Skeptical about the high amount of Student Loan

The part that really scares me about your post is the lender Sallie Mae - google them...they don't have a sterling reputation among student loan lenders. From what I understand that are not so lenient in the time frame for starting repayment or if you have to defer payments. Just research them better before you sign on for that amount of debt.

Back in 2004, the tuition for the Los Angeles area LPN/LVN program that I had attended was $19,995. I have heard that the tuition rate has increased to nearly $30,000 for the 12 month program.

Private schools are rather expensive when compared to their public counterparts. I think it is because the owners of the private schools know that there are enough students (a.k.a. customers) who will pay for the convenience of bypassing waiting lists, avoiding lottery style admission policies, skipping prerequisite classes, and completing the program quickly and on schedule.