The University of Colorado Foundation received a gift from Penrose-St. Francis Health Services that will provide financial support to selected students at the Beth-El College of Nursing and Health at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

The gift will help expand the Penrose Scholarship Program at UCCS to include 23 more nursing students and provide them with $15,000 during their three years of clinical study.

The scholarship program has been in existence since 2003. Penrose had already awarded $720,000 to UCCS nursing students before the most recent gift, the foundation said.