How much did you owe in loans after earning your BSN?

[AllNursesisCool]

There's this university that I want to attend to earn my BSN, but it's private and the tuition is about 38,000 per year. I was told by a counselor from there that I would have to borrow about almost 80-90k in loans to pay off the whole 4 years I am there. That pretty much killed it all for me. I really want a BSN because my cousin received her ADN and passed the NCLEX-RN months ago and she's STILL looking for a job. So I don't wanna go to for the ADN. What school did you guys go to for your BSN? How much were tuition fees? Were they impacted? I'm from California and pretty much all the CSU's here have really impacted nursing programs. I don't mind relocating to another state for college, just as long as the tuition fees are not so expensive.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Taking that kind of debt for a nursing degree would be total insanity and will dog you the rest of your debt laden life. Maybe for an MBA or PhD, but for a BSN? Do not do it or learn to live with financial stress and regret the rest of your life......

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

This is the one big advantage we old timers have over the younger generation of nurses....I got my BSN with no debt. My first (non-nursing degree) I paid for with a work study job in college and with my Accelerated BSN, I saved up and paid 6K cash (1987). No debt, no loans.

I doubt I'd have gotten my RN/BSN today with the costs as staggering as they are. We have ADN programs in my state charging almost 1000$ a credit. That's awful.

[GI/OR Nurse LDI]

I owed $46, 000 for an Accelerated BSN (16 month). Plus my other B.S in Sports Science. It's all paid off. $ should never stear you away from your goals or dreams :)

[GI/OR Nurse LDI]

I got my ADN with about 25k in loans (it took me 3 years with the prereqs and all) no jobs for new grads in my area, the damn ads are even starting to say new grads not eligible to apply or new grads need not not apply, so I am continuing on for my BSN at 421 a credit hour and I need 43 credits for it so it should be about 43k total (**##@@## ) I hope I can get a job soon so it doesn't get that high but right now it isn't looking good hopefully the BSN will open more doors.

I am currently looking up to an hour plus driving time (one way) for places willing to even interview new grads.

for my first job I drove 125 miles round trip; worked there 4 days a week ..over 500 miles!! Put your time in , and gain that experience, it wll be worth it, then you can find work elsewhere :)

p.s 43 isn't too bad , my first degree was around 20k, and BSN was 46k..all paid off, make $ charts. It helps!! good luck!!

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I owe 5G's but the hospital I am working for will pay it off once I complete 2 years. So lets see, experience + student debt paid off = win all around.

[beast master RN]

lol wow 80-90 k is way to mush i attend a great community college for around 2500 a semester , i have a associates degree really didnt have any trouble finding a job at all and owe like 9 k

[su9032]

I went to a community college for all my pre-reqs, then I went for the ADN. Those loans were $7,000 because I saved money by moving home with my parents so I didn't have to borrow as much. For my Rn to BSN, while working as an RN, I will get $1,000 per semester towards school. I'm goig to a state university so the tuition isn't that high, and I will pay the rest with the money I'm earning at work while I pay off my little $7,000 loan. I may have to borrow a little more money for the BSN, but not more than $1,00 per semester. Why would anyone pay for a designer nursing degree when there are excellent schools for a very reasonable price. We all take the same NCLEX and all become RN's. I have an RN friend who borrowed $30,000, and she is constantly trying to pick up shifts and find extra work because she is she having a hard time keeping up with all her debt..

[ICU, BSN, B.S., RN]

Paid off 2 Bachelor Degrees in 1.5 years- B.S. in exercise physiology and Accelerated BSN...equally $64,000. Good luck everyone

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I graduated from an in-state university with no debt.

[ICU RN, CRNA Wannabe]

I graduated from an in-state university with no debt.

Full scholarship?

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I graduated from a private ADN back in early 90's, still have about $6,000 in loans. Total back then was around $25,000 I think, but put in in deferment at first due to bills and later consolidated which stretched it out to 15 years more or would have been paid off in 5 years. So I've been a nurse almost 20 years and am still paying off student loans and I'm close to 50 years old. Pretty crazy hey!

Still I know coworkers who have $30,000 to even $70,000 plus in loans and it doesn't stop them from going on for their NP! If I owed that much I'd be having a panic attack for sure!

Sometimes I feel a pang of envy when I see so many young fellow nurses with their whole lives ahead of them going on for an NP. I would love to do the same, but I just don't have the money or the time to pay it off before retirement and I'd be afraid if something happened with my health how would I pay my bills and I don't want to be paying student loans when I'm retired on social security! Heck I'm supposed to be putting money away for retirement and it seems it goes for other things, health insurance out of pocket as something seems to always be breaking down, dental, student loans, credit cards, housing issues!

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

Debt is not easy to deal with, especially when jobs are difficult to obtain. Living with parents, working part-time, cutting expenses every chance you can, loans at the lowest amount so the burden is less when you are done.

Graduated in '92 without debt, had some scholarships, worked, lived with my parents, no credit cards, no shopping, no big trips-waited for that after college and a job.