Student loans in grad school

[OBigdog26, MSN, RN, NP]

Hey all!

I'm preparing myself for grad school next year and would like to know how some of you are paying for school.

My plan is to continue working FT while attending school PT in an NP program at a private university. I heard that the school offers grants among other things to help students with school expenses. However, I'm concerned about accumulating 80,000 in student loans to finish an NP program. Like most of you, I have responsibilities such as making a mortgage payment, etc... Also, my wife is having a baby next year, so my finances are spread thin at this time.

On top of that, I'm still paying for my undergrad loans. Any advice or opinions from those that have been through the same situation I'm in would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

[NucRN]

I finished my BSN in January 2012. My son was 2-3 years old during nursing school.

Now I'm back in grad school and my kiddo is 5. Federal loans cover most of my tuition per semester. I have a little over a grand after the student loan is subtracted. I will probably end up paying the rest with cash.

With the grad plus loans, you can borrow whatever you want to cover food and rent. The best thing to do with this is to wait until the end of the financial season so that you don't have to pay 7.2 % interest on your loan from the beginning of the year.

Since I'm back in school, my BSN loans are deferred and I don't have to pay taxes on them until I graduate with my DNP.