How much do you owe in student loans?

Nurses General Nursing

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I've been going to school on and off since I graduated high school in 2005. I finally finished all of my pre-req classes this last December at the community college. I also got my LPN in 2011. At the moment I am looking to get into an LPN to RN bridge program.

I work for the veterans affairs and I know that they help with student loans after you've been working there for a year. I was just counting up how much I owe...which is over 43,000. I laughed to myself...but this was the only way I could make it to where I am today. I'll apply for some aid from work after my 1 year point but it just has me thinking....

How much do you guys owe in student loans? What is the average?

Pre-reqs and nursing classes for my ADN just under $20,000 but that's because I wasn't working while in school. If I'd been able to work and do school then I could be graduating almost debt free. It's a community college which only costs about $5000 a year and my Pell Grant covered that. I took loans to live due to other family circumstances.

I'll be working when I do my BSN and several hospitals in our area are still paying for that also so I hope to add very little or nothing to my loan total. My area is also still hiring decently in hospitals if you don't want to pick a specialty you'll have a job within a couple months of graduation if you don't have one beforehand.

Wow. Your situation sounds exactly like mine. I'm currently finishing my last prereqs with the hopes of starting nursing school next fall and I take loans to live bc I'm unable to work and don't plan to while in the program. Same exact scenario. Cheap community college and pell covers that. Glad I'm not the only one and glad to see you made it work. Seems to be working well for me thus far.

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How did you do it?

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How did you do it?

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

$0.

I learned my lesson from the first degree--those loans took me 11 years to pay off. So I've done whatever it takes to avoid taking out loans for the ADN and BSN. That meant going to my local CC for the ADN and taking only a class (or two) at a time for the BSN. Plus some really creative budgeting.

I'm not as confident about getting through graduate school without loans. I started a savings fund last year to help...and I'm not going to give up without a fight!

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Specializes in Peri-Op.

I paid cash. Worked overtime all summer and kept a full time job throughout my schooling. I also had 3 kids and a wife at home....

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What are some of the sites or places you got your scholarships from?

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On 3/28/2013 at 5:21 PM, mmcnabb3 said:

I got my first degree in flight school, so I'm a helicopter pilot, with a bachelors in aviation, but couldnt find a job so now I'm getting my accelerated BSN-MSN so for the first degree I'm in the hole 130k and this second degree will be about 70...

200,000 of school debt. If I could make it into a house id be happy to pay this mortgage.

When people talk about being in debt 30k or what not I just laugh because thats only one of my many loans I have. Out of state tuition, flight school and now my masters is horribly disgusting and depressing but theres not much I can do about it now except pay my minimums and hope for the 20 year forgiveness....on the plus side I have the most amazing credit score youve ever seen haha.

How did this workout?

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