College Debt Advice

Nursing Students General Students

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I am so stuck. I absolutely love the University of New Hampshire, and they have an amazing nursing program, with a 95% NCLEX passing rate. But I would come out with 80k in debt, and that is before me deciding whether I want to get my MSN or not. Also, my community college has a great nursing program, and i could get free tuition on top of a $1,000 scholarship. But UNH literally has everything I want and I love it there. I really don't want to stay home, but the debt scares me. I don't know what to do.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Massive student loan debt impacts where you can live, how/ if you vacation/ what type of job you take, being able to work part-time if you want for a decade or more.

Basically free nursing school in trade for a couple more years at home? No-brainer IMHO

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Take the free route.

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I promise you'll really enjoy life after graduation if you don't have to pay a second-mortgage-worth of money every month because of student loans.

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Google a student loan calculator and plug in those numbers with different interest rates. It will give you a better idea about how much money you'll be paying per month for a certain amount of years. If I were you I'd take the free route, but I can empathize about wanting the university experience.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Do you live in NH? Have you looked at St. Joe's...it is an associate degree program. If you live in MA. Look at Fitchburg state. NCLEX pass 98% to 100% pass for the last 8 years. Yearly tuition.....$10,000.00

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80K is a massive amount of student debt. If you don't absolutely have to go that route...don't. For comparison, I had a 25K loan over ten years ago. I didn't pay it off until 2011, and even then my parents helped me with almost half of it. I would also not go the MSN path unless you are just determined to go after a specific job that requires it. It took me years to get my finances back in order after my 25K debacle. If you want to be a nurse, there are affordable ways to do so. Lots of new grads are crushed under their student debt and make loan payments of as much as $800 a month.

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Why not do the community college route, save 80K, get a great nursing education, and take some awesome vacations using some of the money that you saved. Compare the tiny regret you may have by not going to the university that you love with the immense regret you will have with paying off 80K + interest for years and years.

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Coming from someone who is still paying for her first undergraduate degree from 15 years ago while back in school for a career change, do not go the $80K route. FTR, my loan was nowhere near $80K. And yes, I'm still paying for it.

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Go to the community college. You'll be able to live on your own after that and you won't have to worry about loans to pay off. My brother racked up ~$50k in debt and is still paying it 6 years later.

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Specializes in ED, med-surg, peri op.

It's obvious. Free education! You still get the same qualification and will be doing the same job.

Im living at home while I study, so I have much less debt. Yes at time I wish I didn't, but in November I get my bsn and will be moving out. And after 1 year of working I would of paid off all of my loan. And that is an amazing feeling. While others will still have debt in 10 years time and won't be able to do the things I will get to like traveling and buying house while they are stuck paying off their debt.

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