Anyone here pay out of pocket for np school?

efy2178 · Mar 13, 2010

I did to some extent and then decided to apply for every grant scholarship I could find. I got a full scholarship my last year. Think about getting employed somewhere where they have tuition assistance or pay your full way. Don't use credit cards. I did for some of mine and now the interest rates are almost 30%. Ridiculous!

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Mar 13, 2010

You'll have to look at the price of each individual program you are considering then figure out what your monthly expenses are and see if you can afford the additional expense of paying your own graduate school education. It can be done. It has been a while since I graduated from NP school (2003) but I did not take out student loans. I paid for part of my tuition, used some money from employer-sponsored tuition reimbursement, and received a good amount of scholarship/grant money from the university. I didn't attend an online program but the program is a public, state-funded universty where in-state resident tuition is low.

TPfan24 · Mar 14, 2010

I paid out of pocket for my MS degree and it took me four years, sometimes taking one class at a time. I continued to work part time for two agencies and one facility.

For my BSN degree I also went to school part time and it also took four years. Enrolled at the same college for 8 years.

mom2cka · Mar 15, 2010

I'm paying out of pocket, but using stafford loans (can't have defaulted on previous ones, but no credit check, I have poor-fair credit) through a PT program at a traditional school. I don't want to take out loans, but I can't afford to pay right now and want to get done...

allnurses Guide · Mar 15, 2010

I am paying out of pocket, and out-of-state fees too, since I am on a non-immigrant working visa and my university considers me always out of state for tuition purposes although I've lived and worked here for 3 years. I work fulltime and study part time, use tuition assistance from work for a small amount and got a small private scholarship for a few hundred $. I do not qualify for almost all scholarships and loans because I am not a permanent resident of US. I do qualify for some university-based scholarships and will continue to apply for those.

There is no magic, you just have to spend less than you earn and bank the rest for school.

jlcole45 · Mar 16, 2010

I'm doing it. State universities are the most affordable. On average my tuition has been

1600-1800/sem plus books and supplies. I start setting money aside a couple months before

the next semester.

Thenise22 · Mar 25, 2010

My plan is to do this when i start NP school in the summer. I will have to pay $308 per credit hr and I will be taking 6 credits per semester. It will be roughly $2000 per semester. I am young with no children, no cc bills, no mortgage (just rent and that can be reduced) and no car note. I tried to be responsible and take care of all the above bills my first year out of nursing school. Im thankful that i did because now I can afford to go part time at work if school gets too intense.

Bidwillty · Mar 26, 2010

I am graduating in May and have paid for school while going, no grants, tuition assistance etc, the school I went to ahd a payment plan each semester, so the fees were divided over about 4 equal payments. See what the school will do, many of them do have payment plans and will try work with you. Tuition reimbursement requirements change and you may not want to commit to staying when you finish. Good Luck.

BSN_DEC_2006 · Apr 13, 2010

I'm currently in a psych/mental health NP program, and am currently paying everything out of pocket. I managed to save a significant amount of $ while doing travel nursing 2 years ago. This was when travel companies were paying good $, and nearly all hospitals were utilizing large amounts of travelers. This is not the case anymore.

I'm only able to pay out of pocket because i guess i don't have as many bills as the average adult my age. I lucked out because my former coworker is letting me stay at his house during school with very, very cheap rent. My vehicle has been paid off for quite some time, and I have no other dependents to support. I'm still employed full-time at work, and luckily, my hours fit just right with my school schedule. It hasn't been easy though. I've had to seriously budget my spending. I dont' do much of anything at all with the little free time i have. However, i think it'll pay off significantly, as I will not have any loans as soon as I'm done, and 100% of my first paycheck will go to me, instead of loans.

carachel2 · Apr 14, 2010

I was able to pay out of pocket for most of the program, but when clinical hours started stacking up and I had to choose between working more, accumulating some debt or being with my family more I found that debt ultimately won out. I start my job hopefully next week and for 6 months pretty much my whole income will go towards paying off the loans. I can live with that. Everyone in my family has used student loants to get through school and it's never been a big deal to pay it all back. I will say that I wouldn't want to go into a whole lot of debt. I've heard of people being 100K in SL debt from NP school! OUCH!