Financial Aid while a FT LPN-RN

starfishlpn · May 19, 2011

Well you may get financial aid for the immediate year following your lpn program assuming you are like most of us and were relatively poor when going through your program. But making 50k a year you aren't likely to get much if any thing, unless you have a husband that was unemployed last year and a dozen children. I mean I worked the equivalent of 7 full time months the year after I finished school (finished in December, took a month or two to find job then started prn/part time for a couple months) and my husband worked only part time to go back to school full time, together we made just under $60,000 that year, with no other dependents. The next year we were told that niether of us qualified for pell grant.

$1200 per class, I don't know where you live but that sounds really expensive to me at least for a community college. Think most of my science courses were between $220-450 (70-$80/ credit hour tuition X3-5 credits+ 10-50 lab fee) with an additional $150 max per book if it was new. If you are at least a part time student 6 credits at most schools you can likely get stafford loans which are government backed loans that you don't owe any interest on until six months after you finish school or stop going, but ultimately you have to pay them back. Your employer does not provide tuition reimbursement? Be sure to meet with someone at the school about scholarship opportunities and lauch your own search online.

Also be sure to check with your state board of nursing or that of the state you intend of living in regarding their acceptance of excelsior graduates, some states llike Kansas, Washington, Georgia, Illinois and others require you to do an additional preceptorship or get a license by endorsement after working in another state for a designated number of hours. And the state of California does not accept it period not even by endorsement unless you started it many years ago prior to the enactment of the law.

Good luck

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · May 28, 2011

I'm in the same boat. No financial aid for the fall. I refuse to get another loan for now so I guess I'll be paying out of pocket.

BabyLady, BSN, RN · May 28, 2011

I recently graduated a year ago from LPN school and I work full time. My yearly paycheck is about $50K not including OT when its available.
I plan on taking A&P 1, A&P 2 and Micro Bio and Sociology (Not so worried about the cost of that) at the community college I got my LPN at. The thing is each course has "custom text books and lab manuals" so I am stuck buying from the college book store. Each Lab Science course cost about $1200 with the books.
I then plan on going to Excelsior for the LPN-RN Program that is unless the local community colleges around here ever come up with an LPN-RN Bridge Program for the working LPN. I would be lucky to fit in 2 8 hour shifts where I work now and the lost of income since the LPN-RN Bridge Programs in my area are not set up for any one who works.
Has any one had a hard time getting financial aid after they became an LPN? All I want is something to offset the cost of the $1200.
Luckily I am still on last years financial aid form.

I'll be honest...sounds like are you getting ripped off.

I would be looking for other schools. Private textbooks? Seriously...no reputable school requires that for more than maybe a lab course.

My advice: Check into state pass rates and accreditations...I would bet a dollar you find problems with both.

demylenated, BSN, RN · May 28, 2011

Wow, I took AP1, AP2, and micro in the same semester (accelerated courses), and each had a lab manual I had to buy. All three were about $1500. That sounds AWFULLY expensive. Usually you get an additional "discount" if you are a FT student...