not provisionally admitted to UNMC until a RHOP position becomes available. Also, alternates do not receive full CSC tuition.

 “Provisional early acceptance” is defined as a CSC student who meets the requirements for RHOP admission, who has been admitted to the RHOP program, and who demonstrates satisfactory progress according to the program standards for admission to UNMC in their professional program of choice.

RHOP students are encouraged, but not required to participate in an internship. RHOP students are required to job shadow a health professional while at CSC to include in their journal entry each semester as part of their program requirements. RHOP students earn college credit for working in a supervised setting. The CSC Internship and Career Services Office will assist students in fulfilling the requirements for college credit. Prior approval is required.

RHOP students are assigned a faculty advisor with experience in their chosen health profession. RHOP students will also work with a liason from UNMC as a mentor. 

You can find out more information about UNMC's RHOP pathways here: https://www.unmc.edu/rural-health/workforce/index.html