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?

Specializes in Med/Surg, Rehab.

DH and I used to have about 130K combined. That's two bachelors degrees and my ASN. We've paid off a good chunk of them using the snowball method and have about 40K left, which should take us about a year and a half on our current plan. We live well below our means and put over 3K a month towards our debt. I am planning to pay for my BSN out of pocket so I don't add to the pile with any more debt.

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Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.

$0. I paid my way through school. Debt free in the school loan department.

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Not feeling so bad about adn route now.

My current AAS cost $4,000 at time. Same college now $16,000.

ADN will cost me $11,000 at school I want to attend. BSN will add $5K - $15K. No loans.

Hoping savings from working to cover most of graduate cost. if it does I'll be broke. If not I'll owe whatever. Either way not desirable.

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I owe 15,000 for LPN/RN total. I need 20,000 more for my BSN and have no clue on where the money is going to come from. I'll have to pay 1000 a month for tuition and I'm in a 16 month program. Sigh....

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$0. BSN was paid for with scholarships and a college fund my parents set up. MSN paid off by working and scholarships. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE apply for scholarships! They are out there and you can get them, especially if you're a good writer (many of them require essays). Google is your friend.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I currently owe about $4,700. When my student loans went into repayment status in October 2010, my original amount due was $12,700. However, I've been paying extra on the principal whenever possible and I expect to have this debt paid off in full by the end of the year.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.

I went straight for my BSN and I'll have about 35k when I'm done (paid most of my associates transfer degree with cash).

Daughter just got accepted into the same nursing program. She'll have about 25k because she took dual enrollment in high school and they paid for most of her associate transfer degree.

Since mine is a second income, I should have my loan paid off in about a year and a half, maybe less. I told my daughter to live cheap once she gets a job and pay it off ASAP. Long term debt can be horrible.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

36,000 for a four year BSN, paid off in 2 years.

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Specializes in inerested in school nursing, peds, OR.
I owe about 80. Sickening.

If you don't mind me asking, do you afford your monthly payment alright? I may have between 50-80 in debt and I'm pretty worried about it. :(

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Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

$15,000 for my first degree, and $0 on my nursing because I got scholarships and worked through school. I've actually got excess

scholarship money left over because I pay the tuition per semester out of pocket, and get reimbursed later in the semester with the scholarship money.

Always, ALWAYS pay a trip to your scholarship office and put in applications for anything you qualify for, and talk to your financial aid counselor. Financial aid is great at carving out little schlarships of $1000-2000 here and there, and they add up.

I've always been shocked by how many students in my program have never taken advantage of this, or thought writing one silly essay wasn't worth the thousands of dollars they could get for it. Sooo worth it.

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I owe about 50K for my soon to be Masters which will most likely end up more toward 60K - this is a private school. As terrible as this may sound to some on here, I will start paying once I am done but the student loan will not be something that I will short my other obligations for..we too live at or below our means and if I can afford to add more to the monthly payment I will, if not, then the loan will be there for however long it takes me. Fortunately, we do not have any debt other than our mortgage and a car payment which will be paid off before the end of this year. I work part time at this point with the goal of going full time by fall. My spouse is in a career he loves but will never make a lot of money. I'm ok with that - I'd rather him be happy, us be able to own a home we can afford and enjoy life a little bit then to be a tied to a huge mortgage for a huge house or fancy car that we have to work M-F and then some to afford.

I agree with a previous poster - something w/the student loan debt will have to give...with the economy as it is most students cannot afford to work/go to school or are not able to find a job that allows them to afford the daily living essentials and pay huge monthly student loan payments. From what I understand w/the new laws going into effect if a student pays as he/she should for 20 years the balance is forgiven. Something like that.

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Paid my way through school with a $4/hr CNA job. ADN is a great bargain financially.

With the push for BSN plus loan money being handed out like candy, I expect a lot more new nurses graduating with debt.

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