financial aid help please

Nursing Students General Students

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I'm an RN, have been for 18 years and am starting school again and am in need of some information regarding financial help. I make to much money to qualify for grants and can't afford to cut down any, so am in between a rock and a hard place. I have seen some scholarship info that also is need based and doesn't take into consideration that I have to work. It's been so frustration I could scream!! Please, anyone with any info. I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks, Kim.

Kim,

I feel your pain. Fill out the FAFSA anyway even if you don't think you'll qualify for free money. See what happens. Go to Fastweb.com and plug in your information, scholarships will come up for you and apply for all that you can. Also go to scholarshipcoach.com- it is a great site for finding money for school.

Also if you get really desperate you can accept the Federal Loans, Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized. There are also nursing loans out there for many states.

Last but not least the first thing you should do is consult the Financial Aid Office at the school that you want to attend. They might be very helpful to you. Sorry I didn't mention that first!

You can go online to enter your FAFSA info, even if you don't have your taxes done, if you do, it's even better. You need to do this before you accept any loans, IF that is what you decide to do.

My thinking is that If the only way one can go back to school is to do it by taking loans out IT IS WORTH IT. The Federal loans you don't have to pay back until you are out of school for 6 months. Ask about the difference between Sub and Unsub or send me a personal message and I can explain it to you. Also, you need to be at least part-time to get the Federal loans.

Sorry I can't help more with Free money, don't give up, talk to the Financial Aid Office and be persistent !!

Good Luck, mkue:eek:

Have you checked with your HR department at work to see if they offer tuition reimbursement? If not, I'd start with the FAFSA first and see what they can offer you. Even if you have to take a student loan, some, like the Perkin's loan, are forgiven by the government due to the nursing shortage in some instances. Also, talk to the financial aid office at the school. They can tell you what scholarships the school offers that you qualify for. Hope this helps!

Sorry, I neglected to tell you that I have filled out the FAFSA and have gotten a big NO from them. I have also gotten into Fastweb.com and have gotten info on a few scholarships, but so far I haven't found any that I qualify for. Sure would be nice to see a scholarship for a 30-some-year-old (well, just a few months shy of 40:) wanting to continue her education.

I really appreciate all your support! Kim

This is just an idea, but it might be worth a shot.

My parents make too much for me to qualify for need-based aid, however, they have many other financial obligations (through NO fault of their own), and can not contribute to the cost of my education whatsoever...

So, i found a loan through Wells Fargo (its a nationwide bank) called the "Medcap" loan that is specifically designed for nursing, RT, PT, and PreMed students. To my knowledge, it is NOT need based. I think the banks website is http://www.wellsfargo.com

Also, there are many student loans that are not need based, but they carry a much higher interest rate.

Try going to a financial aid office at a university, and asking about non-need based loans. They should be able to give you a substancial list.

Hope that Helps!

Good Luck,

BrandyBSN

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