Carolinas College of Health Sciences for second degree?

PlayaChickRN · Feb 25, 2015

I do not attend CCHS, however, I am pretty sure they do not have student housing.

As far as schooling goes, I'd get a really clear picture of what classes you need to take to get to the pre-nursing track. I believe when you get into the pre-nursing, you only need to take (at CCHS) A&P, Micro, and maybe one or two other classes like terminology. Everything else can be transfered in. That being said, if there is anything else you need that you don't already have, it would be a good idea to go to a less expensive school (such as a CC). The out of pocket is about a third, and would probably set you up to save quite a bit if its more than a couple classes.

The best way to answer your questions, unfortunately, is to actually apply. Fill out a FAFSA and get the ball rolling. To make an informed decision, you must know all the facts. That's the only way to get it.

CCHS is a fantastic school. There are other schools, however, in the area that could get you to your goal as an RN. Don't discount them and what benefits they may have for your particular situation. :)

Good luck!!!

RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN · Feb 25, 2015

I graduated from CCHS. YES, we DO have student housing although there are only a few houses (2-3 bedrooms) and I've heard it may be discontinued. You can get $10,000 in "free money" by using the loan forgiveness program as long as you work full-time for the system after graduation for 5-6 semesters. You can apply directly to the nursing program if you'd like or you can apply for pre-nursing (the 4 required classes are A&P 1 and 2, College Math, and Medical Terminology -- Micro is NOT part of pre-nursing) and earn guaranteed admission to the nursing program based on GPA and space available. (FYI the loan forgiveness is only for the nursing program not pre-nursing.) Feel free to ask more questions!

TuesdayMorning · Feb 27, 2015

So, if I were to apply and be accepted by CCHS, then I could sign up for the forgiveness program and I would have $10,000 toward the nursing degree (once I am in the nursing program)? Does this work like financial aid and I would not have to pay anything up front? As in, I would sign up for the forgiveness program and loans for whatever is left to pay after the $10,000 and the school would see that I am doing the forgiveness program and loans, or would I have to pay up front and be reimbursed?

Could I take the pre-requisites elsewhere and it transfer in or do I HAVE to do pre-nursing at CCHS?

Did you personally do the forgiveness program and/or loans? Did you receive enough for living expenses or did you have a job?

Thank you! :)

RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN · Feb 27, 2015

So, if I were to apply and be accepted by CCHS, then I could sign up for the forgiveness program and I would have $10,000 toward the nursing degree (once I am in the nursing program)? Does this work like financial aid and I would not have to pay anything up front? As in, I would sign up for the forgiveness program and loans for whatever is left to pay after the $10,000 and the school would see that I am doing the forgiveness program and loans, or would I have to pay up front and be reimbursed?
Could I take the pre-requisites elsewhere and it transfer in or do I HAVE to do pre-nursing at CCHS?
Did you personally do the forgiveness program and/or loans? Did you receive enough for living expenses or did you have a job?
Thank you! :)

The majority of students sign up for the Loan Forgiveness. It used to be called the 80/20 plan because it covered 80% of tuition but now that tuition has gone up, they make it a flat $10,000. Every semester, you have to sign a form that says you want to use the program for that semester.You have 6 months after graduation to find a full time job in the system or the loan becomes due. You can take the non-nursing classes elsewhere. I did the loan forgiveness program (might as well -- it's free money!) and took out a few loans (between pre-nursing and nursing I owe about $4,000) and I paid cash for a portion of it as well. I started working as an RN this week so my loan forgiveness starts this week. I "owe" the hospital 24 months of full-time employment since I used it for 6 semesters. We're taxed on the amount forgiven every 2 weeks but it's not much. I'm married with grown kids (there were 3 of us in college at the same time!) but my husband's salary is more than enough to cover everything so I didn't have to worry about living expenses.