How much do you owe in student loans?

[Glenna, LPN]

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?

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

For two degrees (1 nursing and 1 non-nursing): $77k. The bulk of that is the non-nursing degree, I think around $55k. It's not ideal (and if I had my first degree to do over again I'd have made very different decisions), but it is what it is. I've been making the payments for so long I'm used to being without the money that goes to the payments, and we have a long term plan to pay them off sooner than their terms.

[knufflebunny]

I hate debt so I opted to go the ASN route. (I already hold a BS in Business with no student loans). I got a 5k student loan and researched how to get free money (I was not eligible for grants since I held my Bachelor's already. I qualified for a state tuition waiver...my tuition was basically free and I only had to cover for books and other small fees. It is always smarter to take the smallest loan possible and pay for living expenses on your own! People should avoid debt like it is the plague!!

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

I did an accelerated program that was 34 thousand no including the pre-reqs (which i paid as i went),I owed 30 thousand , which i paid off in a year. I had no intention of making payments on it, just paying it off ASAP

[nekozuki, LPN]

Nothing yet! I made it through LPN school by working two jobs, and I was so proud to come out debt free. RN program is the same, paying as I go (while working as a nurse)! I did have to go to a small, difficult school as opposed to more inclusive programs, but a more annoying application/testing process was worth it.

My ultimate goal is to be a CRNA, so I'm trying to stay absolutely debt free until grad school.

[featherzRN, MSN]

I was lucky, took LVN school back when community colleges were $50/semester. Did take out one small loan (I think it was like $1K) but that has long since been paid back. RN school (via Regents/Excelsior) I paid for myself. I am now going through WGU for my BSN and am paying the $3200/6 months myself, which seems to be out of the norm these days. It will be tight, but I won't owe anything. I get $500 from my employer each year plus there's a tax credit so that will cut down some of the costs.

[igotaxed]

I have a previous degree from a private college that ended up netting me about $49,500 in loan debt. I've been paying since '05 (with a few forbearances thrown in) and am now down to about $44,000.

Luckily, I just landed a serving job that is paying me more than I've ever made before, so this time around I'll be able to pay for college straight up. Of course, it helps taking all my nursing prereqs at a local community college.

It's tough, but I brought on all that debt myself. I'll pay it off eventually! -- in 45 years

Good luck out there!

[Palliative Care, DNP]

My husband paid for my undergraduate degree so I will "only" owe for my 3 year graduate program. Lol so that will be around $65,000.

[theodorerhoades]

This scares me! Wow...what would you guys say to a new student looking to go for BSN?

[apoppyfield, BSN, RN]

Well I may not have a job, but at least I don't have any loans.

[TXRN44]

$68,000.... What is sad, is that not a penny of it is from nursing! I got a crappy degree right out of high school, parents made too much money, went to school out of state, yada yada yada... Got a jobless degree and BAM, $68K after I consolidated at 2.5%... Whats funny is that I worked my way through nursing school and never borrowed a penny. Wish I'd known what a student loan really meant when I was 18-22 :) Now here I am paying $600/month for 10 years at 31 years old and a new nursing grad. Luckily I got a decent paying job and that is not a horrible chunk out of my paycheck, although I will not be able to buy a new car, etc. etc. and will have to make sacrifices smart people would not... but hey, hind sight is 20/20 right? No sense dwelling on the past. Keep your head up and write that check and make that money. Good luck to us all.

[cassie77775]

40,000$. As long as I submit the paperwork every year that I'm working full time, I can get my pell grant(7k) written off after 5 years. I'm on an income based program since I just graduated and will be making about 35k a year, so we shall see how long it takes. My loan is our only debt, but we did relocate for my job and are living on a very tight budget, so here's Hoping it works out. My bsn will take about 12k at today's cost, who knows how much it will go up once I actually start!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

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.

UPDATE. . .I now owe $1,500 on this loan and hope to pay it off by the end of this month.